Tracing the origins of bel canto back to the very beginning of opera, Simone Kermes starts her journey with Monteverdi continuing through arias by the Italian bel canto composers Rossini, Bellini, and Donizetti, before arriving at Verdi. The famous Queen of Night arias from Mozart’s The Magic Flute link this range of repertoire together. The CD programme includes the most popular arias of the bel canto soprano repertoire as well as gems from rarely performed operas. “Coming from the art of Baroque, I was particularly keen to explore the world of bel canto and – armed with my experience as a Baroque singer – shed new light on its unique works.” Simone Kermes