Joan Sutherland The Art of The Prima Donna 180g 2LP Speakers Corner (Vinyl)

180 Gram Double Virgin Vinyl! La Stupenda! Elegant, Subtle Colorings and Expressive Nuances!

The "Art of the Prima Donna" stands out like a shining star in the firmament of virtuoso song repertoire and the world of grand opera. And this double LP pays homage to this cult. It is of little importance that the majority of the divas who are praised in the cover text celebrated their success long before the days of the phonograph and that therefore no recordings of them exist. After all, Joan Sutherland with her wonderfully supple and artistically flexible soprano voice is more than compensation, and she gives us an idea of how these works would have sounded in the salons of the 18th and 19th century.

Joan Sutherland is wonderfully British in her poised rendering of the opening work, Thomas Arne's coloratura aria The Soldier Tir'd, and in Handel's jubilatory Let the Bright Seraphim. But she earned her honorary title "La Stupenda" by singing Italian repertoire. With utmost ease, agility and remarkable clarity in the top register, her voice gets right to the heart of bel canto. One of the most exquisite and beautiful roles is demonstrated in the demanding aria Casta Diva from Bellini's Norma, here sung in the original key. How lucky we are not to have to imagine how this great singer might have sounded, but can listen to her amazing voice over and over again.

"Ms. Sutherland’s singing was founded on astonishing technique. Her voice was evenly produced throughout an enormous range, from a low G to effortless flights above high C. She could spin lyrical phrases with elegant legato, subtle colorings and expressive nuances. Her sound was warm, vibrant and resonant, without any forcing." - Anthony Tommasini, The New York Times

Features:
• 180g Virgin Vinyl
• Double LP
• High Quality Pressing
• Pure Analogue Audiophile Mastering

Musicians:
Joan Sutherland
Royal Opera House Orchestra & Chorus
Francesco Molinari-Pradelli

Selections:
Arias from:
Thomas Arne
1. Artaxerxes
2. The Soldier Tir'd
Georg Friedrich Handel
3. Samson
4. Let the Bright Seraphim
Vincenzo Bellini
5. Norma
6. Recit. and Aria Casta Diva
7. I Puritani
8. Polonaise, Son vergin vezzosa / Qui la voce
9. La Sonnambula
10. Recit. and Aria Come per me sereno
Gioachino Rossini
11. Semiramide
12. Bel raggio lusinghier
Charles Gounod
13. Faust
14. Ah! Je ris de me voir si belle "Jewel Song"
15. Romeo et Juliette
16. Je veux vivre dans le reve "Waltz Song"
Giuseppe Verdi
17. Otello
18. Piangea cantando "Willow Song"
19. La Traviata
20. Ah, fors e lui, Sempre libera
21. Rigoletto
22. Recit. and Aria Caro nome
Ambroise Thomas
23. Hamlet
24. A vos jeux "Mad Scene"
Leo Delibes
25. Lakme
26. Ou va la jeune indoue? "Bell Song"
Giacomo Meyerbeer
27. Les Huguenots
28. O beau pays
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
29. Die Entfuhrung aus der Serail
30. Martern aller Arten

Recorded July and August 1960 in Kingsway Hall, London.