A lovely Italian-French song recital from a reigning diva
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 08/28/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Angela Gheorgiu doesn't owe her fame simply to being the female half of a glamorous husband-wife opera duo. From the beginning the Rumanian diva has been the better musician of the two, and her voice encompasses a huge range of roles, basically the same lyrico-spinto range as Cheryl Studer's. Ms. Gheorgiu can record anything she wants, and here she's opted for a song recital with piano. The texts are divided between French and Italian, the two languages in which she has scored her greatest triumphs.
Since Amazon has given up on reviewing clasical music and providing adequate information about the contents of CDs, here's the program:
O del mio dolce ardor (Gluck). Piacer d'amor (Martini). O cessate di piagarmi (Scarlatti). Se tu m'ami (Parisotti). Malinconia ninfa gentile (Bellini). Vanne o rosa fortunata (Bellini). Me voglio fa'na casa (Donizetti). Stornello (Verdi). In solitaria stanza (Verdi). Brindisi II (Verdi). Serenade (Gounod). Chant d'amour (Bizet). Elegie (Massenet). Sub perdeaua dragei mele (Alfred Alessandrescu). Si daca (Diamanti Gheciu). Floricica de pe apa (Tiberiu Brediceanu). Bade pentru ochii tai (Tiberiu Brediceanu). Vai badita dragi ne-avem (Tiberiu Brediceanu). Lasati-ma sa cant : Te iubesc (Gherase Dendrino). A Vucchella (Tosti). I could have danced all night (Lerner / Loewe). O mio babbino caro (Puccini).
Becasue she starts out with Martini's famous cross-over hit, Plaisir d'Amout (here translated into Italian), one may suspect that Gheorgiu will steer away form serious expresssion, but in fact her capacity to communicate deep emotion remains extraordinary. The voice is in good shape, the colorature firm when it is called for, and the tone noticeably dakre than when the singer was young. One needs only sample Massenet's "Elegie" to realize that this opera star is also a major artist in the field of song. I've never encountered her accompanist, Jeff Cohen, but he's outstanding in his own right.
In all, this recital is an excellent addition to Gheorgiu's ever-growing discography."
Bold and Beautiful
Grace Kim | los angeles, ca USA | 10/16/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Earlier this year, I attended Ms. Gheorghiu's debut recital in Los Angeles at LA Opera with great expectations of the diva. To the delight of all in attendence, her program consisted of some of the most beloved and popular arias the world of opera has to offer. Whether Juliette or Carmen or Eliza Doolittle during the encore, you believed in each portrayal by Ms. Gheorghiu. (Before the recital, I had the pleasure of experiencing her supernatural voice and acting skills in Pagliacci and La Boheme with her husband Roberto Alagna as well.) In this extensive live recital recording from La Scala, Ms. Gheorghiu's choices once again reveal her intense passion, purity of voice and keen intelligence. This is a program of supreme subtlety and honesty of heart. Indeed, Ms. Gheorghiu triumphs yet again to add to her growing legacy as one of the best living opera singers internationally."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1