As a proud Rossiniano, I’ve long believed that the 1984 Pesaro unveiling of Il viaggio a Reims in Janet Johnson’s reconstruction was one of the most enduring musical highlights of the late 20th century. Its score is a treasure trove of virtuoso set pieces for bel canto bravura masters. The cast assembled for the inaugural performance run and recording led by Claudio Abbado was excellent overall, and we’ve been blessed during the past four decades with an impressive array of international artists blazing star turns in its 10 principal roles. Yet nobody in my experience has come close to rivaling Samuel Ramey as the shy, lovelorn Englishman Lord Sidney from that first cast. The sable richness of his bass timbre and uncanny precision in coloratura make this double aria at the top of Act II, which can seem rumpty tumpty in lesser hands, thoroughly winning.