Search - Claudio Abbado, Sascha Reckert, Sara Mingardo :: Sempre Libera

Another beautiful recording

Walter Fekula | New York, NY USA | 08/31/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Deutsche Grammophon has again pulled out all the stops for the second album of a planned five for the already risen diva, Anna Netrebko. I thought that the award-winning first album would be difficult to top, but the maturing voice of Ms. Netrebko just gets better and better. What a lush and beautiful coloratura. The range of her lustrous voice is amazing with high e-flats sung with apparent effortlessness and her bottoms without any strain. Her interpretation runs the gamut of emotion and the Ave Maria from Otello brings tears. The repertoire is all from six well-known Italian operas from Bellini to Puccini. The orchestra more than ably conducted by Claudio Abbado also has some excellent soloists who hold their own. I was going to complain about the length and was surprised that it is almost 70 minutes in length, testimony to its beauty. The brochure is very well done as it contains a full translation of the arias, the names of all the artists and some stunning photographs of the captivating Anna. Oh my, it just does not get any better. Artists that have it all come only once in a lifetime. I fail to understand why the Metropolitan Opera, unlike the other major houses in the world, is not offering her the meaty roles. She is much worthier than the Musetta and Zerlina she is being offered. Two CDs from this very gifted Russian artist. Three to go. Not one Russian aria, yet. Patience, patience. Maybe next year."

Gorgeous but who cares?

CRichards in NYC | Brooklyn, NY United States | 03/11/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Let's get this right out in the open - YES Anna is drop-dead gorgeous! Yes she has a gorgeous voice. However in my opinion, she's TOTALLY out of her element on this disc. She is singing almost all the WRONG repertoire.



Shall we start with the Amazon.com review above? "She still may not be an absolutely polished, finished artist, but she's working at it..." Excuse me? Why the heck is she getting her own recital disc. Many, many artists are "working at it" in lessons, in small productions, why does she get to perfect her craft on the world stage? Oh yea, she's beautiful. Next, "She doesn't quite have the stature or insights for Verdi's Violetta yet..." Why is she singing it? Then, "The Lucia Mad Scene...is quite wonderful, even if the runs are sometimes not as well-delineated as they should be..." What? This is one of the most famous coloratura pieces ever, if you can't sing it, then DON'T! My favorite, "Artistry and everything else aside..." WHAT!!!??? Yikes! I will disagree here, "And although she's not vocally suited to Desdemona's Willow Song and Ave Maria..." I feel she's absolutely more in her element on these pieces.



Anna is a full lyric soprano, she should be singing Mimi, Butterfly, lyric Mozart and some French repertoire, not this coloratura rep. Her runs are atrocious, her pitch is far from perfect, and her top is quite thin compared to the rest of her voice. Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy! Whoever has her singing this rep should be fired immediately.



Unfortunately, she's the "IT" girl of the moment (and most likely for years to come), this year the Met has her singing Gilda in Rigoletto (which I saw - sloppy, but beautiful and NO top notes), and Norina in Don Pasquale. Next year she's singing Elvira in I Puritani (EEK!! The thought of this is truly freightening - Elvira is ALL coloratura), but luckily she'll be singing her first Mimi (whew!). Future seasons have her in War and Peace (better) and Romeo and Juliette (good). Hopefully she'll trend toward these roles as she grows, I say wait for that disc. If you want GREAT coloratura, get anything with Joan Sutherland, Beverly Sills, or Natalie Dessay (Currently the best coloratura on the planet!). I don't hate Anna, I like her very much, I just think she'd be better suited singing different rep."

A new wave of golden divas

Scott T. Persinger | Delaware | 11/02/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Truly we are heading back into a golden era of singing. It has been far too long since fine up and coming singers have emerged. Anna Netrebko is one of this era's shining stars. She has one of the lushest, flighty, and naturally dramatic voices I've ever heard, though that does not hide the lack of artistry in this recent recital. She seems very detached from every role she presents, her best being her Violetta which itself is only skimming the surface of the character. The previous reviewer said "These songs are the essence of passion" and she delivers a very bland and mechanical performance. Yes you might have the high notes but who wants to hear you sing if you don't do it beautifully. I believe that she has been pushed or unknowingly wandered into repertoire which is beyond her years. She can sing it fine, though her upper register especially the constant barrage of high E flats leave much to be desired. She has not the experience to portray the characters in the correct facet or at all (for an example of this listen to her O mio babbino caro.....beautifully sung not one flaw, but utterly devoid of emotion that is not otherwise created by the music) That is one thing I believe many singers do they take on roles solely according to their voice when the major question should be "What can I add to this role, what experiences do I have to pull on." You can totally understand the role, but to truly be one with the role you must connect to it through your heart. One thing I will give to her is that she is immensely talented and has a wonderful musical sense. All else aside her musicality is what helps her pull off these arias. Also as purely a side note I absolutely love the colors of her voice it is very reminiscent of Maria Callas in her early years and I pray for the day when with experience she will be able to use this unique attribute to its full extent. Honey you have the training.....you have the voice....now just give yourself to the music.....let yourself be the music.....and fly away.......taking our hearts with you!"