Diva

1	Norma, opera: Atto I. Cas
2	Il barbiere di Siviglia (
3	Rinaldo, opera, HWV 7: At
4	I Puritani, opera: Atto I
5	Il Trovatore, opera: Atto
6	Werther, lyric drama in 4
7	Manon, opera in 5 acts: A
8	Roméo et Juliette, opera:
9	Carmen, opera: Acte I. L'
10	Carmen, opera: Acte III.
11	Louise, opera: Acte III.
12	Tosca, opera: Atto II. Vi
13	La Rondine (The Swallow),
14	Gianni Schicchi, opera: O
Diva
1.	Norma, opera: Atto I. Casta Diva 7:26
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by Terry Edwards, Angela Gheorghiu, London Symphony Orchestra and Royal Opera House Chorus Covent Garden
	Conducted by Evelino Pidò
2.	Il barbière di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), opera: Atto I. Una voce poco fa 6:34
	Composed by Gioachino Rossini
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and London Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Evelino Pidò
3.	Rinaldo, opera, HWV 7: Atto II. Lascia ch'io pianga 4:38
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and Royal Opera House Covent Garden Chorus and Orchestra
	Conducted by Ion Marin
4.	I Puritani, opera: Atto II. Qui la voce sua soave...Ah! rendetemi la 6:04
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and London Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Evelino Pidò
5.	Il Trovatore, opera: Atto IV. D'amor sull'ali rosee 3:48
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and London Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Evelino Pidò
6.	Werther, lyric drama in 4 acts: Acte III. Werther! Qui m'aurait dit la place...Des 6:39
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and London Symphony Orchestra
	Conducted by Antonio Pappano
7.	Manon, comic opera in 5 acts: Acte III. Je marche sur tous les chemins...Obéisso 5:24
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu, Nicolas Rivenq, Théâtre La Monnaie Royal Opera Orchesta and Théâtre La Monnaie Royal Opera Chorus
	Conducted by Antonio Pappano
8.	Roméo et Juliette, opera: Acte I. Non! Non!...Ah! Je veux vivre dans le rêve 3:53
	Composed by Charles Gounod
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and Orchestre Capitole Toulouse
	Conducted by Michel Plasson
9.	Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts: Acte I. L'amour est enfant de bohème 3:37
	Composed by Georges Bizet
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu, Orchestre Capitole Toulouse, Joël Suhubiette, Choeur "Les Elements" and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
	Conducted by Michel Plasson
10.	Carmen, opéra-comique in 4 acts: Acte III. Carreau, pique...la mort! En vain pour é 4:18
	Composed by Georges Bizet
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu, Orchestre Capitole Toulouse, Elisabeth Vidal, Isabelle Cals and Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
	Conducted by Michel Plasson
11.	Louise, opera: Acte III. Depuis le jour 5:12
	Composed by Gustave Charpentier
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and Royal Opera House Orchestra Covent Garden
	Conducted by Ion Marin
12.	Tosca, opera: Atto II. Vissi d'arte 3:30
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and Royal Opera House Orchestra Covent Garden
	Conducted by Antonio Pappano
13.	La Rondine (The Swallow), opera: Atto I. Chi il bel sogno di Doretta 2:56
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Monica Bacelli, Enrico Fissore, Angela Gheorghiu, London Symphony Orchestra, William Matteuzzi, Toby Spence, Patrizia Biccire, Patrizia Ciofi and Riccardo Simonetti
	Conducted by Antonio Pappano
14.	Gianni Schicchi, opera: O mio babbino caro 2:46
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu and Royal Opera House Orchestra Covent Garden
	Conducted by Ion Marin

Barnes & Noble

It seems like just yesterday that Angela Gheorghiu burst upon the operatic scene, and now here's her first "greatest hits" album, Diva. Blessed with a beautiful, distinctive tone and an innate and very powerful dramatic sense, she seems to fit the prima donna role quite naturally. On this CD, one gets a good sampling of her repertory -- darkly limned Bellini (from Norma and I Puritani), exquisitely elegant Massenet (Manon and Werther) and Gounod (Roméo et Juliette), a sensually simmering Carmen, as well as the heavier Verdi and Puccini roles she's assumed of late (Trovatore andTosca). And considering that all the excerpts here have been taken from complete operas or lifted out of other compilations, this collection hangs together surprisingly well, thanks largely to the consistently high quality of this singer's recorded interpretations. With any luck, this will be the first of many such retrospectives. As of 2004, Gheorghiu seems to have many great years still ahead of her. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

Diva is an entertaining and attractively packaged compilation of Angela Gheorghiu's EMI recordings made between 1996 and 2002. All of the selections have appeared on previous releases, but some of them only in the context of complete operas. As a one-disc snapshot of Gheorghiu's career so far, Diva does pretty well, and it would make a good first choice for anyone looking to get to know her work. The variety of repertoire that Gheorghiu tackles on this record is huge -- even including a rendition of Handel's "Lascia ch'io pianga." It's an old-fashioned choice, and somewhat out of step with Baroque fashion, but her simple and heartfelt performance is a winner (especially here, tucked in between so many warhorses of the soprano repertory). More than anything, it establishes the degree to which Gheorghiu will adapt her approach to the material at hand: her Manon has just the right dose of free-spirited sexuality; her Carmen is fiery; and her Magda (Puccini's "La Rondine") is a picture of lyric beauty. Gheorghiu also shows herself to be an unusually colorful singer, shading each phrase for maximum expressive effect. Not all selections are equally excellent. Her "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's "Il barbière di Siviglia" shows her struggling some with the fast coloratura passages, and "Vien diletto" from Bellini's "I puritani" suggests that the high-flying bel canto repertory is not where she's most comfortable. But in all, this album is an impressive display of singing and musicianship, and highly recommendable. Allen Schrott