I have liked Dame Kiri for a long time. I first encountered her as a result of the televising of the Charles and Diana farce wedding, and subsequently she got a lot of mass media coverage.
Sopranos don't tend to rate amongst my favourite voice types - even with female singers I prefer mezzos and, especially, contraltos. But when I do like sopranos I like ones whose voice have the timbre of crystal, of whom Kiri is the epitome. People have called her 'Dreary Kiri', some have said watching her 'acting' is akin to Hari Kiri. Cruel, but understandable.
This double CD is a recent acquisition, a present from my very clever Kiwi/Yorkshire nephew who shares his birthday with Kiri. It is very pleasant listening, Disc 1 in particular. I think what I like about it is the fact that she, or whoever compiled it, has avoided making it a chestnuts album filled with the predictable clichéd overplayed Classic FM that the plastic wannabes record ad nauseam. there is a lot of material on it which is otherwise unfamiliar - or nearly so - to me - especially the Duparc, Ravel and Korngold arias. I really don't know Dir tote Stadt at all, but is due to get its UK staged premiere in about 18 months time at Covent Garden. This aria "Glück, das mir verblieb' inherits the same sound world as Strauss's Presentation of the Rose - although the only Strauss on this is the Marschallin's aria from Act I.
The mood of the entire disc is incredibly peaceful and tranquil. I suppose those who want their divas to chew the furniture while they slash and burn will invoke the 'Dreary Kiri ' clause. But I like its restfulness. I also like the fact that in many of the selection it seems that the orchestra is allowed to display its music. Considering that the various tracks are from a variety of recordings with various orchestras under various stick-wavers, I can only assume that this is a sensitive and intelligent, if arguably idiosyncratic selection by the compiler.
I am less keen on the second CD. It is perfectly pleasant and enjoyable when it comes on the mp3 player, but a whole album of folk, musical theatre and pop songs gets a bit much, especially when I have better versions of many of them in my collection, whether by Kathleen Ferrier or Simply Red.
I got her 'Ave Maria' so long ago that I have it on vinyl. I am currently digitising my cassettes, and all my vinyl is also on cassette. I am thinking it would make more sense to get myself a turntable and digitise my original vinyl, but I am rather scared even to look at them, suspecting that they have been warped by years of storage in the bedroom cupboard, all carefully standing up - and I have recently learned they ought to be stacked. In any case, I don't find anything attractive in the hiss and cackle, not to mention pop and jump, of vinyl. It is relatively easy to digitise a cassette; the sound is generally reasonable enough, if I work through them I will probably find a few worth reinvesting in on CD.
This is a gorgeous album, and one of which I have made countless copies for friends etc, back in the days when people wanted proper singers singing their light excepts unsullied by horribilised pop, rather than Katherine-Potts-Bocelli straining through Never Mind the Bollocks in Middle German with a heavily legato string arrangement.
And indeed, every singer has eventually to release a sacred album. Dame Dreary Kiri did so before the major milestone in my life The 1991 Acquisition-Migration-to-CD. Every track on this is lovely, and, without exception is executed in a lovely manner by the exquisite voice of Kiri. I adore Mozart's Laudate Dominum; not much later I got a CD of it in context, and that is still one of my favourite CDs. I like Bist du Bei Mir less now than then, because I have an alternative version I often repeat-play almost to over-play. I I think this is a tad too gentle and devotional and lacking basic human emotion.
Gounod's Sanctus is fantastic. Gounod is one of those composers that every time I hear something by him, I keep meaning to explore all. This is full of bombast and grand drama, and almost impossible (for me) to sing along to, even when alone in the house, solo part or chorus , and especially both together...In general I would say that while it is a pleasant album, it's not necessarily one that can be played over and again.
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