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DiscountDelight - Lorraine Hunt Lieberson ~ Handel Arias
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List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $14.99
Your Save: $ 4.99 ( 25% )
Availability: Usually ships in 2 to 3 weeks
Manufacturer: Avie
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0822252003024
Format: Hybrid SACD
Label: Avie
Manufacturer: Avie
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Avie
Release Date: 2004-08-10
Studio: Avie
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Glorious singing to treasure for decades
Comment: By any measure, America's Lorraine Hunt Lieberson is at least the equal of Italy's premier diva, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, although she does not have the same superstar status. It is difficult to recall past mezzos with clearer enunciation of English text, (as favoured in nine excerpts from Theodora), the richness of voice, displayed in full-throated fortissimo and sharply contrasted pianissimo of utmost delicacy, evokes fondest memories of the tragically doomed Kathleen Ferrier. Masterfully chosen to display every facet of Hunt Lieberson's consumate command of Handel's dauntingly difficult music, the disc's repertoire - recitatives and linkig arias from the operas Theodora and Serse, and the cantana La Lucrezia - is stunning. An unsung mezzo who makes the senses tingle!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson (1954-2006), supreme Handelian
Comment: I have never heard a voice purer of tone, more flexible in phrasing, and so gorgeously produced in a homogeneous column of sound such as this artist in Handel's repertoire. It is very tastefully sung (unlike a certain person whose name begins with R and ends with enaaay Fleming) and so dramatically touching that one could not help but feel that this repertoire finally has found its instrument. And how sad it is to know that this instrument has passed away two days ago. Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson died two days ago in her home in Santa Fe, New Mexico of breast cancer. It is such a huge loss to the opera world, as she is an artist who is still experiencing the prime of her career. The voice is just so beautiful, the tone so pure, that I lament that we can no longer hear any great roles from this artist. She will be missed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Stellar Hunt Lieberson
Comment: Simply put, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson is one of the very best classical singers alive. She combines vocal elegance and purity with an emotional delivery that raises her above the crowd of technically proficient singers who just don't possess her depth of musical understanding or emotional commitment. Hunt Lieberson is a true artist who resists easy classfication except to say she is perfect in what she does.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Comment: If you usually listen to Handel performances analyzing the technique and noting ornamentations, like me, then this album will change all that. This is not a pretty voice singing nice music. Lorraine's voice is expressing such range of emotions, from fury to calming serenity, you will be blown away.
What a riveting performace!
And this album would be great for anybody not familiar with Handel at all, most of arias are English and Lorraine's diction is crystal clear. And even if you think you know Ombra Mai Fu, ie Handel's Largo, you probably never heard more perfect version that the one on this album. A must buy for anybody interested in great music.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Thoughtful Sensitive Singer
Comment: Hunt Lieberson does not think of this music as a chance to show off; it is music to sink her teeth into. She is committed, lustrous, dramatic. A beautiful voice, a beautiful spirit, she shows how life is possible in the face of daily tragedy.
Life is tragic; life is beautiful. This is the inging of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson.
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Editorial Reviews:
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If you think you've heard Handel's "Ombra mai fu" (known as his "Largo") so often, and in so many different arrangements, and sung by so many different voices, that you can no longer be moved or surprised by it, think again. This CD of Handel arias, mostly from his Theodora or the cantata La Lucrezia, ends with "Ombra mai fu," and as sung by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, it is so tender, so beautiful, so impeccably shaded, that you'll think you're hearing it for the first time. But that's only four of this disc's 67 minutes---a follow-up to Hunt Lieberson's extraordinarily successful CD of Bach cantatas. There's not a dull or disinterested moment to be heard anywhere. As the violated Lucrezia, Hunt Lieberson alternately rages against the man who raped her and turns her grief inward; the former is terrifying in its intensity, the latter makes us almost feel as if we're eavesdropping. The five arias for Irene, Theodora's friend, confidante, and the upholder of Christian beliefs are all magical prayers or statements of faith, and from Hunt Lieberson, they become real, with each word honestly conveyed and colored. The voice itself is unfailingly beautiful---warm, lush, never forced, agile when necessary---and her breath control is stunning. She is backed ideally by Harry Bicket and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the string soloists in the ensemble---the viola da gamba player, lutenist, etc.---are as gifted as she is. If you want proof that Handel was a great dramatist with a special gift for communicating emotion, all while listening to sublime sounds, this CD is a must. --Robert Levine
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