It would be happy news for opera fans if this release indicated the beginning a trend for the Metropolitan Opera: releasing albums of excerpts of operas from its vast archive that showcase the work of individual singers. Recitals of operatic arias and scenes recorded in the studio are a dime a dozen (and for a rising star, a practically obligatory rite of passage). The results can easily sound sterile and formulaic; the same repertoire for each voice type gets endlessly recycled, the supporting singers are seldom of the highest quality, and the orchestral accompaniment is a wild card, sometimes stellar and sometimes barely adequate. A series of releases from the Met would guarantee a high quality of orchestral and choral support, excellent soloists in the extended scenes and ensemble pieces, and the dynamic charge of live performance that's rarely captured in the studio. This release is all of those things, besides being a glowing testimony to Netrebko's artistry; her immersion in her roles and easy dramatic flair for both comedy and tragedy, the breadth of the repertoire in which she excels, and her remarkable voice: velvety, lustrous, beguiling.
This collection was released in celebration of the tenth anniversary of Netrebko's Met debut in 2002 as Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace, and includes a rhapsodic scene (with Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Ekaterina Semenchuk) from that production. Every track is fully satisfying. The Mad Scene from Lucia is chilling in Netrebko's haunted and haunting performance. The two scenes from Roméo et Juliette are high points. There's real chemistry between Netrebko and Roberto Alagna, and their duet, "Huit d'hyménée," is vocally gorgeous and saturated with sensuality. The delightful trio from Don Pasquale, which also features Juan Diego Flórez and Mariusz Kwiecien, offers ample evidence of the performers' sly humor. This is a release that will be indispensible for Netrebko's fans. There is some variability in the sound quality and ambience between tracks, but its impact is negligible because it's never less than very fine.
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