COMPOSERS: Rossini
LABELS: Decca
WORKS: Opera Arias
PERFORMER: Teatro Comunale di Bologna Chorus & Orchestra/Daniele Gatti
CATALOGUE NO: 436 377-2 DDD
These are complete scenes – with chorus and soloists as required – and nearly all from Rossini’s serious operas. For those reluctant to invest in full-length versions of these works, this disc provides about 20 minutes from Act II of Ermione and Act III of Otello, with sizeable chunks from four other operas. From Anderson’s plangent delivery of Semiramide’s Act II aria to the larger tableaux with dramatic and incisive solo and chorus contributions in Ermione and La donna del lago, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Chorus and Orchestra, under Daniele Gatti, give excellent accompaniments to some stunning performances.
In Otello, Anderson’s Desdemona dips gloriously in and out of Rossini’s vocal nooks and crannies to spin mesmerisingly long lines. Her Contessa aria from Viaggio is brilliantly executed with an element of vocal irony – a wonderful flourish and finish to an excellent and generously filled disc. This is a welcome addition to Cecilia Bartoli’s Rossini Heroines, also from Decca. Elisse McDougall