Gioachino Rossini Vincenzo Bellini Giuseppe Verdi - Sumi Jo Bel Canto Arevalo ECO Carella (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Sumi Jo's best recital disc

06/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I own many of Sumi Jo's recordings and this one is her very best. This difficult bel canto repertoire is the perfect place for the coloratura soprano to show off her fleet voice. There are lovely lyric moments as well as in Nanetta's magical aria from "Falstaff." My favorite selection on the CD is definitely "O quante volte" from Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montecchi." Sumi Jo's Giulietta is delicate and vulnerable. She sparkles in "Son vergin vezzosa," her brilliant voice flashing over the coloratura passages with accuracy and ease.Sumi Jo's sound is rounder and creamier on this recording than on any other. Simply splendid! Don't miss it."

Another Sutherland, yet even better...

Andre | Twin Cities, MN | 12/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As I have explained in another review I wrote of Sumi Jo's music, she has become one of my favorite sopranos. I started out with Dame Joan Sutherland, La Stupenda herself in her recital disk "The Art of the Prima Donna." A fantastic CD. And I must say that it has been hard to find other sopranos that could do as well as Dame Joan in such traditional bel canto repertoire. You know how it is, once you hear one version, it's hard to find another that is better. And although some of the arias on this CD are different than you find on Sutherland's, they are just as great, if not better. What one finds with Sumi is a gorgeous voice, clear and pure throughout(not mushy and heavier as Sutherland had in her lower range... Ahhh!! I can't believe I admitted it... I hate to put Sutherland down), and the enunciation is never a problem. So what is there to complain about?... Nothing really, except maybe if her top note wasn't a high F, and instead a C above high C, and then I wouldn't like Natalie Dessay just for her high notes(she has a high A flat I believe). But a high F is more than enough for any bel canto piece as Sutherland showed us throughout her career(I just love high notes, the higher the better).Now that I've settled with my love of the voice... the recording itself is to be talked about. Bel raggio lusinghier from Rossini's Semiramide is the first track. A different interpretation than Sutherland, but gorgeous. All throughout this recording, Sumi Jo shows us just how effortless her coloratura is, and this track especially conveys this. As for Sumi Jo's lyrical skills, the perfect track for that is track 5, "O quante volte" from Bellini's "I Capuleti e I Montecchi." What a gorgeous Juliette she is! And if only the previous reviewer knew I was going to see Sumi this coming February in this exact role. I know I can't wait, and I'm sure Ms. Jo will not disappoint. Anyways, this entire recording, each and every song is wonderful. And the Violetta aria from Verdi's "La Traviata" is a nice end to the CD, summing up just how great Sumi Jo is. To those who say bel canto has withered away lately, they should hear this disk. Sumi Jo would convert them right away. And could there be no better praise than the fact that Sutherland's husband Maestro Richard Bonynge has worked with Sumi Jo... Afterall, his wife was practically the Queen of Bel Canto. It's obvious that Bonynge has found his new reigning queen. We could be in for a real treat in the coming years!!!This is bel canto at its finest. EnjoyP.S. - Even though it's not bel canto repertoire, one wishes Sumi Jo's famed Queen of the Night from Die Zauberflöte were on this set to wow people even more. But not to worry, it's on a couple of her other recordings."

This is a tribute to Bel Canto

Alberto Velez Grilo | Funchal, Portugal | 01/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This record is realy a Tribute to Bel Canto.
When we talk about bel canto, we have to refer Sutherland. Dame Joan had (has) the most beautiful voice I've ever heard. The range of her voice is incredible and I have to desagree with the reviewer that says that Sutherland lower range was heavy. It was strong, not heavy. With that voice range she could do any kind of reportoire.Now, let's talk about Sumi Jo. Miss Jo is realy a coloratura Soprano and in bel canto she is the best we have now. All the high notes are very clean and she has no difficulties to reach them. Qui la voce sua soave is very good, I even prefer this interpretation over Sutherland's.Well, she is not Sutherland, but she is with no doubt a Tribute to Bel Canto."

The artistry of Sumi Jo

Steven A. Peterson | Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL) | 02/28/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD shows Sumi Jo's bel canto technique off to good effect. She has a light agile voice that exemplifies top notch coloratura singing (and I know that bel canto and coloratura are not the same). Indeed, she probably must be rated as one of the best coloratura sopranos of the current era.

Some samples of her work. . . .

"Bal raggio lusinghier," from Rossini's "Semiramide" is enchanting. She displays, as always, an agile voice with a lovely quality to it. Her technique is good; this is fun to listen to. She hits a nice high note at the end.

From Bellini's "I Puritani," we have "Son vergin vezzosa." There are iconic versions of this, first, from Joan Sutherland, and, second, from Beverly Sills. However, Sumi Jo's rendering of this work stands well in comparison. She sings this at a quick pace, as seems appropriate. She shows a nice trill; her florid singing is nicely done. She hits high notes cleanly, although one appears a bit thin and strained--but that's a mere quibble. The repeat is very well done.

"O luce di quest'anima," from Donizetti's "Linda di Chamonix," is also well sung. The opening portion is prettily sung. The cabaletta picks up the pace. She shows off nice appoggiaturas and her singing is, as always, very agile. She displays a decent trill before the final high note.

And then there is one of the great showpieces for coloratura sopranos, "Qui la voce. . .Vien diletto," from Bellini's "I Puritani." "Qui la voce" is poignantly and touchingly sung, showing some nice characterization. The cabaletta is smoothly and agilely sung the first time through. Her voice sounds quite sweet in the slower parts of this segment. The repeat features nice ornamentation, including a good trill here and there. Her repeat is not as florid as some, but it is nonetheless nicely done. The final high note is hit dead on.

Finally, from Verdi's "La Traviata," "E strano". . ."Sempre libera." This has been well sung by many who came before her, such as Renata Scotto and Anna Moffo from decades ago. Her singing seems to represent a nice characterization of the doomed Violetta. The early parts are well sung and expressive. "Sempre libera," of course, picks up the pace. And so does Jo. She handles the demands of this music well. She, once more, manifests considerable vocal agility. The repeat is fine, with some nice runs and a final high note well done.

In short, this is a good representation of the work of Sumi Jo. For what it's worth, in my estimation, she rates very high among the current crop of coloratura sopranos, alongside Natalie Dessay, for instance. With singers such as these, the current generation of coloratura sopranos ranks well against their historical predecessors.

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