This coming Saturday, 7th September is the Last Night of the Proms and Marin Alsop will make history as she becomes the first woman to conduct the Last Night. During the course of the evening she will be joined by the enchanting and exhilarating performer, mezzo soprano Joyce DiDonato.
Earlier this year I accompanied my father to London to see Rossini’s ‘La donna del lago’ at the Royal Opera House. We were very lucky and privileged to hear Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Florez give sparkling performances at the centre of an intriguing production of this Rossini opera.
Miss DiDonato will be closing the first half of the Last Night with the finale aria from La donna del lago – ‘Tanti affetti in tal momento!’. I am really looking forward to hearing her begin this aria with such masterly control and intense poignancy and then soar into all the vocal Rossini fireworks that are so thrilling to witness. What a treat!
This link is to a 15 minute video where Miss DiDonato accompanied by pianist Iain Burnside reviews her preparation for, and discusses her interpretation of, Rossini’s Tanti affeti.
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Agnes Ashe 
We’re getting a rebroadcast of Last Night at the Proms as I type this. Wonderful concert, and the ladies are pretty spectacular. Once again I’m somewhat jealous—Ms. DiDonato won’t be at the Met with “La Donna del Lago” for another year and a half. Ah, anticipation….
. . . But it really will be worth the wait!