About the Album

This CD contains several gorgeous operatic compositions performed by some of the most luminous voices available. Verdi's frothy "Brindisi" is performed with playful luster by Renée Fleming and Marcello Giordani. Luciano Pavarotti follows with a heart-stoppingly powerful rendition of Puccini's "Che Gelida Manina." There are also beautiful performances of Donizetti and Rossini, but the record's brightest moment is Fleming's uncommonly exquisite "Casta Diva," a Bellini aria that movingly sets a florid soprano solo against a steady choral foundation that increases gradually in intensity. The soundtrack also includes several excerpts from Felix Mendelssohn's symphonic setting of A Midsummer Night's Dream.