Bellezza Vocale: Beautiful Opera Duets

This generous disc of duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano offers a wonderful selection: from the very familiar "Barcarolle" of Tales of Hoffmann, the "Flower Duet" of Madama Butterfly, and the Presentation of the Rose in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier to the more exotic Anna Bolena-Giovanna Seymour duet from Donizetti's opera and Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito, there's not a bad piece of music or performance here. To be sure, these two singers do certain things better than others--Hei-Kyung Hong's silvery soprano is not ideal for the emotional outpourings (and low notes) of either Anna Bolena or Butterfly, but it's a perfect fit for Sophie in Rosenkavalier, Cleopatra ,and Poppea. Jennifer Larmore's creamy, agile mezzo is gloriously suave in the "Barcarolle," her Seymour is compelling, and her Adalgisa is stunning, but the voice lacks some of the color necessary for Octavian or Nero. But this is a very high-class, entertaining undertaking, and the program is nicely varied. Love good singing? Here you are. --Robert Levine