Anna Netrebko - Sempre libera (2004) [MP3]

-Release date: 09 August 2004

-Album Duration: 68:58

-Bitrate/Quality: MP3 128 kbps

-Front cover included



Album Review:



It's impossible to imagine a soprano with more going for her than Anna Netrebko. Her rapid ascent to superstardom has been fueled by the confluence of her movie-starlet looks, her arresting stage presence and the romantic story of her humble beginnings, scrubbing floors at St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theater. Still, the Cinderella backstory would count for nothing if Netrebko couldn't deliver the goods vocally, which she does with an expansive, glamorous lyric coloratura. This release follows on the heels of her best-selling debut disc, Opera Arias, and plants Netrebko on bel canto terra firma, with the soprano calling cards from La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, La Sonnambula and I Puritani. But this new disc is not just an excuse to put Netrebko's fabulous features on the cover of another package of familiar repertoire; Sempre Libera is the announcement of a true diva.



Netrebko is a vocal chameleon, possessing a wider range of colors than many sopranos in this repertoire. The role of Violetta, often cited for its wide-ranging (one might say schizophrenic) vocal demands, appears to be tailor-made for her. Here, we are treated to "Ah, fors'Φ lui.... Sempre libera," which she builds from introspection to an increasingly desperate assertion of her free will. Netrebko has one of the most beautiful high Cs around, and her coloratura is both accurate and expressive. The entire thing is shot through with real sensuality, and the light reediness of Saimir Pirgu's tenor accentuates the tragic contrast between a voluptuous woman of the world and a kid who lacks the courage of his convictions.



As Bellini's sleepwalking Amina, Netrebko spins out a sound both sumptuous and innocent in "Ah! Se una volta sola." She then allows a touch of Russian darkness to lend pathos to the bad-dream cavatina, "Ah, non credea mirarti," without suddenly sounding like a different character. Her awakening, "Ah, non giunge," introduces yet a third color, one of silvery sunlight breaking through a thundercloud, with a thrilling E-flat over the chorus. In the Act II sequence from I Puritani, Netrebko adds a bit of weight to her voice, which nicely accentuates Elvira's melancholy, but her fioritura sounds a bit more effortful as a result. (She also suddenly sounds like she's singing in a faraway shower at the top of "O rendetemi le speme.") She is back on surer ground in Lucia's mad scene, where her runs are fleet, her turns of phrase liquid, her staccatos pure and brilliant. Her "Ardon gl'incensi" radiates divine rapture.



The luxuriant, modal winds that presage the calm before Desdemona's final storm immediately establish a different mood, and Netrebko delivers another convincing characterization. Without the demands of high notes and runs, Netrebko is free to indulge the opulence of her middle and lower registers, and her superb control here is even more impressive. Her faraway call of "Salce, salce" is meltingly sad and lovely, and the shimmer that tops her phrases suggests a Desdemona not completely resigned to her fate. "Ave Maria" quivers with fear and hope, and the entire scene, aided by Sara Mingardo's inky mezzo as Emilia, creates a spellbinding mood of intimacy and vulnerability. Puccini's ubiquitous "O mio babbino caro," which serves as an encore, is the least satisfying cut on the disc. Although she imbues it with the appropriate yearning, Netrebko-lite is a bit of a letdown after the powerhouse pieces that come before.



The Mahler Chamber Orchestra, under Claudio Abbado, plays with idiomatic sensitivity, although some passages are too rhythmically amorphous, even for bel canto repertoire. The winds are particularly soulful in the Otello sequence, and Abbado's leadership throughout is supportive and graceful. Bass-baritone Nicola Ulivieri and bass Andrea Concetti deserve a mention for solid contributions in the Puritani and Lucia selections.



One could nitpick that Netrebko's Italian isn't always so polished as it might be, or that one or two notes veer north of the pitch. On the other hand, it's nice to be reminded that she is human, since so much about this artist is extraordinary.