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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lovely, characterful, really mature, human singing., 20 Jan 2009
This is a lovely collection. I dithered between 4 and 5 stars. But I went with five as it is super and it's really in the league of the greatest collections you'll find. Wonderfully sympathetic musicianship and grasp of human performance, wonderful voice you'll have so much sympathy for. It's a bit up in the clouds, not that it goes too airy fairy at times I mean, but in the whole collection. Though this goes also with the positive side of that, which by far outweighs what may be a little hard to handle in the kind of removedness of this collection, if you wish to listen to it a lot. It's very, very special. (I wonder if there's a tiny something missing in it's removedness, or sometimes, as I think, it's just, instead, not what you expect - like the definition of something which has one part which makes it a wholly different animal to that you thought it was going to be). There's no doubting it's really lovely, really great, and either because of how I am, or it is, it's really interesting thus for me also.
It's in a world of its own. I guess it's like the finest cheese and a really special wine. You don't wish to drink too much of it too often. And this track after track of it. There seems to be knowingness it is rarified, and one (this one anyway) doesn't quite know if it is oneself or in the music, or both. For meet, it occupies a really special place. This is a recording of great distinction, and though there are many of those, you'll hardly get recordings as characterful and character laden and distinct that way as this. Special times have been carved out in gramaphone records and now in laser lights in C.D.s and now in electrical impulses in different sized computers for us.
You know, I'm not someone who can devote much time to listening to Handel, especially in the newer recordings, for me. Where 10 years ago, I would easily have listened a lot to Handel. But Lorraine is not like that. I can always have this and anything like this.
The orchestral playing both is lovely and great, whilst avoiding greatness, strangely, greatly, but very, very slightly disappointingly. In that it seems a bit staged to this cause - seems a bit like a fine champagne with a most natural, hard to define quality is being effected in a way, only very slightly. Who's perfect? Probably no-one. The playing is also truly of the world of this fine, natural, unaffected champagne mostly though.
But what is really special about this recording is that it so has the character of its own essence. It's unexpected. Its highly individual and seems to eschew the conformities - they're not even thought of, though one can easily hear that this lovely woman knows them, knows the good ones and the goodness of the conformities and has in her time in good senses been there as any good musician who takes note this way has. And one feels more special for knowing one is subject to a great recording, a special and most characterful and unique one from this lovely, highly experienced person. One feels the experience of the world is more brought and obtained in the listening, than the experience of sheet music, getting on with an accopanying orchestra, crescendoes and climaxes and coming away - the ingredients come naturally in this delightful lovely woman of the world's interpretations of Handel. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson sounds wonderfully wise and idiosyncratic, as if it would be just foolish and a waste of time to consider listeing to other singers in order for examples of how you should sing (I'm sure Lorraine wouldn't have thought it a waste of time, it's an abstract notion) perhaps building maps and diaries of suggestions. You should shut yourself away totally, physically and mentally, probably in a nature reserve with animals for years and then do a recording. That's how it souunds. I guess Ms. Hunt Lieberson was a very busy woman though.
I am delighted to have this human record from what was this fine woman's life of giving joy to many people.
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~ Johannes Brahms
~ Johann Sebastian Bach
~ Nicholas McGegan
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