Uncut, Suor Angelica lasts just about an hour, and one often hearts it in the concert hall today. With it's unrestrained melancholy and mystical ambience, a concert performance does not diminish the impact of the title heroine and her moving fate. Andris Nelsons explores the full breadth of Puccini's musical language in this one acter, and Kristine Opolais' uniquely shaded timbre and her clear sense of line make Angelica a woman of flesh and blood. Recorded at the Philharmonie Cologne in May and October of 2011.