Most Opera Singers make recital discs of a selection of Composers, except where such a Composer is prolific [Mozart / Rossini / Verdi / Wagner/ Puccini], but with Bellini you haven't got much to choose from, which is why discs like this are rare, however they're also very welcome, the only gripe i have about this disc is the length, at only 54 minutes long, at least the famous 'Casta Diva' from Norma could have been added?, Bellini had a tendency to write long arias which are spun out really well, and that's one reason that this only contains 5 tracks / arias, you wouldn't get this from Mozart, Bellini's arias are long drawn out, and extremely lyrical, plus he had a penchant to use solo woodwind instruments as almost soloists in a lot of his introductions, and he is a master at creating mood that way, i love the deft way he can at times push aside the Opera stars, and indulge in a nice bit of being an orchestral Composer, elevating an instrumentalist as a star for a short while [consider the Oboist in the middle movement of the Brahms Violin Concerto, almost stealing the show], i played this a couple of years ago, you can read my thoughts in my Blog here [28th September 2010].
June Anderson is an American Soprano, she is now 59, she made this disc in 1987, i like the front cover photograph [by Steve Bicknell], a soft focus portrait, there's a certain glow to the face, and the lettering is in red and black, nice swirly writing.
Of all the pieces on this disc, it was the music from La Sonnambula that i loved the most, the closing scene and final aria of Amina is fantastic, it seems to have the lot in its three sections, .
Here's June Anderson singing the three sections of the finale of La Sonnambula on YouTube, [Oh! Se Una Volta Sola / Ah! Non Credea Mirarti / Ah! Non Giunge].
Of all the pieces on this disc, it was the music from La Sonnambula that i loved the most, the closing scene and final aria of Amina is fantastic, it seems to have the lot in its three sections, .
