Bellini: Il pirata

Advantages: Fun and lively comic opera sung in English
Disadvantages: Not in the original language

...The Barber of Seville, Il barbiere di Siviglia is a comic opera full of vitality and fun. Composed by Gioachino Rossini in 1816, it is his most popular opera. Originally entitled Almaviva after the character from the play. The CD released by the label, Chandos as part of its Opera in English Series, on 21st February 2000 presents the opera in full recorded on 2 discs. The CD is available from most good music stores for the price of £17.99. The Opera in English series was launched in 1995 in collaboration with the Peter Moores’ Foundation’s believe that "to enjoy opera to the full, there must be no language barrier”. Rossini wrote the opera as a commission for the manager of the Argentina Theatre, Rome where it was first preformed in the February of 1816. The libretto was written by Cesare Sterbini based upon Beaumarchais' play... Read review

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Advantages: Kasarova's personal touch. Virtuosic without showing off
Disadvantages: She doesn't keep singing forever

...any legato line to achieve it. Like her idol, WA Mozart, this gal can operate within the boundary while generating a singing experience that transcends it. The tracks included are: 1. HANDEL: Rinaldo: Or la tromba in suon festante 2. GLUCK: Orfeo ed Euridice: Che faro senza Euridice 3. MOZART: Le nozze di Figaro: Voi che sapete che cosa e amor 4. MOZART: Don Giovanni: Batti, batti, o bel Masetto 5. ROSSINI: La Cenerentola: Nacqui all'affanno/ Non piu mesta 6. ROSSINI: Il barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fa 7. ROSSINI: L'Italiana in Algeri: Amici in ogni evento/ Pensa alla patra 8. DONIZETTI: Anna Bolena: Spossa a Percy/ Per questa fiamma indomita 9. DONIZETTI: La Favorita: Fia dunque vero/ O mio Fernando 10. BELLINI: I Capuleti e i Montecchi: Se Romeo t'uccise un figlio Her repertoire had grown even wider since this CD came out... Read review

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Advantages: The most beautiful voice ever
Disadvantages: She's not very well known

...Norma by Bellini which is the passionate story of a Druid priestess and a Roman soldier. This aria and in fact all that follow are so evocative and uplifting that you become totally immersed in the magical music and Filippa's amazingly versatile voice. It obviously would have a quite different effect on a bloke but some of the songs make me want to dress up in something floaty and dance round the room while others make me sink into deep cushions, close my eyes and dream. Other operatic arias on the album are Puccini's Vissi d'arte from Tosca and O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi; Addio del passato from Verdi's Traviata and s'apre per te il mio cuor from Samson and Dalila. In Habanera from Carmen she uses electronic voice enhancement and while purists might object I found the different approach quite entrancing. Filippa is not your... Read review

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