Anna netrebko

I don't know why people are giving this CD 5 stars... I guess it's a matter of opinion. I agree with what other reviewers are saying: Netrebko is definately out of her repetoire here. She shouldn't be singing coloratura roles... she simply cannot do it well. Her 'Sempre Libera' was awful... weak, strained, forced high notes, bad passage work, and poor breath support... she even ran out of breath a few times. Her coloratura arias don't hold a candle to someone like Joan Sutherland's, who raised the bar very high. I listened to Netrebko and Sutherland's 'Mad Scene' from Lucia back to back, and sorry to say but Netrebko doesn't even come close to matching Sutherland's agility, pitch, strength, talent and artistry.

A pretty voice, but she needs to know her strong and weak points... she should stick to lyric repetoire, and not try to 'show off' in coloratura roles. Overall, I agree with what another reviewere said: sloppy.

Editorial Review :: Anna Netrebko's second CD is even more impressive than her first. She still may not be an absolutely polished, finished artist, but she's working at it and presents here a very satisfying---even thrilling---program. She doesn't quite have the stature or insights for Verdi's Violetta yet, but aside from some smudged coloratura in low-lying passages she sings the first act scene quite well (capped with a well-placed, big E-flat). She's close to ideal in the Sonnambula and Puritani excerpts, where her girlishness is entirely right, her coloratura dazzling, and her ability to sound tearful really impressive. The Lucia Mad Scene (also notable here for its use of the glass harmonica for which it was composed in place of the usual flute) is quite wonderful, even if the runs are sometimes not as well-delineated as they should be. And although she's not vocally suited to Desdemona's Willow Song and Ave Maria, she does manage to darken her voice to fit the character and presents a very moving portrait. The CD ends with an utterly charming "O mio babbino caro." Artistry and everything else aside, her voice is just beautiful. Claudio Abbado's leadership is ideal. --Robert Levine

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This beautifully presented gala spotlights the next generation of opera stars from around the world: Anna Netrebko from Saint Petersburg Russia, Elina Garanca from Riga Latvia, Ramon Vargas from Mexico City Mexico and Ludovic Tezier from Marseilles France. They are at the top of their form singing solos and duets from great operas before an enthusiastic audience. Near the end of the concert Netrebko steals the show by tossing off her shoes, dancing around the stage and throwing flowers to the men in the audience. This gala is one that you will want to watch many times and share with your friends. Highly recommended.

Editorial Review :: Deutsche Grammophon proudly presents the new faces of the opera world in a glamorous new live concert DVD: Anna Netrebko, Elı - na Garancˇa, Ramón Vargas and the highly acclaimed young French baritone Ludovic Tézier sing a wide range of Italian and French opera favorites. This recording features highlights from concerts at Baden- Baden's Festspielhaus, where tickets to this extraordinary event sold out in record time. The DVD features the four young stars performing duets and the popular quartet "Bella figlia dell'amore" from Rigoletto. Other highlights include Delibes' famous flower duet from Lakmé performed sumptuously by Anna and Elı-na. Total Playing Time: 139 min.

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Here is an artist the likes of which I have never known before and I am an opera lover for 70 years! She is a 1st class character and a singer who can express emotion equally well with her voice as her body, her face or her actions and demeanor. The La Boheme movie was the most moving and meaningful performance I have ever seen, and the extraordinary talent of Netrebko and Rolando Villazon even made one forget the absurd scenery and direction of La Traviata. With the exception of Caruso, I have seen or heard live the greatest opera singers of the 20th century, Gigli, Bjoerling, DiStefano, Melchior, Traubel, Callas, Tebaldi, Pons, Gobbi, Warren, etc. but have never experienced anything like Anna Netrebko.

