Beside Herself, with Happiness

Sometimes, when God closes a door, He opens a new CD from Joyce DiDonato. Or anyway, that’s how it feels to this admirer, particularly since Joyce has several new releases now: Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Vivaldi’s Ercole sur Termodonte, and one of the more intriguing solo discs to come down the pike, Diva/Divo, in which she sings arias associated with male and female characters from the same story. (This provided the material for her concert in Paris last fall.) The timing of these releases feels so much like a gift to me, personally, that it can’t be a coincidence: I need to hear her sing this music, now.

Not included on the album is this track, a duet with herself, “Aprite, presto aprite” from The Marriage of Figaro. Joyce sings both Cherubino (the trouser part, for a long time one of her calling cards) and Susanna (the soprano part) … because she can. It’s great fun, and it’s as good a demonstration as any of Joyce’s wonderful ability to make me happy.



I hope you’ll join me in listening today, and in wishing Joyce a very happy birthday.


NOTE: Joyce’s current recital tour takes her tonight to her hometown, Kansas City. For more information and tickets (if there are any left!), click here.