Al tuo seno fortunato

THE SONGBIRD: Sylvia Greenberg was born in Romania in 1952, then emigrated to Israel with her family when she was a child. She studied music there and made her professional debut with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Zubin Mehta. In 1977, she joined the roster in Zurich for high coloratura roles such as Zerbinetta, Olympia, and the Queen of the Night, which became a role she sang in multiple houses (Glyndebourne, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart, Cologne, Frankfurt, Milan, Vienna, and Paris). Greenberg debuted in Berlin in 1979 and at Salzburg in 1982. She racked up many operatic and concert performances across Europe, with Mozart roles becoming a specialty (in addition to the Queen, she often sang Konstanze, as well as Pamina, Donna Elvira, and Donna Anna). Her U.S. operatic debut was Zerbinetta in Philadelphia in 1985.

THE MUSIC: "L'anima del filosofo, ossia Orfeo ed Euridice" was composed in 1791 by Joseph Haydn, it was the last opera he composed, and it was never performed in his lifetime due due some political intrigued which blocked the planned premiere. Its first performance based on a reassembled score came in 1951 in Florence, starring a young Maria Callas as Euridice. It has since garnered some modest attention with occasional recordings and productions as producers, artists, and the public have revisited Haydn's operatic works. The bravura aria "Al tuo seno fortunato" is sung by the character Genio in Act 3 and contains one High E written into the score. Juliana Farkas sang this role at the 1951 premiere.