Editorial Review :: On her fourth album for Deutsche Grammophon, opera superstar Anna Netrebko gives a very personal and intimate performance of cherished lighter works. From sparkling operetta classics to seductive salon songs, each selection comes with a special memory for Netrebko. Netrebko is joined by some friends, Elı¯na Garancˇa and Piotr Beczala-- her joy of collaboration is heard in these magnificent selections. Anna Netrebko is one of DG's best-selling artists and consistently performs in sold-out opera houses and concert halls around the world. She returns to the Metropolitan Opera in January 2009 in Lucia di Lammermoor. Available in a special, deluxe limited edition package! The beautiful cap box includes the CD; a DVD of behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and musical excerpts; beautiful booklet; three postcards and one poster of Netrebko. A must-have for Netrebko fans and the perfect holiday gift!

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The singers voices are superb individually and blend together wonderfully. The selections include some often heard favorites as well as some duets from operas not so frequently performed and these were a gift. A wonderful album.

Editorial Review :: Famed opera singers Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón collaborate again for their much anticipated Duets album. Already a platinum-seller internationally, this album is a collection of their favorite pieces from the world's most celebrated operas including La Bohème and Roméo et Juliette. As a gift to one another, Anna and Rolando also sing in each other's native language with duets from Luisa Fernanda and Iolanta. This release coincides with the pair's engagement at New York's Metropolitan Opera in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette from September-December, 2007 (see dates below). Netrebko and Villazón established themselves as the new operatic dream team when they sang in the Salzburg Festival production of Verdi's La Traviata in 2005 (their interpretations are preserved on Deutsche Grammophon CD and DVD). Since then, they have conquered the world's stages in Gounod's Roméo et Juliette in Los Angeles, and Verdi's Rigoletto at New York's Metropolitan Opera (conducted by Plácido Domingo).

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I almost didn't purchase this based on some of the negative, nit-picking reviews I've seen here at Amazon. I own many other Lucias including Anna Moffo, Sutherland, Bonfadelli, Devia, Rancatore and Ciofi. Some of these are very good. But Netrebko's performance is something else again. She is indeed a Lucia for the ages. She has youth, vivacity, presence, sparkle, charisma, visually and aurally that delights the senses. This is full blown MET spectacular. Scenery, costumes, direction, sound, everything comes together in a gorgeous, iconic production. Don't let the nit-pickers dissuade you from owning and delighting in this gem!

Editorial Review ::

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In this recording, Anna Netrebko justifies all the kudos she has received in the past several years. I have several other CD's featuring her, and this one shows her range which is astonishing. I look forward to hearing her when she finishes her maternity leave and once again is on the stage or in the recording studio.

Editorial Review :: Here, a year after her sensational Metropolitan debut as Prokofiev’s Natasha from War and Peace, comes the debut solo recital album of 30-something soprano Anna Netrebko. She hails from southern Russia, and her emergence from the life of a conservatory student has a touch of the Cinderella tale—the bit, that is, about being discovered by Gergiev mopping floors for the Kirov as a part-time job and making her way into the Kirov's ranks. Later she became a favorite at San Francisco Opera, trying on for size a swath of comic and dramatic roles. Opera Arias parades Netrebko's way through a spectrum of vocal styles and characters. This mesmerizing lyric soprano engages--at times thrillingly grips--the listener with an imagination far greater than the disc's title (couldn't someone have dreamt up a less ridiculously bland handle?), but most significantly leaves an impression that the enterprise here isn't merely about singing. Netrebko's Ilia and Donna Anna are flesh-and-blood characters in real situations, as Mozart wanted them to be. The results are a bit more uneven with her bel canto heroines, where the required balance between Netrebko's emotional identification, so obviously a forte, and the musical phrasing thereof is a delicate one. Her shading of Lucia's mood swings, vocal and emotional, isn't consistently compelling. On the other hand, Netrebko uncovers gemlike facets not just in Gounod's "Jewel Song" but particularly in her stunning, passionately realized and beautifully phrased Manon (even if her trills disappoint). A shame that samples of her Russian repertory are missing here, though Netrebko's "Song to the Moon" from Dvorak's Rusalka concentrates and sets a mood with enviable mastery. Netrebko's musical intelligence and theatrical savvy seem destined to ensure her a magnificent career, so it's no surprise that many fans are already clamoring for more than the tease of an aria collection. --Thomas May

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