Live from Covent Garden

1	Applause
2	Rinaldo, opera, HWV 7: La
3	Le nozze di Figaro (The M
4	Manon, opera in 5 acts: A
5	Louise, opera: Depuis le
6	Turandot, opera: Tu, che
7	Madama Butterfly (Madame
8	Adriana Lecouvreur, opera
9	Norma, opera: Casta Diva.
10	Gianni Schicchi, opera: O
11	Le Seceris, opera: Câte f
12	I Could Have Danced All N
Live from Covent Garden
1.	Applause 0:00
	Composed by Recorded Sound
2.	Rinaldo, opera, HWV 7: Lascia ch'io pianga 0:00
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
3.	Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492: Porgi amor 0:00
	Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
4.	Manon, opera: Allons! Il le faut!...Adieu, notre petite table 0:00
	Composed by Jules Massenet
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
5.	Louise, opera: Depuis le jour 0:00
	Composed by Gustave Charpentier
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
6.	Turandot, opera: Tu che di gel sei cincta 0:00
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
7.	Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly), opera: Un bel dě vedremo 0:00
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
8.	Adriana Lecouvreur, opera: Ecco: respiro appena...Io son l'umile ancella 0:00
	Composed by Francesco Cilea
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
9.	Norma, opera: Casta Diva....Ah! bello a meritorna 0:00
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
10.	Gianni Schicchi, opera: O mio babbino caro 0:00
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
11.	Le Seceris, opera: Câte flori pe deal in sus 0:00
	Composed by Tiberiu Brediceanu
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu
12.	My Fair Lady, musical: I Could Have Danced All Night 0:00
	Composed by Frederick Loewe
	Conducted by Ion Marin
	Performed by Angela Gheorghiu

Barnes & Noble

Angela Gheorghiu made her name at Covent Garden in 1994, winning rave reviews for her portrayal of Violetta in a production of La Traviata led by the late Sir Georg Solti. Of course, the Romanian-born soprano has been no stranger to the stage of the great London opera house in the intervening years, but this live concert from June 2001 was a special event. Surprisingly, perhaps, there is not a single flashy showpiece -- no "Sempre libera" or "Je veux vivre" -- only a string of delicate, lyrical pearls. One has only to hear "Lascia ch'io pianga" from Handel's Rinaldo, for example, to appreciate Gheorghiu's star power. The tone is glorious: rich, firm, and smoky, with a generous dollop of old-fashioned feminine vulnerability. Her legato is as smooth as silk, yet she never merely skates over the surface of the music. Like Callas, the singer she is being compared with more and more often these days, it is the intensity of Gheorghiu's tone that burns itself into one's memory. Gheorghiu does not breathe fire as Callas did -- that is not her style -- but she finds depth even in a seemingly simple aria like "Adieu, notre petite table" from Massenet's Manon. And how many singers today can sing both the French and Italian repertoire with fluency? Her Louise ("Depuis le jour" from Charpentier's underrated opera) is just as ravishing as her Adriana Lecouvreur ("Io son l'umile ancella" from Cilea's equally underrated work). The audience is audibly mesmerized by her, and the feeling of electricity seems to emanate from one's speakers. Purists might want to skip the third and final encore, "I Could Have Danced All Night" from My Fair Lady, where the singer's rather thick accent is distracting -- a small blemish in an otherwise glorious outpouring of song. Andrew Farach-Colton

All Music Guide

After her 1994 performance of La Traviata at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden introduced her to opera fans around the world. Angela Gheorghiu returned several years later for a more diverse program, encompassing the music of Handel, Mozart, Puccini, and Bellini, among others. Accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, under the baton of Ion Marin, Gheorghiu proves that her startling ascendance in opera circles was no fluke; she tackles tough material but carries it all off, highlighted by her performances of "Porgi, Amor" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro and "Un Bel Di, Vedremo" from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. John Bush

Gramophone

The dulcit timbre of [Gheorghiu's] instantly recognizable voice and stage experiece of Puccini's Turandot make something special of Liu's "Tu, che di gel sei cinta" with exquisitely floated high pianissimos. Hugh Canning

BBC Music Magazine

Sopranos don't come any starrier than Angela Gheorghiu, and this live recital is a fabulous showcase for her considerable talents. Claire Wrathall

Opera News

To every number, Gheorghiu brings abundant breath, burnished tone and a compelling combination of agility and heft.... For a quick course in the old-fashioned art of opera stardom, 21st-century-style, Live from Covent Garden can hardly be beat