Maria Messinas

Acclaimed as one of the greatest interpreters of Mozart, Portuguese pianist Maria-João Pires is an artist who combines exquisite stylistic refinement with a serious effort to plumb the intellectual complexities and spiritual depths of music. Refusing to conform to the traditional image of a concert virtuoso, Pires emphasizes the spiritual dimensions of music, always searching for hidden meanings which may elude the analytical performer. This remarkable reverence toward works of music, clearly manifested in her performances of Mozart, was made explicit by her remark that, as a performer, she acts as a channel for the composer's ideas.

Maria Yudina’s legacy has been released on disc before. Many volumes were devoted to her by Vista Vera and in my lengthy review of the first fourteen I devoted some space to the variable nature of the performances and of the original recordings.

"Maria Nazionale - Voce di Napoli Best Of" è un album di raccolta della cantante italiana Maria Nazionale, che include alcune delle sue canzoni più amate. Maria Nazionale è conosciuta per il suo stile unico che unisce la tradizione musicale napoletana con un tocco moderno, accompagnato da una voce potente ed emozionante.

Like Lucia di Lammermoor and Elvira (I puritani), Amina, the gentle heroine of La sonnambula,was a role that had become associated with light-voiced coloratura sopranos. Callas brought both a new substance and subtlety to the role when Luchino Visconti staged it for her at La Scala in 1955. This recording was made two years later, when the production was revived.

This is the first of Callas's two complete recordings of her signature role, the druid priestess Norma, in which she has remained unrivaled for 50 years. It captures her voice inits imposing early prime, while in the two famous duets for Norma and Adalgisa she is partnered by Ebe Stignani, generally considered the greatest Italian mezzo-soprano of her era. The conductor is Callas's mentor Tullio Serafin.