Leggi almeno, tiranna infedele
I was listening contentedly to Naïve's new recording of Vivaldi's Ottone in villa — the latest installment in the label's monumental Vivaldi Edition — when Julia Lezhneva's rendition of "Leggi almeno, tiranna infedele" sent me scurrying to the Internet to find out more about the singer. Naïve's biography calls her "young"; she is, in fact, only twenty-one. You can listen to more excerpts from Ottone here, and also preview Lezhneva's new disc of Rossini arias. YouTube has a video of her singing "Gelosia," from Ottone. There are issues with breath control in some faster passages, but Lezhneva plainly has extraordinary potential as a Baroque and bel-canto singer. This Ottone is splendid all around, with Sonia Prina authoritative in the title role and Il Giardino Armonico providing characteristically vivid accompaniment.
