Leontyne Price Century Best

Leontyne Price was originally celebrated as the first African-American to become an international opera superstar. Now, long after her retirement from the stage, she can still be celebrated for that and the voice, a gorgeous instrument of regal power, conveying nobility in every role she played. Though Dido would not seem to be an ideal part for her, it works, as it worked for Kirsten Flagstad, because the voice commands the respect due a queen.
Price once coyly described herself as a "juicy lyric," and while listening to many of her famous roles--Aida, Cleopatra, Carmen, Bess--it's apparent how much juice she put into them, a combination of strength and beauty unequaled by any soprano of her generation. They're all here in this collection, along with Turandot, Butterfly, Manon, and Ariadne, even a few songs from Berlioz and Strauss, a veritable feast for the ears.