Leoni: L'oracolo / Puccini: Suor Angelica
Joan Sutherland is not usually associated with the verismo repertory and her excursions into that area were limited to a few performances of Suor Angelica in Sydney in 1977 (a year before this recording was made) and her participation in the legendary 1972 Decca recording of Turandot, in which she sang the title-role. In addition she recorded this absolute rarity in 1975, Leoni's L'Oracolo. Set in San Francisco's Chinatown and ending with death by pigtail strangulation, the opera had its world premiere on 28 June 1905 at Covent Garden.