Track Listing

1. Cublai, Gran Khan Dei Tartari: Fra I Barbari Sospetti
2. Il Natal D'Apollo: Ove Son? Qual'aure Io Spiro
3. L'Europa Riconosciuta: Numi, Respiro...Ah, Lo Sento
4. Il Natal D'Apollo: Ombra Dolente
5. Die Zauberflote: O Zittre Nicht
6. Die Zauberflote: Der Holle Rache
7. Cublai, Gran Khan Dei Tartari: D'un Insultante Orgoglio
8. Lucio Silla: In Un Instante...Parto, M'affretto
9. Der Rauchfangkehrer: Basta, Vincesti...Ah, Non Lasciarmi
10. Semiramide: Sento L'amica Speme
11. Basta, Vincesti...Ah, Non Lasciarmi
12. L'Europa Riconosciuta: Quando Piu Irato Freme
13. La Finta Scema : Se Spiegar Potessi Appieno

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #71298 in Music
• Released on: 2008-01-07
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Dimensions: .23 pounds
• Running time: 68 minutes

Customer Reviews

Diana Damrau's 'Arie di Bravura' - technical ability and artistry combined in some rare and rewarding repertoire
I'm quite surprised that this marvellous disc - which garnered extremely favourable critical responses in the musical press when it was first released - has only one review on Amazon.

There is no doubting Damrau's technical ability in the rapid scales and vertiginous heights of this demanding coloratura repertoire and even if the voice occasionally thins out a little in some of the top notes, that is only a minor quibble in some of the most rewarding (and exciting!) singing I have heard for a long time. But what is so satisfying about Damrau's singing here is the characterisation she brings to these arias - very much like Cecilia Bartoli, she is as much an actor as she is a singer. I can't remember the two Queen of the Night arias being so vividly coloured in a recital as they are here; this Queen of the Night is a frighteningly formidable presence and the performance by Le Cercle d'Harmonie (a period band I had never come across before) under Jérérmie Rhorer accompanies her with similarly fiery drama. Some may find these two arias a little hard-driven but I think the performances work very well and it makes me regret that "Marten aller Arten" was not included as well.

Had it been, of course, we might have lost one or more from the enterprising selection of arias in this recital, which would have been a shame as this fascinating repertoire is another feather in the cap of this release. Bartoli, of course, released a disc devoted to Salieri some years back and did much to force a reappraisal of that composer's music - The Salieri Album; sadly that CD hasn't led to much interest in recording any of his operas in full, but happily this disc doesn't repeat any of the music that Bartoli had set down for Decca. Damrau obviously relishes the challenges of his virtuoso vocal writing and the orchestra bring the same verve to his richly scored music that they displayed in the Mozart tracks.

Another composer receiving premiere recordings here is Vincenzo Righini, a name that was unfamiliar to me; on the basis of the two arias here, his High Classical music might be worthy of further investigation. The slow section of the aria "Ove son? Qual'aure io spiro" is really quite beautiful and imaginatively scored, suggesting the composer knew his Gluck; Damrau's sense of line makes for a magical seven minutes, even if the faster second section of the aria is musically more conventional.

This is a wonderful disc that thoroughly deserves the accolades it received on its release and it is a recording that I return to frequently. Highly recommended.

Salieri's Revenge
Ms. Damrau sings like a bird, and I am happy that her voice sounds not as stainless steel than Danielle Denise's .... but the revelation of this cd are the aria's of Salieri that are very interesting .... this in contrast to most of his other music that I know .... he's a bit like Telemann .... everybody says he is a great composer, but I am bored after 5 minutes ...

from amsterdam with love ,

joep