Customer Reviews

Ellen Faull: An American Soprano

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It was a revelation for me to hear this singer. My voice teacher Alice Wells Story played piano in Miss Faull's studio at Sarah Lawrence for years and used to rave about her, as have the singers I've met in my subsequent musical career who studied with her.

This is a beautiful vocal instrument. Miss Faull handles it with exceptionally secure technique, splendid intonation, real musicianship and dramatic sense. Her diction in the languages she sings on the disc is consistently clear and beautiful, even in English! These are all qualities sadly lacking in the singers of today.

I urge all young singers to purchase this disc and use it as an example and as inspiration.

I was inspired to get this recording after reading an article on Ms. Faull's career in the Summer 2000 "Opera Quarterly". Ned Rorem said that Faull's voice "...flowed with unflawed naturalness from her larynx like a cloud of peridot chiffon." Hyperbolic as this description sounds, it is entirely appropriate if one judges Ms. Faull's voice by the present recording. I am amazed that this wonderful soprano's voice was not more widely recorded, and I encourage all to buy this wonderful CD as a worthy introduction to her artistry.

I was struck by the beauty and delicacy of Ms. Faull's singing as I played, and replayed, this CD. There is a very feminine, ethereal quality to her voice. She is able to spin beautiful high notes pianissimo; yet she has an equally secure and rich lower range. Her lovely rendition of "Oh! Patria mia" from Aida is a perfect showcase for both. In addition, Ms. Faull's performances on this disc show an impeccable sense of drama. In each aria Faull portrays the character's emotions with a combination of passion and pathos, yet every piece is performed with commendable subtlety and good taste.

Although every number on this disc is enjoyable, some of my personal favorites include a rendition of "Elsa's Dream" that will transport the listener with its beauty, a flawless "Vissi d'arte", and a passionate rendition of "La mamma morta" from Andrea Chenier. Only in the selections requiring coloratura does Faull seem out of her element. In both the Bolero from I Vespri Siciliani and in "Ernani, involami" she seems to struggle with the execution of coloratura passages.

These recordings were made (with two exceptions) from the Sylvan Levin Opera Concert Broadcasts, a radio show on which Faull regularly appeared in the early 1950's. Sylvan Levin and Emerson Buckley conduct brilliantly, eliciting from the unidentified orchestra just the right atmosphere for each number. The mono sound is every bit as good as one should expect for a 1950's radio show, and there is hardly any background noise to interfere with one's enjoyment. A small booklet includes a brief essay on Faull's career, as well as articles in which Faull herself and colleagues reminisce.

Ellen Faull was my teacher, and will always be near and dear to me. How delightful that everyone can be part of her loving admirers. It is like a voice lesson all over again to hear this CD. And of course the liner notes do a wonderful job of portraying her career that still grows as she continues to mentor and befriend young artists.

Perfection....especially on the Ballatella from Pagliacci, Die tote Stad, Lescaut, Chenier, and the Traditional Folk Song "I Know Where I'm Going".

This is a lovely gift for us all. Thank you, Ellen. And of course, my dear departed Emerson Buckley's conducting is superb, as always.