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Barber: Vanessa (Vol 1)
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Barber: Vanessa (Vol 1)

An Emotionally Charged Journey Through Barber’s Most Compelling Opera.

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The first realization of the recording where all the components are mixed and processed together prior to delivery distribution reformatting.

Label National Symphony Orchestra

Artists National Symphony Orchestra

€29,99 EUR
Tax included.
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

Total time: 53:21

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

Previews are short MP3 excerpts. Your download is in the quality and channels you choose.

Additional Information

Label
National Symphony Orchestra
SKU
NSO00231D
Qualities
WAV 96 kHz, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz, DSD 64, DSD 128, DSD 256, DSD 512, DXD 24 Bit, MKV 48 kHz, DXD 32 Bit, WAV 192 kHz
Channels
2ch Stereo, 5ch Surround, 7.1.4ch Dolby Atmos, 2ch Stereo & 5ch Surround
Artists
National Symphony Orchestra
Composers
Barber
Conductors
Gianandrea Noseda
Genres
Classical
Original Recording Format
DSD 256
Recording Location
Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Recording Engineer
Mark Donahue
Release Date
May 26, 2026
  • Edit Master Sourced
  • Higher Rates Program
  • Not Available on SACD

Reviews

Gramophone

Richard Bratby

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.

Source: www.gramophone.co.uk

Barber: Vanessa (Vol 1)

Barber: Vanessa (Vol 1)

€29,99 EUR

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