Lawrence Brownlee, Michael Spyres – Rossini: Otello: “Ah vieni, nel tuo sangue vendicherò le offese“

“We are definitely friends,“ says Michael Spyres of his “duelling tenor“ partner Lawrence Brownlee. “Though I must admit that, when singing Otello, I have not come across a mightier foe!“ They explore this and other Rossini operas in their album Amici e Rivali: The album – the title of which translates to “Friends and Rivals“ – is recorded with Corrado Rovaris and I Virtuosi Italiani. Its program brings together arias, duets, and trios from seven of the composer’s operas, written between 1815 and 1826: the most famous comic opera of them all, Il barbiere di Siviglia, and six serious dramatic works: Otello, Armida, La donna del lago, Elisabetta, regina d’Inghilterra, Le Siège de Corinthe, and, the rarest title here, Ricciardo e Zoraide. “Any rivalry is just sportsmanship and theatrics,“ Lawrence Brownlee assures. “Beyond enjoying our musical performances, audiences at our concerts have praised the way we cr