• The star American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato calls herself a “belligerent optimist”. It’s a strong phrase, and a fine one, reflecting her determination to harness her high profile to an end beyond herself. Nor is she shy of addressing the biggest issues, from liberty to war to, now, our planet. Eden (Warner), conceived with her regular collaborators Il Pomo d’Oro and conductor Maxim Emelyanychev, with dryad-inspired art work to match, is a post-pandemic call to action: to repair, to replenish.
