The soprano’s first solo album in five years reveals a new dramatic voice and opens up some intriguing future career paths.

Russian soprano superstar Anna Netrebko’s latest offering Verdi marks not only five years of hard work and dedication, but also celebrates a major milestone in her career – a ten year collaboration with German classical music giant Deutsche Grammophon.

Even before its release date, the album was preemptively certified ‘Gold’ in Austria. It seems that its popularity is almost certainly secured considering Netrebko’s past ability to move over 3,750,000 units for the label that also stables the mainstays of the commercial opera scene including Bryn Terfel and Cecilia Bartoli.

An appropriate celebration of Verdi’s 200th anniversary, the CD showcases the best of a great composer and an iconic voice with arias from Macbeth, Giovanna d’Arco, I Vespri Siciliani, Don Carlo and Il Trovatore. Netrebko also firmly suggests that her love affair with Verdi is only just beginning. “My new encounter with Giuseppe Verdi was one of deepest respect. Together with an Italian conductor and orchestra, Gianandrea Noseda and Turin’s Teatro Regio, my aim was to approach this music as closely as possible so as to discover and breathe life...