Customer Reviews

Ave Maria

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The reason that I bought this record was that as I was walking around in a record store I suddenly heard a heavenly voice, singing a wonderful song. It was so capturing that I had to go ask the staff for the CD. I must say I was deeply surprised when I found out it was a Naxos recording, since their song-CD's sometimes tend to be not so good. But this one is a real bargain.

The song was "Bist du bei mir" by Bach (Stötzel), and the singer was the totally unknown Ingrid Kertesi. This was almost a year ago, but I still think I get a new glimpse of heaven every time that I listen to her. The beauty of her voice makes you forget that her pronunciation is extremely bad (as with Sutherland in her prime). Kertesi sings a few more songs on this CD, and they're all lovely.

Many of the classic christmas & sacred songs are included on this CD, we find three 'Ave Maria' here. Most of the songs are nicely sung, except for some Mozartpieces. The other singers are not in the same class as Kertesi, but mostly OK.

This is a extremely nice compilation for christmas or any other time when it's dark outside. Ingrid Kertesi alone makes this CD worth the price.

Ingrid Kertesi really does have the voice of an angel. As an ex-choirboy, I have an inherent preference for the pure tones of a boy treble, rather than the mature vibrato warbling of most sopranos. But I bought this disc because the review by Mr. JB from Karlskrona, Sweden (June 18, 2000) grabbed my attention. He is 100 percent right: I defy you to listen to Ingrid Kertesi's version of J.S. Bach's "Bist du bei mir" ("Thou Art So Near") and not have the same ecstatic reaction he did. The same applies to that most hackneyed of works, the "Ave Maria" that Charles Gounod added atop Bach's C-major Prelude from the "48 Preludes and Fugues" ("The Well-Tempered Klavier"). Kertesi's exquisite version makes this old warhorse sound fresh and new again. It's sure either to make the hair on the back of your neck stand up or have you falling to the floor in sheer ecstasy. OK, forgive the hyperbole, but listen to the sample online and you'll get the point. The rest of the disc has humdrum versions of some very familiar pieces by Handel, Mozart and Schubert. But it's truly worth having for Kertesi's incomparable contribution.

I bought this CD for one track--Schubert's Ave Maria. I have searched through hundreds of Ave Maria albums for the perfect Ave Maria and, though this version is not perfect, it is the closest I have heard to perfection. Ingrid Kertesi's voice bathes you in the song's rich, warm, red sea of love that is so restorative, you can't help but feel pure and whole after one listening--though, I guarantee you won't be able to listen just once.

I only wish Naxos had chosen to record it with a piano instead of a full orchestra--Naxos's budget orchestras have a budget sound, and besides, this song has an intimacy that resonates best with a simple dialogue between a soprano and a piano. How many music directors have gone wrong by using a soprano and an orchestra, a tenor and an orchestra, or a tenor and a piano. No, no, no! Schubert's Ave Maria = Soprano and Piano, and it better be a damn good soprano, or don't bother recording at all. Really.

I didn't care about any of the other tracks on the CD--and about half are throw-aways. But the Ombra mai fu, the Lascia ch'io pianga, the Mozart masses, and the Donizetti and Gounod Aves (also sung by Kertesi) are all first rate.

Bottom line: the bad tracks are bad, but the beautiful tracks are ecstatic and full of heart and passion. Do your soul a favor and listen.

Looking for a top female vocal "Ave Maria" by Schubert with which to challenge myself after a long break from my own singing career, I listened to many more famous even iconic voices give their renditions and all were beautiful to be sure. But then this hiding gem revealed itself to me and within two days I could listen at length to the brilliance the small samples hinted at. Perhaps the purest and most sacred of all Schubert's prayer song to Mary is found here. I cannot thank you enough for the privilege of hearing this (and at this price). Now I must stretch in my practice to reach excellence once again and I am inspired by Ingrid Kertesi. Glory to God!

This CD does not quite live to its subtitles, as it is neither a collection of pieces devoted to the Virgin Mary, nor are all of the pieces contained in it 'sacred' (as duly noted by Keith Anderson in his commentary). That said, there is some extraordinarily beautiful music on this CD, and it made a strong impression on me when I bought this CD when it originally appeared in the 1990's.

Returning to it now for the festive season after many years of relative neglect (it is a good idea sometimes to revisit some old CDs to find out exactly why they have become neglected -- you might be surprised), I find that the following applies:

To mention some highlights: There is an excellent rendition of Exsultate jubilate, performed by Camerata Cassovia under the baton of Johannes Wildner and backed by the Kosice Teachers' Choir. The other two Mozart pieces are also OK. If you are a collector, this is a handy way of acquiring three of Mozart's best-known sacred works all together on one CD (given that you already have recordings of the Requiem, Kyrie K. 431 and the C minor Mass elsewhere).

As other reviewers have noted, this CD is worth getting because of the pieces sung by Ingrid Kertesi alone. The Mozart pieces are not sung by Kertesi, however, but by Priti Coles (soprano) and Anna di Mauro (mezzo-soprano). Especially the former's (I suppose it's she who's singing the piece) rendition of Exsultate jubilate is indeed worth hearing.

The rest of the CD is an interesting mix of familiar and less well-known works; the latter include such rarities as Donizetti's Ave Maria and Bizet's Agnus Dei. Joseph Mukk performs the tenor pieces, and he does that very well indeed; just listen to him in the Bizet. The Pie Jesu from Gabriel Faure's Requiem as sung by Lisa Beckley should direct you straight to hear the entire piece on a sublime recording by Oxford Camerata directed by Jerome Summerly, also on Naxos.

This CD, then, should be considered a reasonable bargain, and a nice addition to anyone's collection.

This album is really about one thing to me - Ingrid Kertesi's version of Ave Maria. This is possibly the closest thing to perfection I have ever heard in music. Words will never explain true art so I won't try. I defy anybody to listen to this and not be moved by it's incredible force. Truly inspirational !!