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"Giannattasio brings an easy confidence to the rich lyricism of the writing, though a cleaner attack on the text would stamp more personality on the role...Colin Lee is sweet and graceful...and Vuyani Mlinde impresses...Parry secures a fine overall performance, drawing out the subtle drama of the piece." - BBC Music Magazine "Giannattasio shows once again how admirably suited she is to the bel canto repertoire. Her opening Romanza encapsulates her virtues: a good legato line wih no Sutherland droopiness, followed by an equally expressive cabaletta...I have heard Colin Lee described as 'the poor man's Florez'...he is very much more than that." - Gramophone Caterina Cornaro was written in the extremely productive last period of Donizetti's life (between Don Pasquale and Linda di Chamounix) and was the last of his operas to be premiered in the composer’s lifetime. Like every other work of this period, it is intensely original, in this case being unusually dark in both subject matter and general musical tone. This is the only opera of Donizetti’s later period not to have had a quality modern recording. “The opera requires a prima donna with a wonderful voice, extraordinary technique and exceptional histrionic ability, which we have in Carmen Giannattasio: the role could actually have been written for her. The story is resonant and believable, a woman forced into a political marriage with a king she does not love, but who turns out to be noble and good, so that she feels that she cannot abandon him, and who is assassinated at the instigation of a bitter enemy, leaving her to rule on her own. This calls up from Donizetti one of his most deeply felt, atmospheric and dramatically truthful scores. It is concise and hard-hitting, and I simply cannot understand why the opera is not in the repertoire; it is badly in need of a proper studio-recording.” - David Parry (Conductor)