Kiri Te Kanawa!
Ms. Te Kanawa is one of the great singers of the past 20 years. I have written about her before, especially about her performances of Richard Strauss songs that she performed in conjunction with the great conductor, Sir Georg Solti.
In this recording she sings the following:
1. Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim – Kiri Te Kanawa/Crispian Steele-Perkins
2. Le Nozze Di Figaro: Dove Sono
3. Vesperae Solennes De Confessore, K.339: Laudate Dominum – Kiri Te Kanawa/Chor Of St Paul’s Cathedral
4. Ave Maria
5. La Traviata: Attendo, Attendo… Addio Del Passato
6. Tosca: Vissi D’arte
7. Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro
8. Adriana Lecouvreur: Ecco: Respiro Appena. Lo Son L’umile Ancella
9. La Rondine: Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
10. Louise: Depuis Le Jour
11. Requiem: Pie Jesu
12. Chants D’Auvergne: Bailero
13. West Side Story: Tonight – Kiri Te Kanawa/Jose Carreras
14. Porgy And Bess: Summertime – Kiri Te Kanawa/New York Choral Artists
15. Oh, Kay!: Someone To Watch Over Me
16. Roberta: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
17. Follow The Fleet: Let’s Face The Music And Dance
18. High Society: True Love – Kiri Te Kanawa/Jim Hughes
19. Liverpool Oratorio: The World You’re Coming Into
20. World In Union
Clearly there’s a great variety of music here, showing us the wonderful versatility of this artist. Kiri Te Kanawa is a lyric soprano with luscious sound and a great vocal technique. This album presents this beautiful singer in some of her best recordings. The range of her career is presented in full display here. There is a glimpse of her wonderful Mozart in a masterful rendition of Dove Sono from LE NOZZE DI FIGARO and Laudate Dominum from Vesperae solennes de Confessore K339. Other highlights of the recording are the two Puccini arias “O Mio Babbino Caro” from Gianni Schicchi, and “Chi bel sogno di Doretta” from LA RONDINE. Ms. Te Kanawa’s voice is fresh, warm, sonorous, and full of expression.
The lighter numbers highlight Kiri Te Kanawa’s capacity to change musical styles while maintaining an excellent vocal skill. The only regret I have is that there is nothing of Richard Strauss here, a composer that has been very important for the soprano’s career.
Here is Dame Kiri Te Kanawa singing the “Vocalise” Op.34 No.14 by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943). From “Winter Gala” of Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Stephen Barlow / conductor. London, UK, 1994.
And here she is again in “Summertime”, Gershwin, at Queen Elizabeth II golden jubilee in 2002
Tags: Kiri Te Kanawa, opera, Puccini, Mozart, Gershwin, Strauss