Mirella Freni was one of the greatest sopranos of the second half of the 20th century. She started out singing lighter roles such as Nanetta in “Falstaff”, then later in her career she sang heavier repertoire. She not only had a gorgeous voice, but she used her voice very wisely, and therefore enjoyed a very long career. Freni was married to the great bass, Nicolai Ghiaurov. The couple performed together many times. For example in that last photo, you will see the couple performing together in “Eugene Onegin.”
“Come in quest'ora bruna” is at the beginning of Act 1 of “Simon Boccanegra.” In my opinion, "Simon Boccanegra" is a beautiful opera which should be performed more often. You will hear the prelude to Act 1, and then the aria. Freni is stunning in this recording. Simon Boccanegra was originally one of Verdi’s middle operas, but it was revised in 1881, so you will hear more of Verdi’s later style in it. Like most recordings of the opera, this recording is the revised version with a libretto by Arrigo Boito. This is the 1977 recording on DG with Claudio Abbado conducting. The cast includes, Freni, Carreras, Cappuccilli, Ghiaurov and Van Dam. It is a must have.