The four major roles in “Il Trovatore” are arduous and demanding, with familiar arias that provide a real proving ground for singers. On Saturday, the opening-night audience heard the resplendent soprano Leah Crocetto (last heard here in the title role of “Aida“) as Leonora, offering some thrilling high notes and a performance that combined power and easy facility.

On Thursday, lyric spinto soprano Leah Crocetto made her Carnegie Hall Debut with a carefully chosen selection of classical art songs and cross-over jazz and blues songs. She performed in the intimate Weill Concert Hall, a perfect setting for her prodigious voice and her innate ability to communicate each song personally.

Crocetto’s velvety crooning seemed perfectly at home with the rhythm of Markham’s accompaniment, whether she was expressing relaxed longing or soulful ornamentations. This number also showcased Crocetto’s luxurious lower register, which came as a highly-alluring contrast to the vocal heights scaled by this soprano throughout the night.

Leah Crocetto as Norma was beyond superlatives. When she sang the famous aria Casta Diva, I nearly lost it, and managed, just, to weep quietly. She sang, and Maestro Walker accompanied, as if this were the first performance ever, and might be the last. Her singing was technically brilliant and musical, but also truly transcendent. It penetrated and illuminated the extremities of human emotion, from love to fury to despair.

En el Auditorio del Castellse reunió el equipo vocal formado por la soprano norteamericana Leah Crocetto; junto a ella la ya bien conocida y prestigiosa mezzosporano Ekaterina Gubanova, de importante trayectoria internacional. Las dos voces, impecables ambas intérpretes, se alternan y se juntan en distintos pasajes del Requiem combinándose a la perfección sus voces en todo momento.