Gianandrea Noseda and the National Symphony Orchestra present a gripping new recording of Samuel Barber's Vanessa, the Pulitzer Prize-winning American opera of love, longing, and illusion. In Barber's atmospheric, emotionally charged score, echoes of Verdi, Puccini, and Hitchcock-era Hollywood intertwine with a distinctly modern American voice. This performance brings together an exceptional cast, including Nicole Heaston, J'Nai Bridges, Matthew Polenzani, Susan Graham, and Thomas Hampson, who illuminate Gian Carlo Menotti's haunting tale of desire across generations. Recorded live in concert, this release captures Vanessa's sweeping romanticism and psychological depth with vivid orchestral color and extraordinary vocal artistry. A landmark addition to the contemporary operatic discography, it reveals why Vanessa remains one of the 20th century's most compelling operas.

Tracklist:

Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, Introduction
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "Potage CrÃ¨me Aux Perles"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "No, I Cannot Understand"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "Must the Winter Come So Soon?"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "Listen!They Are Here"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "Do Not Utter a Word, Anatol"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "Yes, I Believe I Shall Love You"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 1, "Who Are You?"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "And Then?"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "No, You Are Not As Good a Skater As Your Father Was"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "Under the Willow Tree Two Doves Cry"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "Erika, I Am So Happy"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "Did You Hear Her?"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "Help, Help! Save Me from Their Talk"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "Outside This House the World Has Changed"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "Hurry, Now!"
Vanessa: Act 1, Scene 2, "In Morning Light Let Us Rejoice"
Vanessa: Act 2, "The Count and the Countess D'albany"
Vanessa: Act 2, "I Should Never Have Been a Doctor, Nicholas"
Vanessa: Act 2, "Here You Are!"
Vanessa: Act 2, "At Last I've Found You"
Vanessa: Act 2, "Love Has a Bitter Core, Vanessa"
Vanessa: Act 2, "Nothing to Worry About"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 1, "Why Did No-One Warn Me?"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 1, "Why Must the Greatest Sorrows Come from Those We Most Love?"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 1, "There, Look!"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 1, "On the Path to the Lake"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 1, "Anatol, Tell Me the Truth!"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 1, "Grandmother!"
Vanessa: Intermezzo
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "By the Time We Arrive in Paris the New House Should Be Ready"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "For Ev'ry Love There Is a Last Farewell"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "And You, My Friend, What Are You Mumbling About?"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "Erika, Before I Leave You Must Tell Me the Truth About That Night"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "To Leave, to Break, to Find, to Keep"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "Goodbye, Be Happy, Aunt Vanessa"
Vanessa: Act 3, Scene 2, "No, I Must Never Say That Name Again"

UPC: 0810038862323
Label: National Symphony
Release Date: 5.29.26
Format: CD

National Symphony Orchestra / Gianandrea Noseda - Barber: Vanessa (CD)