Opera has entrenched itself in popular consciousness thanks to the much publicised concerts of The Three Tenors, outdoor stagings of such operatic blockbusters as ‘Aida’ and ‘Turandot’, opera concerts in the park, not to mention their ready incorporation into television advertisements – be it a British Airways aircraft floating in the clouds to the ‘Lakme’ Flower Duet or an Italian mamma making a steaming pasta sauce to the sounds of the Anvil Chorus from Verdi’s ‘Il Trovatore’. What’s important is these defining moments in opera – tear-jerkers many – speak a universal language. Perhaps the public at large doesn’t know about Turandot’s riddles and Calaf’s dilemma but they would be hard pressed not to recognise ‘Nessun dorma’. This collection then, brings together those operatic apexes without the words – just the tunes, gloriously played by orchestra. GIACOMO PUCCINI:‘Quando m’en vo’ (Musetta’s Waltz) La Bohème‘O mio babbino caro’ Gianni SchicchiLEO DELIBES: ‘Sous le dôme épais (Flower Duet) LakméGIACOMPO PUCCINI: Humming Chorus Madama ButterflyPIETRO MASCAGNI: Intermezzo sinfonico Cavalleria rusticanaGIACOMO PUCCINI:‘Nessun dorma’ Turandot‘E lucevan le stelle’ Tosca‘Donna non vidi mai’ Manon Lescaut‘Che gelida manina’ La BohèmeJACQUES OFFENBACH: Barcarolle Les Contes d’HoffmannGIACOMO PUCCINI:‘Un bel dì’ Madama Butterfly‘Vissi d’arte’ ToscaGIUSEPPE VERDI: ‘Celeste Aida’ AidaRUGGERO LEONCAVALLO: ‘Vesti la giubba’ PagliacciGAETANO DONIZETTI: ‘Una furtiva lagrima’ L’elisir d’amoreGEORGES BIZET: ‘L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habañera) CarmenGIACOMO PUCCINI: ‘Nessun dorma’ (Reprise) TurandotBBC Concert OrchestraBarry Wordsworth
