from: Virgin Classics
You Pay Only: $16.98 Prices subject to change.
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0094639525027
Format: Enhanced
Label: Virgin Classics
Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Virgin Classics
Release Date: November 06, 2007
Sales Rank: 12219
Studio: Virgin Classics
Disc 1:- Fra i barbari sospetti
- Ove son? Qual'aure io spiro
- Numi, respiro... Ah, lo sento
- Ombra dolente
- O zittre nicht
- Der Hölle Rache
- D'un insulante orgoglio
- In un instante... Parto, m'affretto
- Basta, vincesti... Ah, non lasciarmi
- Sento l'amica sperme
- Quando più irato freme
- Se spiegar potessi appieno
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Righini is enough reason to give the collection 5 stars
While the focus of this album, in the words of the singer herself, is to revive her personal favourite composer for the voice, Salieri; the real reason why I found this album to be a treasure has to be the discovery of a first-rate classical composer of opera by the name of Vincenzo Righini.
It is nothing short of a curious anomaly and a regretful shame in the history of opera why Righini was forgotten and unheard of in our day; as I hear the aria "Ove son? Qual'aure io spiro" from the opera Il natal d'Apollo, I could virtually envision the heavens opening and gleams of wondrous light pervading the clouds and illuminating the earth.
On first listening one might assume it to be a late aria written by Mozart - but the truth is that even Mozart himself had seldom scaled such heights of expression that is only matched in similar vein by his trio "Soave sia il vento" (similar in its undulating strings and melancholic winds) - not matched by even his most famous arias for solo voice.
It is not far-fetched to presume that the aria was written in the early 1800s from its autumnal melancholy and prescient romanticism - when it was actually written as early as in 1789 (Mozart had yet to start on his last opera while Haydn was just beginning to). While stylistically it evolved from the operatic tradition and language of Gluck (with its pristine Neo-Classicism), the harmony unmistakenably looks ahead to early-Romanticism. It is not presumptuous to presume that it was an ... Read More
Rating: - Damrau dazzles.
Listening to Diana Damrau, I am being reminded of the late great Mozart coloratura - Arleen Auger.
Somehow, however, I think Ms. Damrau has even surpassed Ms. Auger. The high notes of Ms. Damrau are even more well-pitched, and she seems to have an even more 'spherical' intonation than Auger's. The agility, the lightness, the musicality, however, are all reminisicent of Auger's.
The very fact of this lightness of her voice provides the reason why she is in fact not 100% suitable to sing frequently the role of "Queen of Night" in Die Zauberflote. Indeed thankful that she has cleverly retired from this role!
It is no use to 'feign' coloraturas. You either can do it or cannot. Top coloraturas thriving today include Ms. Devia, Ms. Dessay, Ms. Massis and Ms. Damrau.
If you are a true fan of bel canto, these are the names to watch.
Rating: - piece of bravado
This cd is heaven on earth! What avoice: like an angel. Just sit down and listen and become an angel too.
Rating:  - Diana
This was the first time I have heard Diana Damrau and to be perfectly honest was a bit disappointed. Although she can hit the high notes, they have a tendency to sound screamed.
Rating: - A Triumphant Debut Album
Damrau is really amazing on this recording. She sings four arias by Mozart, seven by Salieri, and two by Righini. The program is extremely demanding, but Damrau flies through the technical challenges of the arias with astonishing ease. Perhaps a young Gruberova or young Dessay could have rivaled Damrau's magnificent performance, but it is hard to imagine any current soprano singing the arias as well as Damrau did.
Le Cercle de l'Harmonie, a period instrument ensemble, accompanies Damrau. They have apparently tuned to the pitch of Mozart's era, which is about a quarter tone lower than standard concert pitch. Nowdays, orchestras are supposed to tune the A above middle C to 440 Hz. However, there was no standardized pitch in Mozart's day, and orchestras generally tuned lower than they do today. Over the years, concert pitch was raised in order to achieve a more brilliant sound.
Damrau displays exceptional tonal control and astounding flexibility, as well as considerable emotional connection to the arias. Her runs, scales, turns, and divisions are executed almost perfectly, and her trill is secure (albeit not as impressive as Joan Sutherland's trill, although probably no modern singer could match Sutherland's magnificent trill). In the extremely difficult Salieri arias (which are possibly even harder than Mozart's concert arias), Damrau sings with great abandon and precision during the fiendish coloratura passages. Salieri's arias frequently soar up to the F and F-sharp above ... Read More
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