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Puccini: Arias -Karine Babajanyan, Budapest SO, cond Pier Giorgio
Morandi Hugh Canning
The Sunday Times
April 5, 2009
This experienced, attractive, midcareer soprano from Armenia managed to
keep herself something of a secret until she had the fortune to appear
as Tosca in the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace. It might seem
opportunistic of EMI to issue a disc with her, but Babajanyan is
clearly a Puccinian one would be more than happy to meet in the
theatre, and she lays out her stall with well-sung accounts of the
principal solos of Butterfly, Mimi, Tosca, Manon Lescaut and Suor
Angelica. The voice isn't especially distinctive or beautiful ' it has
a keen cutting edge ' but her technique sounds rock solid and her
musical instincts are unerring. The surprise of the disc is the
excellent condition of the 68-year-old Giuseppe Giacomini in the
Butterfly and Manon Lescaut duets. He rounds off with a ringing Nessun
dorma that puts most tenors half his age to shame.
EMI 2677312
Morandi Hugh Canning
The Sunday Times
April 5, 2009
This experienced, attractive, midcareer soprano from Armenia managed to
keep herself something of a secret until she had the fortune to appear
as Tosca in the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace. It might seem
opportunistic of EMI to issue a disc with her, but Babajanyan is
clearly a Puccinian one would be more than happy to meet in the
theatre, and she lays out her stall with well-sung accounts of the
principal solos of Butterfly, Mimi, Tosca, Manon Lescaut and Suor
Angelica. The voice isn't especially distinctive or beautiful ' it has
a keen cutting edge ' but her technique sounds rock solid and her
musical instincts are unerring. The surprise of the disc is the
excellent condition of the 68-year-old Giuseppe Giacomini in the
Butterfly and Manon Lescaut duets. He rounds off with a ringing Nessun
dorma that puts most tenors half his age to shame.
EMI 2677312