Rossini: La Donna del lago

Joyce DiDonato is the world’s greatest living mezzo-soprano, thrilling audiences with, and garnering universal critical acclaim for, her expression, stagecraft, and flawless technique. The reception of her performances in the Paul Curran production of Rossini’s La Donna del Lago for the Metropolitan Opera were no exception, and this DVD and Bluray release, whose stellar cast includes Juan Diego Florez, John Osborn and Daniela Barcellona, cements this as a signature role for DiDonato.

"It doesn’t take much courage to tell the listening public that DiDonato is among the world’s greatest singing actors of any voice type; on Monday she was beyond perfect. Given the opportunity to introduce a major role to the Met’s audience, she gave a performance that may ultimately stand as a high point in her already lofty career. What we heard was one of the world’s best voices in top form—her tone was pure honey, her coloratura effortlessly fluttering, her ornamentation fearless. The highlights of DiDonato’s performance are too many to list, but if I had to choose just one, it would be the sparkling rondo “Tanti affetti” and the ensuing finale." (New York Classical Review)