Lorraine at Emmanuel - Harry Potter 6 Books

Track Listing

1. Kommt ihr angefochtnen Sünder
2. Act 1. Scene 1. O Hercules! Why art thou absent from me?
3. Act 1. Scene 1. The world when day’s career is run
4. Act 1. Scene 2. Then I am lost! O dreadful oracle!
5. Act 1. Scene 2. Then in myrtle shades reclined
6. Act 1. Scene 3. Ye lying omens, hence!
7. Act 1. Scene 3. Begone, my fears, fly, hence, away
8. Act 2. Scene 2. It must be so! fame speaks aloud my wrongs
9. Act 2. Scene 2. When beauty sorrow’s liv’ry wears
10. Act 2. Scene 5. O glorious pattern of heroic deeds!
11. Act 2. Scene 5. Resign thy club and lion’s spoils
12. Act 2. Scene 6. Cease, ruler of the day, to rise
13. Act 2. Scene 8. Joys of freedom, joys of pow’r
14. Act 3. Scene 3. Mad scene: Where shall I fly? Where hide this guilty head?
15. Wie fürchstamm wankten meine Schritte

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4734 in Music
• Released on: 2008-07-29
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

Tremulous Stones
In the best parts of these performances - those mentioned by Tom Lawrence, but I would definitely add to his list "Where shall I fly" - Lorraine's flame burns fully as intensely and penetratingly as on her great Handel recording with Harry Bicket.

(In case anyone still doesn't know, Lorraine's two recordings with William Christie are at that level, too.)

Hard to find words for Lorraine. No wonder she made her husband think of Rilke:

Words still softly give way before the unsayable . . .
And music, forever new, out of the most tremulous stones
builds in unusable space her house fit for gods.

A good memento of the singer
The centerpiece of this CD is a recital of selections from Handel's opera Hercules. The late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sings Dejanira's recitatives and arias, following a path from passion and jealousy into madness. This program is bookended by two alto arias from Bach cantatas. While the Bach solos are musically more to my liking, the Handel material does well to showcase the mezzo-soprano's talent. For me there are three highlights to this disc.

- Track 1: "Kommt ihr angefochten Sünder" from cantata BWV 30. This is an ideal first song of the day as you start your car. The measured pulse of the music gently helps you wake up and takes the edge off the morning commute. Whether a trick of the composition, the performance, or the recording (or all three), the first note sounds like a pickup, with strings plucking the offbeats. Then twenty seconds into the piece your brain shifts and you realize that the song actually started on the downbeat. The effect is best when you are still partially asleep.

The singer uses her lower and middle register throughout the number, so no high shrieking to shock the system. There is a slight derailment at the recapitulation five minutes into the piece, but it sorts itself out in two beats and all is well. The flute plays a sparing descant to the voice, and it is pleasing to hear how effective a few well-placed notes can be. By the end of the work the instruments have warmed up and are parting ways in intonation, but you are awake and happy to be behind that school bus.

- Track 12: "Cease, ruler of the day, to rise." This aria from Hercules demonstrates why people are drawn to Lorraine's singing. She approaches music with such balance: she has a warm, rich tone, but never lets sound production get in the way of the text. No slaving to pure vowels, no over-pointing of consonants; never diction for diction's sake, yet the words come through with clarity. When she uses a grace note or a trill, it is not showy, but subtle and appropriate to the moment. That she makes all this seem easy is the definition of good technique. Handel's music draws her voice into a glowing upper register that pulls at her heartstrings, and ours. She has surrendered to the music and it is singing through her. Beautiful.

- Track 13 shows another side of Hunt's musicianship -- her abilities as a collaborative artist. Her attentive ear and generosity are evident as she seamlessly partners with soprano Jayne West in the Act Two duet, "Joys of freedom, joys of pow'r." This is an upbeat Handelian flow in the Water Music style, and you are now ready to face the day.

almost perfect
In the August 2008 BBC Music Magazine, George Hall gave this disc four out of five stars. He didn't like some of Lorraine's fast passage work and found that conductor Craig Smith lacked impetus. Hmm. Not me. These are magically relaxed performances where soloist and chamber orchestra are almost literally singing to and with each other. There's something special going on here. And Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sounds completely in control of what she's doing. I don't think you'll be disappointed. If only there had been more.