Love Duets—Ailyn Perez, soprano & Stephen Costello, tenor; BBC Symphony/Patrick Summers (Warner 633485)
Here is the reigning ‘It’ couple in opera, Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez, “America’s fastest-rising husband-and-wife opera stars,” according to the Associated Press, in romantic love duets from opera and Broadway musicals. Described by Vanity Fair as “a match made in verismo heaven,” the young American soprano and tenor met at Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts, where an onstage romance in Puccini’s most beloved opera led to a real-life exchange of vows. They are the only married couple to boast having two prestigious Richard Tucker Awards on the mantelpiece: Costello took home the 'Heisman Trophy of opera’ in 2009 and Pérez won in 2012, becoming the first Hispanic singer to do so in the award’s history. When they performed together at the 2012 Richard Tucker Gala, which is still available for on-demand streaming, the New York Times’ Anthony Tommasini admired their “palpable chemistry.”
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Love Duets
