Gheorghiu Sings Puccini beautifully
G. Hopkins | 03/10/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a LOT of Puccini, but there is no better voice so well suited to this composer. Gheorghiu has a magnificent technique, which she makes work for her; however, the CD includes arias she would unlikely ever perform on stage, such as Turandot's arias as well as Liu's. She also has fun with both Mimi's and Musetta's arias from "Boheme". In this case, she can easily handle both roles. So much Puccini in one listening becomes less interesting than her CD's with multiple composers."
Great singing, appalling conducting
Robert Petersen | Durban, South Africa | 11/28/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"New releases by Angela Gheorghiu always arouse comment. This Puccini arias/scenes disc has beautiful singing from Gheorghiu, however, I find a sameness in her singing, whether she be singing an aria from Butterfly or Turandot. She colours her voice well and finds the right sense of melancholy for many of these tender heroines. I am upset that a better conductor was not sourced to compliment Gheorghiu on this recital disc. Coppola's tempi plod through each one of these masterpieces and I feel that with more freedom, the singing would have reached a higher plane"