BY ROGER PINES Terrific voices sailing through exhilarating coloratura present the aural equivalent of the most effervescent champagne. We experience these thrilling vocal acrobatics everywhere in the operas of Gioachino Rossini, including his first masterpiece, The Touchstone (La pietra del paragone). Coloratura passages sung cleanly and accurately are impressive in themselves, but how much more so … Continue reading The Virtues of Virtuosity