A sumptuous selection of operatic arias interpreted by Maija Kovalevska, who, with the Liepaja Symphony Orchestra, performs her favourite heroines from operas by Puccini, Mozart, Massenet, Gluck and Tchaikovsky.

From Gluck’s ‘Orfeo & Euridice’ Maija Kovalevska performs Euridice’s aria, ‘Che fiero momento!’ (“What a proud moment!”), which anticipates the story’s climax. From Mozart’s ‘Don Giovanni’ we hear Donna Elvira’s Act II aria ‘Mi trad quell’alma ingrata’ (“Cruel heart, you have betrayed me”), which reveals a woman at war with herself, furious at her lover’s betrayal but still longing for him against her own will.

There are two of Mim ‘s arias from Puccini’s ‘La Boh me’, alongside powerful music from ‘Manon Lescaut’, ‘Gianni Schicchi’ and ‘Turandot’. From Act II of Massenet’s ‘Tha s’ there is the sensuous, passionate ‘Dis-moi que je suis belle’ (“Tell me I’m beautiful”), known as the “mirror aria”; gazing at her reflection, Tha s fears old age and longs for her beauty to remain.

The album concludes with two of Tchaikovsky’s greatest operatic moments: Iolanta’s Arioso and the pivotal ‘Letter Aria’ from ‘Eugene Onegin’. A gorgeous release, essential both for opera aficionados and for those seeking an introduction to the genre.