The East Village Opera Company - Georges Bizet, Alfredo Catalani, Leo Delibes, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giacomo Puccini (Audio CD - 2005)

If you think the Who had the last word in rock opera and that Queen was the end all in operatic pop, the East Village Opera Company -- a powerhouse five-piece band with a string quartet and two compelling vocalists -- will have you rethinking those precepts. The success of foreign-language-driven pop by Josh Groban and il Divo no doubt made it possible for this unique outfit to adapt some of these opera classics into a 21st century context. The Mozart-composed overture (from "Le Nozze di Figaro") has some of those Who-like synthesizer speckles over an insistent drumbeat before a blistering rock assault begins, which is sort of like paying homage to one of the great sources of the concept. Though the first-time listener who is not an opera fan may not know all the original titles (whose composers include Puccini, Verdi, and Bizet), it's a great introduction to the art form because each track is performed at full length and in the original languages. The best of these are the synth-metal jam "La Donna e Mobile" from Rigoletto, a soulful and symphonic sweep through "Habanera" from Carmen (which should ring a bell), and "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. The East Village Opera Company was co-founded by lead singer Tyley Ross and arranger/multi-instrumentalist Peter Kiesewalter. They assembled a full-on rock band, adding two guitars, bass, and drums to Kiesewalter's keyboards, then synched it to a string quartet. A second vocalist, Ann Marie Milazzo, was recruited for explosive duets with Ross and various soaring solos. The project was produced by three-time Grammy winner Neil Dorfsman, with string arrangements recorded in Prague by the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra.

Condition:NEW. Drilled case

TRACK LISTINGS

1 Le Overture - Redu Redux 4:07
2 Nessun Dorma - Redux 4:31
3 Flower Duet - Redux 4:42
4 La Donna è Mobile - Redux 4:56
5 Un Bel Di - Redux 4:12
6 Les Au Fond du Temple Saint - Redux 4:34
7 O Mio Babbino Caro - Redux 5:54
8 La Ebben? Ne Andró Lontana - Redu Redux 5:13
9 La Che Gelida Manina - Redux 5:21
10 Habanera - Redux 4:54
11 When I Am Laid in Earth - Redux 5:19
12 E Lucevan Le Stelle - Redux 5:03