Montserrat Caballe sings Bellini and Donizetti

All the selections on this staggeringly beautiful recital CD were recorded between 1965 and 1972, when Montserrat Caballé's voice was incapable of betraying her, and when she sang as beautifully and expressively as any soprano within living memory--and probably before then, to boot. Because the voice was in such good shape, with no signs of strain at either end, perfect breath control throughout, and an absolutely full dynamic range--from C to shining C, from pppp to ffff--Caballé was also free to enunciate the text with utter clarity and to make the characters come vividly to life. Her Elizabeth I and Anna Bolena in the Donizetti operas are noble and fascinating, but it is in Bellini that she is utterly irreplaceable. Norma's "Casta diva" has probably never been performed with such intelligence, insight, and exquisite tone, and her duet with Adalgisa (from 1972) is both urgent and tender. And the rarely recorded final scene from Bellini's Il pirata, sung with this much involvement and luster, makes one desperately want to hear the entire opera (yes, Caballé recorded it eventually, but it's hardly a masterpiece). Caballé understands and communicates the music of Bellini like no soprano since Callas--this CD is an important part of any opera lover's collection. --Robert Levine