Casanova Soundtrack Tops Classical Chart

By Ben Mattison
January 19, 2006

The soundtrack album for the film Casanova jumped from number eight to number one on the Billboard classical chart this week, its second week on the chart.

The Lasse Hallström film, which stars Heath Ledger as the legendary 18th-century lover, is scored with fragments of music from Baroque composers such as Vivaldi, Rameau, Handel, and Corelli, as well as new music by film composer Alexandre Desplat.

André Rieu's The Flying Dutchman, last week's number one, dropped down to number two, while Renée Fleming's Sacred Songs, which preceded Rieu's CD in the top spot, fell to number four. Cecilia Bartoli's Opera Proibita remained at number three.

New entries included another soundtrack album: Woody Allen's Match Point, which debuted at number 13. The CD includes excerpts from Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore, Rossini's Guillaume Tell, and Verdi's Otello, La traviata, and Il trovatore.

Also new to the chart was Delirio, a recording of Handel arias by soprano Natalie Dessay and conductor Emmanuelle Haïm's Concert D'Astrée, at number 23.

The top spots on the classical-crossover chart were unchanged, with Il Divo's self-titled debut at number one and the soundtrack to Memoirs of a Geisha at number two. Chloë's Walking in the Air, a solo release from a member of the Celtic Woman ensemble, debuted at number nine.