Denise Leigh - Pie Jesu

Dealing first with the obvious - it is important to say that it is anything but obvious in her hands - 'Mi Chiamano Mimi' leaves behind any idea that Mimi is just a fragile flirtatious victim longing for the scent of a flower - here she is at risk of dying from the lack of sunlight while the fluttering of her Bambi eyes thinly disguises her desperate need for the poetry and the passion of her neighbour and her longing for the warmth and perfume of a good man in her arms and in her bed. It is rare to find a performer within the musical world who can interpret at this level dramatically speaking and who is also equipped with the vocal mastery and technical know-how needed to back up it up musically. As with all the dramatic arias on this album there is a fine blend of the dramatic and the musical perfectly intertwined, each giving the other perfect support.

She is master of atmosphere (as in creation of, and manipulation of) - just as in 'Summertime' with a phrasing which wants to be in time and wants to keep moving but is kept back by the oppressive heat and humidity of it's American deep south setting she then sets out the crisp freezing stillness of a winter landscape and a fireplace seen from the wrong side of a frosted window pane in 'In The Bleak Midwinter'. It would be too easy to think that the work involved in setting up a feeling such as is present here is done by the composer and/or orchestrator and then eventually by a conductor. While in some operatic circles it is frowned on for a singer to leave their position sailing on top of the musical accompaniment, this artist takes huge liberties (because she can) in weaving her voice in and around the instruments and sections of the orchestra: sailing alongside the violins, hiding her sound among the oboes, swimming hand in hand with the cellos, letting herself be buoyed along by the brass and of course setting herself apart and above as and when the time is right. Her mastery of this isn't limited to the more liquid tracks such as the outstanding Villa Lobos (just how can anybody have such a full bodied 'hum'?) or the sacred, as in Rutter's 'Pie Jesu' (how long do we have to wait for the 'Leigh sings The Bible' album?) but peppered through Rossini and Mozart where the accepted norm is to stay 'on top' of the band.

There is perhaps slight disappointment occasionally when needing to take the bull by the horns. Anyone remembering 'The Jewel Song' from the 'Operatunity' rehearsal room or those who has witnessed her live renditions of, say, 'Glitter and Be Gay' or the Mozart 'Requiem'may want a more gutsy dramatic sound at the close of 'Una Voce Poco Fa' or 'Je Veux Vivre' but these brief moments may not just be a result of a dry recording studio atmosphere but a deliberate choice as to how much is wise for listening in a car or sitting room as opposed to a concert hall. Given the level of dramatic intent, the unbridled and hugely varied levels of musical intensity and the good taste and judgment present in 99% of the work on offer I think the latter must be the case.