In compiling this collection, one is immediately struck by the sheer breadth of Leyla Gencer’s repertoire—an astonishing span that encompassed everything from baroque to verismo, classicism to modernism. Gencer was more than a soprano with a beautiful voice; she was an artist of immense range and fearless dramatic instinct. Her ability to inhabit characters as varied as Mozart’s Elettra, Bellini’s Norma, Donizetti’s queens, and Madame Lidoine reveals a singer who brought individuality and emotional depth to every role she touched.

This compilation features arias and excerpts from Alceste, Idomeneo, Medea, La Vestale, Agnese di Hohenstaufen, Elisabetta, Regina d'Inghilterra, Guglielmo Tell, Norma, Lucia di Lammermoor, Belisario, Maria Stuarda, Anna Bolena, Lucrezia Borgia, La Battaglia di Legnano, Aida, La Forza del destino, Un Ballo in maschera, Dialoghi delle Carmelitane, and Cavalleria Rusticana. It's a sweeping portrait of a soprano who defied categorization, navigating vocal and stylistic challenges with elegance, fire, and a voice that was unmistakably her own.