Casta Diva

The title Casta Diva tells all: this recital disc has 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 her 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 is 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 ( sursa amazon.co.uk)

1. Norma: Casta Diva...Ah, bello a me ritorna
2. Guglielmo Tell: S'allantanano alfin
3. I puritani: Ah, rendetemi la speme...
4. La sonnambula: Ah, non credea mirarti
5. Il barbiere di Siviglia: Una voce poco fa
6. L'assedio di Corinto: L'ora fatal s'appressa...
7. Anna Bolena: Piangete voi?....
8. Lucia di Lammermoor: Regnava nel silenzio...