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GIUSEPPE VERDI
1.
Pace, pace, mio Dio! from 'La forza del destino' (1862)
5:49
Allegro agitato -
'Pace, pace, mio Dio!'. Andante -
'Oh Dio, Dio, fa ch'io muoia'. Un poco stringendo -
'Ma chi giunge?'. Allegro
Solo:Sally Pryce harp
Ah, fors è lui and Sempre libera from 'La traviata' (1853)
6:46
2.
'È strano! è strano!'. Allegro -
4:59
'Ah, fors' è lui'. Andantino -
'Follie! follie!. Allegro -
3.
'Sempre libera'. Allegro brillante
1:47
GIACOMO PUCCINI
4.
D'onde lieta uscì from 'La bobème (1896)
3:28
'D'onde lieta uscì'. Lento molto -
'Mimì al solitario nido'. Andantino -
'Ascolta, ascolta'. Andantino mosso
5.
Vissi d'arte from 'Tosca' (1900)
3:25
Andante lento appassionato
GAETANO DONIZETTI
Piangete voi? and Al dolce guidami from 'Anna Bolena' (1830)
9:33
Peter Facer cor anglais
6.
Andante - Calando -
4:56
'Piangete voi?'. Recitativo -
'Che Percy non lo sappia'. Allegro - Moderato - Cantabile -
7.
'Al dolce guidami'. Cantabile - Presto
4:36
GIUSEPPE VERDI
8.
Morrò, ma prima in grazia from 'Un ballo in maschera' (1859)
4:53
Andante
Solo:David Cohen cello
9.
Caro nome from 'Rigoletto' (1851)
6:39
'Gualtier Maldè...'. Allegro assai moderato -
'Caro nome'. Allegro moderato
10.
Addio, del passato from 'La traviata'
6:35
'"Teneste la promessa..."'. Andantino -
'Addio, del passato'. Andante mosso
VINCENZO BELLINI
11.
Casta Diva from 'Norma' (1831)
7:32
Andante sostenuto assai
Solo:Adam Walker flute
GIACOMO PUCCINI
12.
Senza memma from 'Suor Angelica' (1918)
4:59
Andante desolato -
'Senza mamma'. Lento grave -
13.
Un bel dì, vedremo from 'Madama Butterfly' (1904)
4:33
'Un bel dì, vedremo'. Andante molto calmo -
'Chi sarà? chi sarà?. Sostenendo molto -
14.
Tu? Tu? Piccolo Iddio! from 'Madama Butterfly'
5:02
'"Con onor muore"'. [ ] - Allegro vivace -
'Piccolo Iddio!'. Andante agitato -
Solo:Jung Soo Yun tenor
Total time: 69:13
Orchestra: Sinfonia of London
Andrew Haveron leader
Conductor:John Wilson
Notes
The British soprano Linda Richardson has performed extensively across the UK and continental Europe under conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Edo de Waart, Sir Mark Elder, Daniele Rustioni, Libor Pešek, and Carlo Rizzi. Her extensive repertoire includes roles ranging from Monteverdi and Mozart to Janácek, Britten, and Wagner.
Linda Richardson writes: ‘I have had the privilege of performing many of the great leading soprano roles in the operatic repertoire, but as my career progressed, I found a special love and affinity for the roles that stood as pillars in Italian opera. The beautiful melodic lines, dramatic language, and the overall musical craftsmanship of these Italian composers make their characters especially thrilling. I chose these particular arias because they show the huge variety of heroines that can be found in the greatest Italian operas. Although most of the arias are expressions of love and loss it is the individual emotional journey of each character which I find so compelling.’
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Reviews
“… This disc contains a lot of insightful singing from Linda Richardson... The Chandos recording is as always beyond reproach and John Wilson and his Sinfonia of London have backed her up in the best possible way…”
Göran Forsling MusicWeb-International.com – 5 May 2021
“… this is an enjoyable album, especially if you have appreciated Richardson’s performance in the theatre.” ***
Francis Muzzo – Opera Now – January/February 2021
“In a personal note included in the booklet, the soprano Linda Richardson writes about her initial inspiration for becoming a singer and especially of her ‘special love and affinity for the roles that stood as pillars in Italian opera’. The disc represents a worthy celebration of her commitment to that repertoire… Throughout the disc Wilson and his exceptional orchestra offer plenty of refined detail, and between them he and Richardson have judge tempos astutely.”
George Hall – Opera magazine – March 2021
“… The final scene from Madama Butterfly is remarkably effective, partly down to Richardson’s stage experience but also to the outstanding playing of the Sinfonia of London under John Wilson, who really lands the orchestral punches...She certainly pulled out all the plums, and anyone who has enjoyed her performances should be encouraged to investigate this album.”
Mark Pullinger – Gramophone magazine – February 2021
Performance *** Recording ****
“… Richardson’s Puccini is unshowy, too, with a touching farewell to Rodolfo from Mimi and a defiant Tosca at the end of ‘Visse d’art’. She evidently hears these women in their music… her ‘Piangete voi?... Al dolce guidami’ from Anna Bolena is as good as this dependable artist gets, discreetly decorated at the start of the aria as she wraps her voice around one of Donizetti’s most seductive melodies. The soft singing at the end has real class…”
Christopher Cook – BBC Music magazine – February 2021
“… Richardson is at her best when using her voice to strongly characterize her roles. Her distinctive level of communication takes one to the heart of the action… Maria Callas made the arias “Vissi d’arte”, “Casta Diva” and “Senza Mamma” her own, and these are naturally difficult to replicate with the same dramatic effect. Richardson doesn’t aim to imitate, but finds her own footing. In “Casta Diva” for example, the melismatic phrases have a different intensity and colour to Callas — or even Sutherland, but bring a different facet to Norma’s character. The drama peaks appropriately in the album’s final excerpt “Tu? Tu? Piccolo iddio!” from ‘Madama Butterfly’ (in which Jung Soo Yun makes a brief appearance as Pinkerton); Wilson and Richardson bring the operatic and musical experience full circle, returning to the dark, Italianate and passionate mood of the opening. The sound from the Sinfonia of London is weighty, rich, full-bodied and more symphonic than operatic, making the orchestral passages magical … The booklet provides notes from Richardson and a brief synopsis, setting each extract in context — an ideal starting point for opera novices…”
Leighton Jones – the classicreview.com – 27 January 2021
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