Verdi: Lo vidi e'l primo palpito (from Luisa Miller)

Her appearances as Desdemona in Barcelona,Vienna and Tokyo, to say nothing of her Trovatore Leonora in Washington, have shown very clearly that the lirico spinto soprano, Krassimira Stoyanova has succeeded in filling a gap on the international stage.

Stoyanova, who will also shortly be heard in the METDon Giovanni, is at home in more than just Italian repertory: a good half of the arias featured in this, her first operatic recital, are devoted to French repertoire, including Rachel in La juive - the part in which she made her international breakthrough. With its guitar accompaniment, the coloratura aria from Il Guarany is one of the rarer arias here, completing a lively portrait of this versatile and expressive performer.