The famous bass Nicola Ghiuselev performs together with the young and already celebrated singers Alexandrina Pendatchanska and Valdimir Stoyanov duets from some of the most loved and widely performed Verdi operas. Still fairly unusual as a genre, this CD of opera ensemble excerpts offers the opportunity of getting to know and appreciating the vocalists' artistic mastery from a different point of view. The duets feature the musicality of the participating couples, alongside with their ability to co-ordinate and combine phrases, moods, feelings and to convey the protagonist's characteristic states, expressed in a harmonious musical sound. They depict vividly Leonora's soul, torn by grief, seeking for Padre Guardiano's kind and wise support; Attila, the cruel warrior and barbarian conqueror, who gradually realises the urgent plea of Ezio, the Roman, trying to convince him to have mercy on his native Italy. Each of the duets contains dramatic and psychological clashes and they all demonstrate the performers' unity, achieved by the soprano Pendatchanska, baritone Stoyanov and Nicola Ghiuselev, whom we hear in all recordings, with exquisite brilliance, both vocal and emotional, and perfect sense of musicality. The CD of Verdi opera duets is original not only for the idea and its realisation but also for the selection of musical excerpts which combine bass with soprano or baritone.
 
Recorded in December 1996