Rosina's aria

From The Barber of Seville by Rossini.
Once again, Swedish mezzo soprano Malena Ernman.
This is brilliance. So playful, funny and truly excellent.

Read more about the opera here.

Bartoli in full speed

Click here and let Cecilia Bartoli blow you away with the aria "Agitata da due venti" (Agitated by two winds) from Vivaldi's opera Griselda.



Lots to read about Vivaldi here.

Amazing Ernman

This is a quite astonishing performance
by mezzo Malena Ernman,
singing Nerone's lasta aria
from Handel's opera Agrippina.
Listen and be amazed here.

More, in a completely different style, from Ernman here.

Poor flowers

I want to share with you one of the most beautiful arias for soprano that I know of.
I am sorry I haven't been able to find the whole aria with Maria Callas, because I think she does it so heartbreakingly wonderful.

Poveri Fiori from the opera Adriana Lecouvreur by Cilea, in different versions :

Mirella Freni

Montserrat Caballé

Maria Callas (one minute snippet)

Find the text in both Italian and English here.
Read more about the opera, which premiered in 1902, here.

What to do without Euridice?

Dame Janet Baker,
one of the great mezzo's of the 20th century,
singing Que faró senza Euridice
from Gluck's opera Orfeo & Euridice.
Euridice has just died and Orfeo (Baker)
sings this very touching aria,
What will I do without Euridice?

Ernman + Weill = yes!!

Take a moment and listen to this Swedish mezzo soprano, in Youkali by Kurt Weill. There is nothing this singer cannot do. She sings coloratura arias while rollerskating on stage. She moves effortlessly from Carmen to cabaret songs to Ellington and back to Schubert. Her name is Malena Ernman and she is simply stunning.

Green mountains in Rome

Listen to the finale of the opera L'incoronazione di Poppea (Coronation of Poppea). Written in 1642 it was Monteverdi's last opera, and it is set in imperial Rome.
The singers are Anna Caterina Antonacci, soprano (Poppea) and David Daniels, countertenor (Nerone).

Hear more samples from this recording here.
Read plot here
Read more about Monteverdi here

Callas!

The great Callas. I must admit I had huge problems listening to her in the beginning. I really had to train my ears. Now I love her. I couldn't find the one song I really wanted you to hear, which is Poveri fiori, but I hope you'll enjoy this one. Poveri fiori is so so sad anyway, it might just break your heart.