Believe In Love

06/06/2007
Bill Hoffmann
Canberra Times (Australia)

This is another elegant operatic release from Melba Recordings, and is of special interest for the opera buff with its highly varied collection of 18 entrancing arias from little-known French and Italian operas from 1850 to 1920. This is a field of opera that has always had an attraction for Bonynge, and here he has a willing collaborator in Australian soprano, Elizabeth Whitehouse, who over the past two decades has established a considerable international reputation, and has recently featured in some memorable performances for Opera Australia.
 
The recording was made with the Hybrid SACD multi-channel surround sound system which has been so notable in the highly-acclaimed recent Melba Ring recordings, and in this collection of operatic gems both orchestra and voice are captured with a tonal quality of high-fidelity and notable beauty.