Rossini: Semiramide (complete opera)
$45.00
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GIOACHINO ROSSINI
Rossini: Semiramide (complete opera)
Alex Penda, Marianna Pizzolato, Lorenzo Regazzo, Andrea Mastroni / Poznan Camerata Bach Choir, Virtuosi Brunensis, Antonino Fogliani
[ Naxos / 3 CD Box Set ]
Release Date: Friday 1 November 2013
This item is currently out of stock. We expect to be able to supply it to you within 2 - 4 weeks from when you place your order.
Following his triumphant visit to Vienna in 1822, when several of his operas were extremely well received, international success beckoned for Rossini. First performed at La Fenice, Venice in 1823, Semiramide was Rossini's last Italian opera, written at the height of his creative powers. Its subject is Greek tragedy for which librettist Gaetano Rossi drew on an adaptation by Voltaire. Instrumentally sophisticated and classically structured, the opera remains one of the most remarkable examples of Rossini's cultivation of bel canto.
"Osborn's Idreno sits well alongside the other principals in this powerfully cast set. In terms of technique and dramatic presence, Marianna Pizzolato yields nothing to Marilyn Horne...[Penda] is a formidable Semiramide, in general presence if not at all points of vocal technique...an indispensable addition to any representative collection of serious Rossini" (Gramophone)
"[Penda] combines a blazing, wide-open top with the juicy lower-middle range that is particularly vital...Pizzolato's exceptional evenness of tone proves as great a joy to the ear as her sincerity and expressive directness...[Osborn] sails through the music with splendid coloratura...the four leading singers in Naxos's performance deserve the attention of anyone who loves Rossini." (International Record Review)
"Alex Penda is a very impressive Semiramide. Unusually for this role, her rich, lustrous vocal tone is more suited to the middle and bottom of the part... Lorenzo Ragazzo is excellent as Assur. He is always lyrical and inherently musical, but he keeps just the right amount of darkness to his voice to remind us of the character's villainy." (MusicWeb)
"there is the Bulgarian soprano Alex Penda's staggering Semiramide - thrillingly sung, and the most complex characterisation of the role on disc. Lorenzo Regazzo is formidable as Assur, while John Osborn, in his finest performance on disc to date, is immensely touching as Arsace's love-rival Idreno. Imperfect yet wonderful and highly recommended." The Guardian, 8th August 2013 ****
"this new Semiramide rivals Pesaro standards thanks to Fogliani's ever-alert and lively conducting. His cast includes singers who challenge this long and wonderful opera's most famous interpreters on disc...this is an unmissable bargain." (Sunday Times)
