: New Years Concert 2006 - Cedolins, Calleja, La Fenice Orchestra, Masur

Venice's Teatro La Fenice welcomed 2006 with a celebration of dance and music. After the first full season at the restored Fenice there was ample reason to celebrate the three pillars of the house: symphonic music, opera and dance.

Kurt Masur chose works by three of Italy's leading 19th century operatic composers, Verdi, Donizetti and Puccini and - in the year that sees the 250th anniversary of Mozart‘s birth - excerpts from two of his operas with libretti by the Venetian poet Lorenzo Da Ponte. So the live recording of the gala concert features highlights from the world’s most beloved operas, among them an extract from Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro and the duet, "Là ci darem la mano", from his Don Giovanni, the sinfonia from Verdi's La forza del destino and the famous "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from La Traviata and two of his most popular choruses: "O signore, dal tetto natio" from I lombardi alla prima crociata and "Va, pensiero" from Nabucco. Donizetti's sinfonia from Don Pasquale and the tenor aria "Una furtiva lacrima" from his L'elisir d'amore are featured along with the legendary "Vissi d’arte" from Puccini's Tosca.

The outstandingly well-prepared choir of the Fenice opera house perform alongside three international opera stars: Italian dramatic soprano Fiorenza Cedolins, young tenor Joseph Calleja and longstanding Italian bass Roberto Scandiuzzi.