Today we are featuring an extremely enjoyable review from James Newman’s (@JamesNewmanNYC on Twitter) blog “A Liberal’s Libretto.”
Remember, if you don’t already have a Radvanovsky Sings Verdi, you can win it for FREE by taking part in our 37th Anniversary Contest! You will also get a copy of our 35th Anniversary Opera Gala compilation.
A Liberal’s Libretto: Sondra Radvanovsky’s Verdi Arias: Sondra, you had me at “Pace”.
Not so long ago a general director once told me that a singer’s calling card is the uniqueness of their voice… that unmistakable sound that some singers have.
Think about it; Caballe, Sutherland, Horne, Callas, Dimitrova, Bumbry, Norman, Millo, Zajick … they all have qualities, and some might say idiosyncrasies, that are so unique to *them*, that if you listen, you can instantly pick out who is who.
In my opinion, based on what I’ve heard in this CD, Radvanovsky is most definitely in the realm of the unmistakable.
Verdi Arias is a decent mix that can go up against any of the other Verdi aria CDs out there. And there are plenty out there to chose from.
What sets Radvanovsky’s apart are the qualities of her voice – warm, rich, and luscious without sacrificing the vibrato speed and depth that comes from a well placed instrument. In addition, the choices that she makes in regards to the music are unlike any that we’ve heard.
From the opening phrases of “Tacea la notte” from Il Trovatore she had me realizing that this was going to be a long haul – in that oh-so-wonderful way. In a sense, Radvanovsky’s CD is reminiscent of Lay’s Potato Chips – no one can eat just one. I knew I was going to have to sit back and take this one in – one delicious aria at a time. I had started and there was no going back…
Read this great review in its entirety on “A Liberal’s Libretto“!