Lorraine Hunt Lieberson at Emmanuel

Product description Bach : Cantates BWV 30 & BWV 33 - Haendel : Hercules / Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano - Shannon Snapp, violoncelle - Jayne West, soprano - Danielle Maddon & Lena Wong, violons... - The Orchestra of Emmanuel Music - Craig Smith, direction Amazon.com The loss of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson to cancer a couple of years ago is still being felt and spoken of in the classical music world. She was a beautiful performer with an easily produced, expressive mezzo; she never went for a cheap effect – she took the notes and the text and wedded one to the other. This CD, of music by Bach and Handel, is handsome and elegant – and sometimes more. It opens and closes with relaxed Bach arias; the first has a flute surrounding and supporting the voice and the last, with its syncopated rhythm, lolls and comforts. The rest of the CD is devoted to Handel’s oratorio Hercules, and contains almost all of the music for Dejanira, the wife of the hero. She believes him unfaithful, and each aria introduces us to another facet of her emotional instability. Her sorrow is palpable in “When beauty sorrow’s livery wears” and her descent into madness, in “Where shall I fly” is both touching and terrifying. The separation between character and singer was always slim with this artist, and her commitment here is as complete as her singing is beautiful and touching. This is a very special release. -- Robert Levine