V / A: Addio-great Farewells

Throughout the history of opera, the occasion for saying good-bye has inspired composers to write some of their finest music. The notion, then, of issuing a recording that gathers together fifteen of opera's most celebrated partings is a sound one. ADDIO: OPERAS GREATEST FAREWELLS does just this, with sung good-byes from the seventeenth to the twentieth century.
While one would expect such a compilation to include Cavaradossi's "E lucevan le stelle" from Giacomo Puccini's 'Tosca,' one is pleasantly surprised to hear it performed by the sweetly singing Jussi Bjorling. Bjorling also pairs with Margaret Roggero for a lovely rendition of "Addio alla madre," from Pietro Mascagni's 'Cavalleria rusticana.' And while most of the excerpts say "addio," "farewell" (Henry Purcell), "adieu" (Jules Massenet), and "lebe wohl" (Richard Wagner) are also sung. The Wagner excerpts stand out for the affecting interpretations of Waltraud Meier, who sings both Isolde's "Liebestod" and Brunnhilde's immolation scene.