COMPOSERS: Bellini,Verdi
LABELS: Pearl GEMM
WORKS: Arias and songs by Verdi, Bellini
PERFORMER: Various orchestras and conductors
CATALOGUE NO: CD 9210 ADD mono
Michelangeli’s ‘bel canto’ tone had a vocal forebear in the singing of Rosa Ponselle, whose resplendent soprano and faultless sense of line made for the greatest ‘Casta diva’ ever recorded.
A star at the Met, Ponselle’s discs are rarely less than great, and Pearl’s new anthology includes a couple of tracks where the sound is so good you might well be listening to a modern recording.