The quality of an anthology always depends on the source recordings a label has to choose from. In the case of
Angela Gheorghiu, both Decca and EMI have plenty of good material -- so much so that both released compilations in 2004, each of which is an excellent capsulation of
Gheorghiu's art and career, and neither of which duplicates the other's musical selections. Decca was
Gheorghiu's label during the first years of her international career, and so The Essential Angela Gheorghiu is limited to recordings made before 2000. But, even though these selections are a few years old, they represent many of the core roles of her repertory. Most notable is her Violetta (Verdi's La traviata) with
Georg Solti from 1995. It was the role that launched
Gheorghiu into the big time, and having her "Ah, fors' è lui...sempre libera" from that time of her career is a great opportunity to hear the qualities that first made her famous. Equally important are the arias from La bohème, which is a centerpiece of her performing schedule. There is pathos to
Gheorghiu's singing that suits her perfectly to both of those tragic roles -- Violetta and Mimì; yet, her "Jewel Song" from Gounod's Faust, full of girlish wonder and sparkling vocalism, is equally convincing. She is an extremely versatile singer, always musical, and never out of her comfort zone vocally. If there is any complaint, it's that these slightly older recordings don't have the same musical maturity in spots as her later work for EMI. Fans who already own
Gheorghiu's complete opera recordings will find duplication of material here. But if you're looking for a collection of great soprano arias, or a document of her singing in general, you can't go wrong.