Roberta Peters Opera Arias (Legato Classics LCD 232-1)


DIE ZAUBERFLOTE, (Mozart), Der Holle Rache, 1952

THE BOHEMIAN GIRL, (Balfe), I dreamt that I dwelt in marble halls, 1952

FAUST, (Gounod), Jewel Song (abridged), 1953

FRA DIAVOLO, (Auber), Or son sola, 1954

I PURITANI, (Bellini), Son vergin vezzosa, 1953

LA SONNAMBULA, (Bellini), Ah, non credea ... Ah, non giunge, 1953

LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN, (Offenbach) Les oiseaux dans la charmille, 1956

L'TTOILE DU NORD, (Meyerbeer), Prayer & Barcarolle, 1960

HAMLET, (Thomas), A vos yeux, mes amis, 1960

LA PERLE DU BRESIL, (David), Charmant oiseux, 1960

Swiss Echo Song, 1960

MARTHA, (Flotow), The Last Rose of Summer, 1960

LA TRAVIATA, (Verdi), Ah, fors'e lui . . .
Sempre libera, 1972

L'ELISIR D'AMORE, (Donizetti), Prendi per me sei libero, 1989

Recorded live. The sound is good.

Roberta Peters is blessed with an excellent coloratura technique and a warm, rich middle register. She also has the ability to bring her heroines to life, not an easy task in this repertoire. "Ah fors'e lui" is sung with a premonition of doom that I don't think I've ever heard before in this aria; then she quickly switches to a devil-may-care mood and sings the cabaletta with exemplary virtuosity. Her "Son vergin vezzoza" is tossed off with agile panache. I found her particularly moving in "Ah non credea" from La Sonnambula. And I especially liked her renditions of "I dreamt I dwelt in marble halls" from Balfe's "The Bohemian Girl and "The Last Rose of Summer"; she seems to really enjoy singing these pieces. The "Charmant oiseaux" is beautifully done with a "smile" in the voice that befits this music. Carlo Bergonzi partners her in the Elisir excerpt which is lovingly sculpted in the best bel canto tradition.

IMHO, this is an excellent tribute to Roberta Peters' artistry that I believe will delight both newcomer and long-time fan alike.

Back to Don Bartolo's CD Reviews