Ultimate Divas

Over the weekend I heard what was apparently a pre-release copy of this CD while enjoying an afternoon beer in a neighborhood bar in Santa Monica. Aretha's live performance of Nessun Dorma really caught my ear...such spontainaity and passion in her singing. What was this?! Aretha singing Puccini...and a tenor aria at that?! The bartender was busy and couldn't open the CD player to show me the disk, so I went home, jumped on the Internet and this is what I found: "at the 40th annual Grammy awards telecast in February, Aretha stepped across a world of musical boundaries with her performance of "Nessun Dorma," the heroic aria from Puccini's final opera. "Turandot." Aretha agreed at the last minute to step in for ailing tenor Luciano Pavarotti and "stole the Grammy awards show," wrote Steve Jones in USA Today. "The Queen of Soul," Jones noted, "sang the unknown Prince's signature number in Pavarotti's key (three steps lower than her own) with a 72-piece orchestra after a mere eight minutes of preparation backstage." Aretha also performed this aria a number of other times during 98/99 so until I get this CD I can't be sure this is the Grammy performance, but by the sound of the orchestra backing her in the recording, the live audience, and the "go-for-it" quality of the singing, I'm fairly certian this is it...a priceless gem that proves once again: nothing beats genius blended with a spontaineous magical moment!

the entire disk is beautiful. if you want chills play the entire disk.. the best is last.

I lost my other CD and bought a new Ultimate Divas. I have given it as a gift as well. Every song is great. I particularly love the Aretha Franklin version of Nessun Dorme. Who knew? Many other great songs such as Chakha Khan's version of My Funny Valentine and Patti Labelle's If Only You Knew.

This is my go to album when I want to sing. My friends keep stealing it so I keep ordering another.

Really, really good! Goes from time era to time era. Even ones I wasn't that familiar with, have really grown on me. Truly wonderful compilation of talent of our 19th Century.

Fantastic CD collection. Several of my friends have asked to borrow this CD; however, I'm not at all ready to part with it. Truly a worthy gathering of ultimate divas and ultimate diva performances!

The music is so historical, from a century of women! I never listen without being amazed at the trailblazers that I have been happy to hear and share with other women.

Excellent choices.