(no subject)
Anna Netrebko's new album, In The Still Of Night is deliciously lovely. It's a live recording of her recital at last August's Salzberg festival with Daniel Barenboim on piano. The programme is almost entirely Russian songs, mostly by Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky, which of course suits her voice to perfection. The exceptions are the encores of Dvořák's haunting Als die alte Mutter, which she recorded for her Souvenirs album (it was also of course the title song from Magdalena Kožená's 2008 album Songs My Mother Taught Me) and Richard Strauss' Cäcilie. She was heavily pregnant at the time, but that didn't effect her voice at all, which is as rich and beautiful as ever.
Also in the news recently was Danielle de Niese who had a feature article in last week's Sunday Times, looking as jaw-droppingly beautiful as ever. She will be starring in The Diva Diaries on the BBC soon, a documentary in which she is tailed round by a camera crew. This presumably explains the rather unpromising title of her next album, Diva, due out in July.
Looking moodier was Katherine Jenkins in Friday's Independent, contemplating breaking America (some hope, in my opinion) and being hated by much of the classical community (justified, largely). Still, as the highest paid "classical" artist of all time, she should worry!
Finally as an aside, it is impossible to overstate how brilliant the middle two Nightwish albums (Wishmaster & Century Child) are. Sacking Tarja - still the most spectacular own goal in the history of rock music!
Also in the news recently was Danielle de Niese who had a feature article in last week's Sunday Times, looking as jaw-droppingly beautiful as ever. She will be starring in The Diva Diaries on the BBC soon, a documentary in which she is tailed round by a camera crew. This presumably explains the rather unpromising title of her next album, Diva, due out in July.
Looking moodier was Katherine Jenkins in Friday's Independent, contemplating breaking America (some hope, in my opinion) and being hated by much of the classical community (justified, largely). Still, as the highest paid "classical" artist of all time, she should worry!
Finally as an aside, it is impossible to overstate how brilliant the middle two Nightwish albums (Wishmaster & Century Child) are. Sacking Tarja - still the most spectacular own goal in the history of rock music!