Paisiello - Nina / Bartoli, Kaufmann, Polgar, Galstian, Veccia, Fischer, Zurich Opera
The eponymous heroine of Paisiello’s Nina had a far-reaching influence on the operatic taste of the Romantic era. The mad heroines of Bellini and Donizetti are her direct descendants. Driven out of her wits by the supposed death of her lover, Lindoro, the role of Nina offers a wealth of opportunity for histrionic and vocal fireworks. In this live recording from the Zurich Opera of a revival of Cesare Lievi’s highly successful 1998 production, Cecilia Bartoli triumphs as Nina. Opera Magazine wrote, "Her sudden changes of emotional gear are constantly surprising… The colour-range of her voice is truly stupendous, while the sound itself reflects a sun-backed mellowness, as if fuelled by solar energy… Her Nina is a tour de force, which leaves one in a state of stupefaction…. While Adam Fischer mined the score for all its perfumed period flavour".