Angela Gheorghiu – Casta Diva (2001)

01. Norma: Aria: Casta diva
02. Norma: Cabaletta: 'Ah bello a me ritorna'
03. Gugliemo Tell: Scena - 'S'allontanano alfin!'...
04. Gugliemo Tell: Romanza: 'Selva opaca'
05. I Puritani: Aria: 'Qui la voce sua soave' ... 'O rendetemi la speme'
06. I Puritani: Cabaletta: 'Vien diletto, è in ciel la luna'
07. La Sonnambula: Aria: 'Ah! non credea mirarti'
08. Il barbiere di Siviglia: Cavatina: 'Una voce poco fa'
09. Il barbiere di Siviglia: 'Io sono docile'
10. L'assedio di Corinto: Scena: 'L'ora fatal s'appressa
11. L'assedio di Corinto: Preghiera: 'Giusto ciel! in tal periglio'
12. Anna Bolena: Scena: 'Piangete voi'
13. Anna Bolena: Aria: 'Al dolce guidami'
14. Lucia di Lammermoor: Aria: 'Regnava nel silenzio'...
15. Lucia di Lammermoor: Cabaletta: 'Quando rapito in estasi'

Angela Gheorghiu - soprano
Karen Jones - flute
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Evelino Pidò - conductor

The title Casta Diva tells all. This recital disc shows soprano Angela Gheorghiu reaching out beyond the lyric Verdi-Gounod-Massenet-Puccini repertory in which she made her name and edging into the gymnastic world of coloratura and bel canto--with some measure of success. Her opening number, the eponymous Bellini "Casta Diva," doesn't show Gheorghiu at her best: the sound is hollow rather than serene and just a touch too fluttery in the vibrato to feel comfortable. But in other arias from La Sonnambula, I Puritani, and Guglielmo Tell, she seems on surer ground--though even here, the fioritura can be rushed and swallowed when it needs to be approached with measured confidence. Of course, the technique is there, as are the eloquence and subtlety--but take this disc as a token of things to come rather than evidence of what has already arrived. That way, you'll be pleasantly surprised as opposed to slightly disappointed. --Michael White, amazon.com

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