Classic Kathleen Battle: A Portrait

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Edward "Duke" Ellington (Composer), Gabriel Faure (Composer), George Frideric Handel (Composer), Gustav Mahler (Composer), Kathleen Battle (Performer), Christian McBride (Performer), James Carter (Performer), Ira Coleman (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Kathleen Battle, Christian McBride, James Carter, Ira Coleman
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonin Dvorak, Edward "Duke" Ellington, Gabriel Faure, George Frideric Handel, et al.
• Audio CD (April 2, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000639A4
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,868 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #5 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( B ) > Battle, Kathleen
  #13 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( V ) > Vangelis
  #14 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( E ) > Ellington, Edward Duke

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This compilation of previous releases is clearly intended to include something for everybody and to offer an overview of Kathleen Battle's wide, varied repertoire. The result is a motley assortment of music sacred and profane, Baroque, classical and romantic, Spanish and American folksongs, and jazz. It is Battle's radiant, impeccably produced voice, which sheds a glow over every note she sings, and her effortless coloratura and serene expressiveness that provide the unifying, and most rewarding, element.

Four new recordings sound just as glorious as those she made years ago. One is the famous aria from Puccini's Gianni Schicchi performed with piano--a strange misfit among all the arias with orchestra. Wynton Marsalis plays Bach and Handel brilliantly, but sounds too loud and prominent. And despite some baroque ornamentation, he plays in a style so different from hers that the two hardly seem to be performing the same piece. The Orchestra of St. Luke's plays beautifully; an anonymous orchestra under Robert Sadin is competent but too matter-of-fact. A mournful, repetitive duet with Jessye Norman against a background of unearthly noises from Vangelis's Mythodea sounds like an angelic plea for mercy.

In the finale of Mahler's Fourth Symphony with the Vienna Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel, Battle captures just the right blend of childlike wonder and heavenly bliss. Of the jazz numbers, one by Duke Ellington is lovely, but Dvorák would have been quite surprised by the arrangement of the Largo from his "New World" Symphony. However, the tonality is right, and Battle sings the melody so beautifully that she almost redeems it. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravissima Diva!!!!, July 2, 2002

By	"bravissimadiva" (Chicago) - See all my reviews

I must comment on the preceeding review which has nothing to do with the calibur of this CD nor of the artist. And just a touch on that whole Brevard "incident", there were two performances one of which came off without a fault...but I too digress. This CD is a plethera of what endures Kathleen Battle to us all...her diversity. It is true that none of her signature operatic roles appear in this mini compilation but what is given more than accomodates. In 18 selections she covers Spirituals, Oratorio, Jazz, Afro-Cuban/Brazilian influenced melodies, cantata's and a symphony all with miraculous ease. It is also true that this is in many ways a best of...and chances are you'll already have most of these pieces, but Classic Kathleen Battle is Worth Buying simply for the four new selections and accompanying art of the set. The pictorial art included in this CD is worthy of gallery display! A standing testament of her vocal beauty and artist superlatives...this is a CD that you don't want to pass up!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing, as usual, April 25, 2002

By	madamemusico "madamemusico" (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I first heard Kathy Battle sing in 1978, a concert with James Levine at the piano, and from that day to this have adored her voice just as I have decried her prima donna antics. Yet of all the singers I have heard in those 24 years, she has never once let me down, never once failed to give a performance that was radiant both in voice production and the aura of "connection" that she establishes with all the music she sings. In short, she is one of those rare artists I can listen to all day, perhaps all week long.

This album is mostly culled from earlier CBS/Sony releases, but except for the three cuts from the "Baroque Duet" album with Wynton Marsalis I did not have any of this material in my collection, so I guess I am one of those who found this a valuable addition to my library. (Most of my other Battle CDs are on EMI, DG or Decca/London.) This now has pride of place alongside "Baroque Duet," the DG "Bel Canto" album and her gorgeous performances of "L'Elisir d'Amore" and Mendelssohn's Midsummer Night's Dream music...what I consider to be the finest Battle albums ever.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Praiseworthy, but a limited perspective, June 3, 2002

By	Eric McCalla "reviewboy" (Denver, COLORADO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

CLASSIC KATHLEEN BATTLE: A PORTRAIT is limited in its perspective in the sense that this is a compilation of only SONY Classical recordings from their catalog. There are no Deutsche Grammophon or Angel/EMI performances represented here. A "portrait" of Miss Battle would have rightly included some of these wonderful and musical interpretations of Mozart, Schubert, Villa-Lobos, Gounod, and Bach among others. Of course paying the license fees from the other 2 labels wouldn't be cost-efficient from a record company's standpoint. How wonderful this would've been if they'd all cooperated on a box set of her recordings, which would show Miss Battle's superlative musicality in not only Italian and French, but also her great wit and charm in the English language (her Purcell and Dowland are not to be missed!)

In any case there are several magical performances to be found here:

Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" w/piano; Dormi, Jesu; Cancion de Cuna, Fix Me Jesus, Ellington's "Prelude to a Kiss"; Angels Watching Over Me; and the enchanting song (the German title is too long for me to remember--it's from the Das Knaben Wunderhorn cycle) from Mahler's 4th Symphony.

For any Kathleen Battle fan, this is a nice selection of her works, but only a 2-dimensional portrait at best. Certainly not Miss Battle's fault, as she graces the listener with no less than FOUR new recordings on this album.

Once again her silvery tones and superb musicality are a wonderful gift to us!

Thank you, and Bravo many times over....