Joan Sutherland was in her full prime when this recording was made (she was 34) and the command of her magnificent voice was nothing short of spectacular.
Just a year earlier she made great splash in London's Covent Garden Theatre and was finally at the point when her life will forever change, her considerable talent will catapult her to the ranks of the biggest international classical stars.
This legendary album - to my knowledge it has never been out of print since the date of its release - serves like a showcase for all Sutherland's talents and she sings famous classical pieces in homage to the "Prima Donna's" associated with them. She sails through the most difficult passages without blinking an eye and makes everything so easy that it must be embarrassing for other singers of her time who couldn't dream of such coloraturas,power and authority. I actually knew and was familiar with most of the pieces here (notably "Let the bright Seraphim" from "Samson") but was really shocked how much Sutherland surpasses any other voice I knew, this lady really floats above the clouds and her voice rings like a bell from above. Honestly, Tetrazzini herself would applaud for this, I am absolutely sure about it. Sure, there is a little drawback - Sutherland has astonishing voice but because focus is on ear-splitting coloratura and technical wizardry, her diction is less than perfect and often I am not sure what the language she sings in. Another thing - liner notes are meandering and though they explain "Prima Donna's" from the past who are presented here via choice of the repertoire ( several of them never recorded their voices) it is not clear who is associated with what and it would be so much easier if they simply printed names next to the songs.
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