Stepping to Stage Front
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 05/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sarah Connolly may be a well-known name in the UK but in the USA she has too infrequently performed for a wide audience to develop. That will most assuredly change with this release of this CD of arias and recitatives from four of Handel's operas - Alcina, Ariodante, Solomon, and Hercules.
Connolly's warm, rich, pliant mezzo soprano voice is balanced throughout her broad range and she uses it with great intelligence and a true concern for the passion and poignancy of the character portrayed. Her singing is straightforward, not that she does not embellish in the baroque tradition, but she refuses to ornament for the sake of ornamentation. If there is one aspect of Connolly's voice that is worrisome it is the wide vibrato that seeps into her singing when the declamations rise above forte. But that 'problem' is rarely significant on the opera stage; it seems to bolster the drama. Equally at home in trouser roles as well as heroines Connolly once again proves that Handel's works sung with this kind of commitment remain significantly viable contenders for the upper echelon of operas performed today.
Connolly is adroitly accompanied by Henry Christopher and The Symphony of Harmony and Invention, as superb ensemble of players as any in this repertoire! The tracks of instrumental sinfonias are as elegant and lovely as the vocal numbers. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, May 05"
A Masterpiece of Classical Music
Warren L. Gunn | Houston, TX USA | 07/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sarah Connolly cements herself as one of the finest vocalists of the last fifty years with this recording of Handel arias.
Her voice is a revelation, and her interpretation of the material clearly demonstrates her mastery of Baroque-style singing. Her singing is dark and rich, yet lithe enough for the extensive runs found throughout Handel's music. Another reviewer found her not quite up to the level of singing of Lorraine Hunt Lieberman, but I find a clarity of tone in Sarah's voice that is slightly lacking from Lieberman's which, at times, can be somewhat airy for my taste.
Anyway, this is a fantastic recording, and it is a testament to the prowess and skill of both the singer and the orchestra.
"
Track Listings (13) - Disc #1