Search - Nana Mouskouri :: Ode to Joy

With a rich, international career spanning four decades, Greek soprano Nana Mouskouri has tackled everything from jazz to German Christmas music and French pop. But it's also a body of work with an intriguing "What if?" factor: She was forced out of her classical studies at the Athens Conservatory after she was discovered dabbling in jazz on the side. This two-decade spanning collection largely returns the Greek legend to her classical roots, staking a compelling, de facto claim to being one of the world's pioneering crossover artists in the bargain. With the technical chops to soar triumphantly through Bellini's rigorous "Casta Diva," yet possessed of an earthy emotionalism that carries traditional English folk fare like "She Moved Through the Fair" and "Blow the Wind Southerly" into the realm of the transcendent, Mouskouri's sheer range here is remarkable. Her rewarding forays into the pop and Broadway realm here (LeGrand's "Windmills of Your Mind" and theme from Summer of '42, Lloyd Webber's Love Changes Everything) only underscore her longstanding European crossover appeal. Indeed, it's hard to imagine another artist tackling everything from Bach to Don McLean, Italian opera to Beethoven, with such convincing command. ?-Jerry McCulley