{"product_id":"608515","title":"Matthewsemma - Agony And Ecstasy [CD]","description":"Brand New From Reputable UK Company With 30 Years Experience In Retail, Please Note Not All Our New Items Are Shrink Wrapped.\u003cbr\u003eAll items shipped within 3 working days of payment.\u003cbr\u003ePlease note that all our DVDs are Region 2.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePlease note that not all audio CDs are shrink-wrapped fom the factory.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEmma Matthews \\u2013 renowned as the finest Australian soprano of her generation \\u2013 unveils her triumphant third album: Agony and Ecstasy.\\r\u003cbr\u003e\\r\u003cbr\u003eInspired by words from Verdi\\u2019s opera La Traviata, the album presents a rich and timeless journey through the many faces of love, drawing on opera that employed the power of music to bring alive experiences of the heart as never before. \\r\u003cbr\u003eAgony and Ecstasy opens with a joyful expression of young love by Juliet in Gounod\\u2019s Shakespeare-inspired opera: \\u2018I want to live in this heady dream forever!\\u2019 A new mood is introduced by the calculating determination of Rosina to win her lover in The Barber of Seville; the album closes with the poignant desperation of Elvira\\u2019s \\u2018mad scene\\u2019 in I Puritani, when she thinks herself abandoned. Between these, we witness some of opera\\u2019s most vivid characters as they grapple with love.\\r\u003cbr\u003eThe eight arias \\u2013 by Bellini, Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti and Gounod \\u2013 were composed within sixty years of one another. Influenced by a Romantic desire to explore love and emotion, these composers were given the perfect vehicle by the bel canto compositional style, which prized both vocal fireworks and honest, heartfelt emotion.\\r\u003cbr\u003e\\r\u003cbr\u003eMatthews has given acclaimed live performances of many of the roles on the album throughout a career that has taken in opera houses and concert halls across the globe. The presence of legendary conductor Richard Bonynge \\u2013 husband of the late Dame Joan Sutherland and mentor to Matthews \\u2013 is strongly felt: she first performed many of these operas with him, and in some cases the ornamentation was handed on directly from Maestro Bonynge.\\r\u003cbr\u003e\\r\u003cbr\u003eAgony and Ecstasy was recorded with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Andrea Molino by ARIA-Award-winning Tonmeister Virginia Read.\u003cp\u003eGOUNOD Rom\\xe9o Et Juliette: Je Veux Vivre (Juliette)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDONIZETTI Linda Di Chamounix: O Luce Di Quest\\u2019anima (Linda)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVERDI La Traviata: Prelude\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVERDI La Traviata: \\xc8 Strano! \\u2026 Sempre Libera (Violetta)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVERDI La Traviata: Addio Del Passato (Violetta)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eROSSINI The Barber Of Seville: Una Voce Poco Fa (Rosina)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGOUNOD Funeral March Of A Marionette\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eROSSINI Il Turco In Italia: Squallida Veste E Bruna (Fiorilla)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBELLINI La Sonnambula: Ah! Non Credea Mirarti \\u2026 Ah! Non Giunge (Amina)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBELLINI I Puritani: Qu\\xec La Voce Sua Soave \\u2026 Vien, Diletto (Elvira)\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Chalkys.com","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55167115526529,"sku":"608515","price":19.48,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0056\/8043\/1219\/files\/41tXjOrnjsL._SL1500.jpg?v=1768048625","url":"https:\/\/chalkys.com\/products\/608515","provider":"Chalkys.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}