New on CDs: Operas From Gershwin to Verdi

ROSA PONSELLE. Songs and Arias. BMG Music 7810-2-RG (compact disc). These recordings, spanning 31 years, show what arguably was the greatest dramatic soprano of her time in repertory that ranges from the most difficult bel-canto challenges to simple concert chestnuts.

She was not dubbed a “Caruso in petticoats” for nothing. Her voice was large, hauntingly dark, and it was the same sound throughout its range from luxuriant pianissimos to rock-solid fortes without jarring register breaks. Ponselle’s impeccable coloratura technique makes her versions of “Ernani, involami” and “Casta diva” the preferred ones. A special treat is “O patria mia,” an aria which terrified her because of its top C and caused her to venture very few performances of “Aida.” The note holds no terrors for her here.

Her attention to commitment and detail carries over to the songs, of which Sodero’s “Amuri, amuri”--accompanied by Ponselle herself at the piano--is the most moving. Recorded in 1954, she draws a wrenching miniature drama in Sicilian dialect that is worth the price of the disc.