Customer Reviews

Bejun Mehta - Songs and arias of Handel, Schubert, Brahms, Britten

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Fresh and supple voice, amazing breath control, incredible expressions, mature musicality. I have listened to some of the songs sung by real sopranos (meaning mature female), and I admit that they do have their own greatness, but this boy soprano seems to be far more exciting. He's got unbeatable, invincible energy and drive, which, I guess, only teenagers can possess, and the way he builds up the intensity is awe-striking.
He has a total control over the high notes also. You will hear the most beautiful pianissimo, soft, expressive, and floaty, in those otherwise ear-spliting pitches. His runs are also incomparable, very clear, driven, profound, and accurate. You will have to hear them at least once in your life time!

I have let my two teenage nephews, who knew nothing but rock music, listen to this CD, and lo and behold, they couldn't stop listening to it. We were on a trip to Yellow Stone at that time, a long boring drive, and they kept on asking me to play it over and over. We ended up listening to it several hours straight every day for 3 days! A different kind of excitement from rock music, every time the fast runs came, they couldn't stop dancing in the car mimicking them. The whole CD made them simply happy and jubilant. As a result, the otherwise boring long drive became a very happy, fun trip.

The only drawback is that his words are not very clear, and at times the accent is poor. But his musicality and mature expressions off-set it. Even if you don't understand the words, these songs will surely make your day. This is one of those CDs that proves that classical music can be much more exciting and fun than popular music. Good for kids, teenagers, and adults.

Mr. Mehta is a countertenor now. When he was a boy soprano his voice was incomparable, in my view, one which answers to the myth of a Castrato's voice. Such gentle and even register throughout the range which surely arouses the jealousy of any soprano.

Mr. Mehta demonstrated sophisticated and precoscious techniques which made his gifted timbre even more unparalleled. His diction is not quite crisp. My conjecture that it's due to his nasal technique, not unfamiliar to a countertenor, the unique head voice suited to a boy's changing voice. Maybe, also because of this, the color of Mr. Mehta's voice on this CD is especially touching - woeful but never strident nor forced in high notes. The aria "If God Be for Us" is most sentimental and brings an aetheist to tears!

I've listened to this marvel repeatedly and found a great satisfaction in the choice of music and personal stylistic of these pieces. I hope there are more young men inspired to give their voices a try as a result of Bejun's work here...I especially enjoyed the spiritual selctions, esp. "If God be for us..." Please don't cheat yourself of the opportunity to hear this!

Although all of the tracks are very good, Handel's Messiah oratorio selection "If God Be For Us" is nothing less than sublime. Mehta's admirable but short career as a treble has been followed by one as a virtuoso countertenor. I eagerly look forward to more recordings.

Though this recording dates from 1992 when the use of countertenors was taking off as a welcome supplement to opera performances, the joy of this recording by Bejun Mehta is doubly interesting after hearing and watching the artist in performance at present. Gone is the full head of hair (he now wisely sports the shaved head look) and the standard repertoire as Mehta has joined the ranks of the superstars in opera. But first a second listen to this recording. Mehta's artistry is so secure that he is able to sample a wide variety of composers. He is completely at home with the six arias from Handel (the elegance of his selections from the Messiah are indicative of his powers that were only to develop more fully in this repertoire) accompanied by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, but he also is able to move us with the Romantic works by Schumann and Brahms, and complete his recital with Benjamin Britten's Folksongs. The variety of music is well chosen and allows Mehta to show us the many fine aspects of his technique.

Jump to the present and Mehta, now more mature in the best sense of the word, is able to carry off the dramatic demands of the title character in Handel's TAMERLANO as well as mesmerize the audience with his wizardry of technique. He is able to float seemingly endless phrases without pausing for breath and he has now mastered ornamentation and embellishments as well as any singer on the stage today. Bejun Mehta continues to grow and amaze and deserves all of the praise being tossed his way. He is an exceptional artist. And it all started here with this sample from his early years. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, November 09

What can one add to the other 5-star reviews found here on Amazon, except to endorse them wholeheartedly? Of all the boy soprano CDs in my collection I prize Bejun Mehta's. The programme is interesting certainly, but what raises this young singer above the rest is the subtle, rich mellow quality of his voice. It is worth mentioning too the wisdom of the choice of accompaniment; the sextet assembled for the Handel selection from the Los Angels Chamber Orchestra provides sufficient body of sound but without overpowering the voice.

The Brahms songs, with piano accompaniment, provide a mix of the lively and the gentle.

But what of the Schubert? Absolutely charming - to hear it sung so naturally, without affectation is so refreshing, a sheer delight!