Sempre Libera

1	La Traviata, opera: No. 3
2	La Traviata, opera: "Semp
3	La sonnambula, opera: No.
4	La sonnambula, opera: "Ah
5	La sonnambula, opera: "Ah
6	I Puritani, opera: No. 7
7	I Puritani, opera: "Ah! t
8	I Puritani, opera: "Vien,
9	Lucia di Lammermoor, oper
10	Lucia di Lammermoor, oper
11	Lucia di Lammermoor, oper
12	Lucia di Lammermoor, oper
13	Otello, opera: "Era più c
14	Otello, opera: "Piangeo c
15	Otello, opera: "Ave Maria
16	Gianni Schicchi, opera: "
Sempre Libera
1.	La Traviata, opera: No. 3 Scena ed Aria: "È strano! è strano! - Ah, fo 4:55
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Anna Netrebko, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Saimir Pirgu
2.	La Traviata, opera: "Sempre libera" 3:39
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Anna Netrebko, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Saimir Pirgu
3.	La sonnambula, opera: No. 12 Scena ed Aria finale: "Ah! se una volta sol 5:38
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Anna Netrebko, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Saimir Pirgu
4.	La sonnambula, opera: "Ah! Non credea mirarti" 4:47
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Anna Netrebko, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Saimir Pirgu
5.	La sonnambula, opera: "Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero" 2:41
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Anna Netrebko, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan, Mahler Chamber Orchestra and Saimir Pirgu
6.	I Puritani, opera: No. 7 Scena ed Aria: "O rendetemi la speme - Qui l 4:36
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
7.	I Puritani, opera: "Ah! tu sorridi e asciughi il pianto!" 4:02
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
8.	I Puritani, opera: "Vien, diletto, è in ciel la luna!" 2:56
	Composed by Vicenzo Bellini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
9.	Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: No. 14 Scena ed Aria: "O giusto cielo!" - "Il dolc 3:18
	Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
10.	Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: "Ohimè!...sorge il tremendo fantasma" 3:15
	Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
11.	Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: "Ardon gli incensi" 5:00
	Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
12.	Lucia di Lammermoor, opera: "Spargi d'amaro pianto" 3:37
	Composed by Gaetano Donizetti
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Romano Gandolfi, Sascha Reckert, Andrea Concetti, Anna Netrebko, Nicola Ulivieri, Giuseppe Verdi Symphony Chorus of Milan and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
13.	Otello, opera: "Era più calmo?" - "Mia madre aveva una povera anc 4:59
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Sara Mingardo, Anna Netrebko and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
14.	Otello, opera: "Piangeo cantando nell'erma landa" 7:03
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Sara Mingardo, Anna Netrebko and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
15.	Otello, opera: "Ave Maria" 5:36
	Composed by Giuseppe Verdi
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Sara Mingardo, Anna Netrebko and Mahler Chamber Orchestra
16.	Gianni Schicchi, opera: "O mio babbino caro" 2:51
	Composed by Giacomo Puccini
	Conducted by Claudio Abbado
	Performed by Sascha Reckert, Anna Netrebko and Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Barnes & Noble

Anna Netrebko's debut CD sent critics scrambling for superlatives to describe that impressive solo effort from opera's brightest new star, and Sempre Libera, the Russian soprano's follow-up showcase for her heart-meltingly lovely voice, should be just as enthusiastically received. It includes excerpts from two Verdi operas, Otello and La Traviata, but the greater focus is on the bel canto repertoire that is such a natural fit with the singer's light-lyric timbre and that has encouraged comparison with legends like Callas and Sutherland. Scenes drawn from Bellini's La Sonnambula and I Puritani and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor (operas, save for I Puritani, that she has performed onstage) display the fresh, liquid tone that is her greatest gift, coupled with sure coloratura and a natural sense of phrase. The Mad Scene from Lucia also boasts the glass harmonica that Donizetti originally intended, a part usually covered by flute. With Verdi, Netrebko delves into the composer's more sharply etched characters with more of an eye for drama. In Violetta's first-act scene from Traviata (again, music that fortunate opera-goers have seen Netbreko perform), a relatively relaxed "Forse lui" gives way to a somewhat hard-driven "Sempre libera," underscoring Violetta's firm strength of character. Netrebko crowns the scene with a luminous high E-flat, one of several glowing top notes on the disc. And in Desdemona's last-act scene from Otello, she delivers the delicate "Willow" Song and "Ave Maria" with a tender beauty that is deeply affecting. The encore, Puccini's familiar "O mio babbino caro," is another crowd pleaser in the vein of Musetta's Waltz, which brought Netrebko's debut disc to an upbeat close. Claudio Abbado and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe are the accompanists of a singer's dreams. EJ Johnson

New York Times

[Netrebko's] voice is meltingly beautiful, with its creamy legato and luminous sound, tinged by a plaintive quality that never disappears, even in cheerful music. Anthony Tommasini

Gramophone

In this ambitious programme, Anna Netrebko saves her very best for the last -- and the best -- music. Her account of Desdemona's Act 3 scena has just about everything one could want -- lovely tone, keen line, expressive, finely honed phrasing and a deep involvement with the role that she doesn't always evince elsewhere. Alan Blyth

The New Yorker

Netrebko has lost none of the radiance that she displayed in her first appearances. If anything, her voice is more lustrous and more substantial than before -- the lower range darker and richer, the high notes brilliant if not totally secure, the legato phrases luxuriously long.... She sails through the music without apparent effort, navigating these arias as if they were a calm Aegean bay. What depths there are come from Claudio Abbado, conducting the Mahler Chamber Orchestra; few recitals have an accompaniment so voluptuously nuanced. Alex Ross

Atlanta Journal Constitution

The best arias here are terrific: bel canto gems from Bellini's La sonnambula and I puritani and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor. She sings in lambent and precise tones, with a twinkling, feminine edge that makes the characters complex and intriguing. [Grade: A-] Pierre Ruhe

Classic FM Magazine

[A] stunning collection of arias. Here is insightful, intelligent singing, beautifully phrased and impressively controlled – and what a voice! Warwick Thompson