Search - Montserrat Caballé :: Sings Bellini & Verdi Arias

Birgit Nilsson's second recording of this role reflects greater mastery of the Chinese princess who beheads her failed suitors. More important, it pairs her with her famous partner/nemesis, tenor Franco Corelli. Together, they're thrillingly well matched with a welcomely edgy sense of competition. Renata Scotto is a dramatically alert presence as Liu. Another more odd distinction is the three character roles of Ping, Pang, and Pong: They have some of the loveliest music in the opera, which is rendered with unmatched expressivity and mellifluousness thanks to conductor Francesco Molinari-Pradelli. --David Patrick Stearns