Joan Sutherland / Francesco Molinari-Pradelli / Orchestra Royal Opera House Covent Garden
“[T]his album exhilarates me… Joan Sutherland takes sixteen tests in Advanced Vocalism, and sails through them with startling freedom, scattering grupetti and volate as she goes.” – High Fidelity
First released by Decca in 1960 as a two LP set, “The Art of the Prima Donna” created a sensation among critics and opera fans, brought soprano Joan Sutherland and international following, and became one of the best-selling opera recordings of all time. The young Sutherland took on some of the most difficult coloratura soprano arias and demonstrated an astonishing level of ease, assurance, and control, recording this formidable program in a mere two days, with many arias done in a single take. Alto is pleased to make this landmark recording available at a super-value price.
Arne: The Soldier Tir'd of War's Alarms (Artaxerxes) Bellini: Care compagne, et voi, teneri amici ... Come per me sereno (from La Sonnambula) Bellini: Casta Diva (from Norma) Bellini: O rendetemi la speme...Qui la voce sua soave...Vien, diletto (from I Puritani) Bellini: Son vergin vezzosa (from I Puritani) Delibes: Où va la jeune Indoue? 'Bell Song' (from Lakmé) Gounod: Ah! Je ris de me voir (from Faust) Handel: Samson: Let the bright seraphim Meyerbeer: O beau pays de la Touraine (from Les Huguenots) Mozart: Martern aller Arten (from Die Entführung aus dem Serail) Rossini: Bel raggio lusinghier (from Semiramide)
