OLGA PERETYATKO: Russian Light (Sony)

FOR her fourth solo CD, Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko turns to her native repertoire with resplendent results. She is treading in the footsteps of such legends as Nezhdanova, Vishnevskaya and Koshetz, but is unafraid, exploring the coloratura heights with aplomb. Supported by the Ural Philharmonic under Dmitry Liss, she begins with Lyudmila’s aria from Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila, beautifully phrased with just a hint of Slavic edge. A Rimsky-Korsakov group includes the Hymn To The Sun from The Golden Cockerel, the Snow Maiden’s Aria, Volkhova’s Lullaby from Sadko, and Marfa’s Aria from The Tsar’s Bride. Rimsky’s song The Nightingale And The Rose leads on to lovely Rachmaninov pieces such as his Vocalise, Stravinsky’s Nightingale’s Song and a brace of Shostakovich charmers.