Great Operatic Arias, Vol 21
The lyric soprano showcased in this latest volume of opera arias in English
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Richard Strauss, Arrigo Boito, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Jake Heggie, Malcolm (Benjamin Graham Christopher) Williamson, Francesco Cilea, Alfredo Catalani, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Genre:
Vocal
Label: Opera in English Series
Magazine Review Date: 13/2009
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 0
Catalogue Number: CHAN3161

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Adriana Lecouvreur, Movement: L'anima ho stanca |
Francesco Cilea, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano Francesco Cilea, Composer London Philharmonic Orchestra |
(The) Queen of Spades, 'Pique Dame', Movement: ~ |
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano Gillian Keith, Soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Composer |
Pagliacci, 'Players', Movement: ~ |
Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Composer William Dazeley, Baritone |
Mefistofele, Movement: La luna immobile |
Arrigo Boito, Composer
Arrigo Boito, Composer Cheryl Barker, Soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra |
(The) End of the Affair |
Jake Heggie, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano Jake Heggie, Composer London Philharmonic Orchestra William Dazeley, Baritone |
Arabella |
Richard Strauss, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano Gillian Keith, Soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra Richard Strauss, Composer |
Adriana Lecouvreur, Movement: Poveri fiori |
Francesco Cilea, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano Francesco Cilea, Composer London Philharmonic Orchestra |
(The) Violins of St Jacques |
Malcolm (Benjamin Graham Christopher) Williamson, Composer
Cheryl Barker, Soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra Malcolm (Benjamin Graham Christopher) Williamson, Composer |
(La) Wally |
Alfredo Catalani, Composer
Alfredo Catalani, Composer Cheryl Barker, Soprano London Philharmonic Orchestra |
Author: John Steane
The new volume illustrates the lyric soprano often in relatively dramatic moments, mostly from 19th-century operas with some incursions into the 20th. The two “modern” operas, Malcolm Williamson’s The Violins of Saint-Jacques and Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair, are lyrical in style and welcome both in themselves and for their unexpectedness. We note that arias which might have been paired – the two from Adriana Lecouvreur, Arabella and The Queen of Spades – are programmed separately, which might annoy the tidy-minded but doesn’t greatly upset me.
Cheryl Barker is always clean in her placing of notes and clear in her articulation of the English words. She is ready with a trill, has an ample supply of high notes and (in the Mefistofele aria, for example) reinforces the lower register effectively; sometimes (as in the opening of the Arabella-Mandryka duet) she sings quite beautifully. Her associates have some additional qualities. Gillian Keith’s light soprano appears pure in tone and evenly produced, and William Dazeley (surely one of our best baritones) has an attractive timbre, heard pleasingly throughout. David Parry’s speeds tend to be a little too slow for my liking but the orchestral playing is refined and responsive.
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