Italian Opera Arias Linda Richardson, Sinfonia of London & John Wilson

• Giuseppe Verdi (1813 - 1901):
• 1 Verdi: La forza del destino: Pace, pace mio Dio! 05:52
• 2 Verdi: La traviata (Excerpts): È strano! È strano! 04:59
• 3 Verdi: La traviata (Excerpts): Sempre libera 01:53
• Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924):
• 4 Puccini: La bohème, SC 67: Donde lieta uscì 03:32
• 5 Puccini: Tosca, SC 69: Vissi d'arte 03:30
• Gaetano Donizetti (1797 - 1848):
• 6 Donizetti: Anna Bolena, A. 30 (Excerpts): Piangete voi? 04:56
• 7 Donizetti: Anna Bolena, A. 30 (Excerpts): Al dolce guidami 04:41
• Giuseppe Verdi:
• 8 Verdi: Un ballo in maschera: Morrò, ma prima in grazia 04:58
• 9 Verdi: Rigoletto: Caro nome che il mio cor 06:45
• 10 Verdi: La traviata (Excerpts): Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti 06:40
• Vincenzo Bellini (1801 - 1835):
• 11 Bellini: Norma: Casta diva 07:37
• Giacomo Puccini:
• 12 Puccini: Suor Angelica, SC 87: Senza mamma 05:04
• 13 Puccini: Madama Butterfly, SC 74 (Excerpts): Un bel dì vedremo 04:37
• 14 Puccini: Madama Butterfly, SC 74 (Excerpts): Tu? Tu? Piccolo iddio! 05:02
• Total Runtime 01:10:06

Info for Italian Opera Arias

The British soprano Linda Richardson has performed extensively across the UK and continental Europe under conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Edo de Waart, Sir Mark Elder, Daniele Rustioni, Libor Peek, and Carlo Rizzi. Her extensive repertoire includes roles ranging from Monteverdi and Mozart to Janáek, Britten, and Wagner. Linda Richardson writes: I have had the privilege of performing many of the great leading soprano roles in the operatic repertoire, but as my career progressed, I found a special love and affinity for the roles that stood as pillars in Italian opera. The beautiful melodic lines, dramatic language, and the overall musical craftsmanship of these Italian composers make their characters especially thrilling. I chose these particular arias because they show the huge variety of heroines that can be found in the greatest Italian operas. Although most of the arias are expressions of love and loss it is the individual emotional journey of each character which I find so compelling.

Linda Richardson, soprano
Sinfonia of London
John Wilson, conductor

Linda Richardson
was born in Cheshire and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she was a Peter Moores Foundation Scholar and winner of the Frederic Cox Award. She completed her studies at the National Opera Studio.

Highlights in recent seasons include Violetta La traviata, Cio-Cio San Madama Butterfly,the title role Anna Bolena, Amaltea Mosè in Egitto, and Elvira I puritani all for Welsh National Opera and the title role in Anna Bolena for Longborough Festival Opera.

An English National Opera Company Principal between 1997 and 2005, her roles there included Virtue The Coronation of Poppea, Fiordiligi Così fan tutte, Lauretta Gianni Schicchi, Micaela Carmen, Gretel Hansel and Gretel,Gilda Rigoletto, Zerlina Don Giovanni, Sophie Der Rosenkavalier, Mimì La bohème, title roles The Fairy Queen and Alcina, Violetta La traviata, Woglinde Das Rhinegold, Helena A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Donna Anna Don Giovanni.

Roles elsewhere include Karolka Jenůfa, Mimì, Nannetta Falstaff, Pamina Die Zauberflöte, Violetta and Gilda (Opera North); Lisetta La Vera Constanza (Garsington Opera); Norina Don Pasquale (Clonter Opera), Fairy Queen in Barcelona; First Niece Peter Grimes (Dutch National Opera); Amina La Sonnambula and Alice Falstaff (Opera Holland Park); Countess Le nozze di Figaro throughout UK and France (Diva Opera), Katya Kabanova (ETO); Alice Falstaff and Cio-Cio San Madama Butterfly (Longborough Festival Opera) and Mrs Coyle Owen Wingrave (Nuremburg International Chamber Music Festival).

She performs extensively on the oratorio and concert platform, and is a frequent recitalist, having sung at the Newbury, Three Choirs and Arundel Festivals. She was a regular soloist with the English Haydn Festival where she sang in world and British premieres of Haydn’s unknown works.

Other concert work includes Brahms Ein deutsches Requiem (Royal Northern Sinfonia); Handel Messiah (English Chamber Orchestra) and Britten Les Illuminations (Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra). Recent concerts include an Italian Gala (City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Carl Davis), Orff Carmina Burana at the Royal Festival Hall. Broadcasts include Friday Night is Music Night on BBC Radio 2 and Annie in Jonathan Dove’s TV opera When She Died on Channel 4. Recordings include Hearts and Flowers, a collection of Victorian Parlour Songs, and Oscar Un ballo in maschera for Chandos.

Booklet for Italian Opera Arias