Sicilienne
The Cast

MARIA STUARDA
- Judith Howarth
OLFREDO - Jennifer Larmore
ORMONDO - Colin Lee
CARLO - Manuela Custer
FERRONDO - Pauls Putnins

Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
Philharmonia Orchestra
CONDUCTOR
- Antonello Allemdani
The Guardian

‘Opera Rara has opted to record highlights. They're impressively sung, with Judith Howarth and Jennifer Larmore on spectacular form as Mary and Olfredo, and the fabulous tenor Colin Lee leading the opposition as Ormondo.’

MusicWeb International Recording Of The Month

‘I find Mercadante’s music in Maria Stuarda particularly impressive in its ensembles. These seem to me to be as nearly as complex and melodic as those in early Rossini.
Opera Rara live up to their deserved reputation of finding and fielding some of the best practitioners of the art. Jennifer Larmore’s singing is a veritable tour de force. Her voice is strong and secure as well as sonorous… Add the wide range of the tessitura, her good diction and appropriate vocal decorations, and this portrayal represents a formidable achievement and is among her best on record.’
MusicalCriticism.com

The Essential Opera Rara series deserves praise and support for the way it is unearthing operatic treasures of the nineteenth century and recording the highlights, thereby allowing us to reassess the history of opera in that period.
8 September 2010