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National Symphony Orchestra

Barber: Vanessa [Double Album]

Gianandrea Noseda, J’Nai Bridges, Jonathan Bryan, Matthew Polenzani, National Symphony Orchestra, Nicole Heaston, Samuel Weiser, Susan Graham ... Show more

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Original price was: €33,98 – €68,98.Current price is: €23,78 – €48,28.
1 press review

Barber: Vanessa (Vol 1)

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Barber: Vanessa (Vol 2)

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Original Recording Format: DSD 256
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Available in Stereo and 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD plus 7.1.4 Channel Dolby Atmos TrueHD from NativeDSD

Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra present a gripping new recording of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa, the Pulitzer Prizewinning American opera of love, longing, and illusion. In Barber’s atmospheric, emotionally charged score, echoes of Verdi, Puccini, and Hitchcock-era Hollywood intertwine with a distinctly modern American voice.

This performance brings together an exceptional cast, including Nicole Heaston, J’Nai Bridges, Matthew Polenzani, Susan Graham, and Thomas Hampson, who illuminate Gian Carlo Menotti’s haunting tale of desire across generations. Recorded live in concert, this release captures Vanessa’s sweeping romanticism and psychological depth with vivid orchestral color and extraordinary vocal artistry.

A landmark addition to the contemporary operatic discography, it reveals why Vanessa remains one of the 20th century’s most compelling operas.

Gianandrea Noseda
University of Maryland Concert Choir
National Symphony Orchestra
Nicole Heaston
J’Nai Bridges
Matthew Polenzani
Susan Graham
Thomas Hampson
Jonathan Bryan
Samuel Weiser

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as MP3.
1.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, Introduction
01:25
2.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'Potage crème aux perles'
02:01
3.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'No, I cannot understand'
05:07
4.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'Must the winter come so soon?'
02:09
5.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'Listen!. . . They are here'
01:55
6.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'Do not utter a word, Anatol'
04:32
7.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'Yes, I believe I shall love you'
02:09
8.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 1, 'Who are you?'
05:45
9.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'And then?'
04:09
10.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'No, you are not as good a skater as your father was'
03:12
11.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'Under the willow tree two doves cry'
02:41
12.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'Erika, I am so happy'
03:42
13.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'Did you hear her?'
01:34
14.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'Help, help! Save me from their talk'
03:06
15.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'Outside this house the world has changed'
03:11
16.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'Hurry, now!'
02:16
17.
Vanessa - Act 1: Scene 2, 'In morning light let us rejoice'
04:27

Total time: 00:53:21

Additional information

Label

SKU

NSO0023
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Original Recording Format

Producer

Blanton Alspaugh
Recording Engineer

Mark Donahue
Mastering

Mark Donahue
Recording Location

John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington
Instruments

,

Release Date May 29, 2026

Barber: Vanessa (Vol 1)

Label

SKU

NSO00231D
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Original Recording Format

Release Date May 28, 2026

Barber: Vanessa (Vol 2)

Label

SKU

NSO00232D
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Original Recording Format

Release Date May 28, 2026

Press reviews

Gramophone

Outside this house, the world has changed: the heroine of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa waits a generation for the fulfilment of her story, and the same appears to be happening with the opera itself. Who’d have guessed, at the turn of the millennium, that we’d eventually be able to choose from multiple recordings of Barber’s bittersweet (emphasis very much on the bitter) psychodrama of solitude, longing and the lies we tell ourselves in the name of love?
But here we are, happily, and this own‑label recording from the National Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda gives this American masterpiece the deluxe treatment it merits. It was recorded live during a pair of concert performances at the Kennedy Center in early 2025, and it’s handsomely done. The audience is barely audible, the sound is lucid and even the packaging is impressive. Crucially (and this is where too many labels cut corners) they’ve printed Menotti’s libretto in full, so there’s no need to dig out old recording booklets or chase broken download links. For this relief, much thanks.

Richard Bratby - Source

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