Search - Diana Montague, Parry :: Opera in English - Great Operatic Arias / Diana Montague

Here is another--and so far the most successful--of Chandos's series of CDs of opera sung in English. Montague is a lovely mezzo-for-all-seasons; hardly a razzle-dazzler like Horne, Bartoli, and Larmore, Montague is more laid-back, with an even range (sorry--no booming low notes) and a voice of nice sensuality. She sings most of Delilah's music (with help from Bruce Ford's elegant Samson), arias from Faust, La favorita, Mignon, Périchole, and Gluck's Orpheus, characterizing each role handsomely. She's joined in a duet from Lakmé (made famous by the British Airline commercials) by Mary Plazas, and together they weave an exotic web. A real joy is a trio from Rossini's Le Comte Ory, again with Ford and Plazas. In all, a lovely disc--and if it's opera in English you're looking for, Montague's is wonderful to hear. --Robert Levine