|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
98.208.117.121
I've heard Fleming live, (Rusalka, final performance before the SF Opera closed for remodeling), and her voice is as creamy and beautiful as they come, but for Barber's Knoxville, I still prefer Dawn Upshaw's more pain-speakin', down-home country girl approach to the piece.
I realize that Barber wrote with Steber in mind and that she took a relatively "big", operatic approach to the piece, but considering the text, it's just hard for me to imagine Aida prattling on about garden hoses, or Brunhilde speaking of nothing all.
Recording is OK, strings and voice get a little hard at points.
Follow Ups:
there is one point where the engineers mis-underestimated the levels on Upshaw's voice. It always bugs me when it comes around.
"If people don't want to come, nothing will stop them" - Sol Hurok
I don't like Fleming's recording either. My favorite is Leontyne Price, Thomas Schippers, New Philharmonia. Second choice is Roberta Alexander, with Edo de Waart and a Dutch orchestra. Upshaw's voice just doesn't soar and lacks the floated pianissimo singing (e.g., "...one blue dew") that I want to hear in this music.Alexander is IMO a grossly under-appreciated singer. Her discs of Barber and Ives songs are top-notch.
Edits: 01/08/17
Sure on this Shining Night, and Nocturne are just gorgeous as orchestrated.
OK, but it's the only copy of Knoxville, Summer of 1915 I own and I'm a Samuel Barber fan.
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: