Customer Reviews

The Essential Jessye Norman [Includes DVD: Jessye Norman Sings Carmen]

5 star:		(4)
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Jessye Norman has possibly the greatest voice I have ever heard. Being a bass/baritone, I usually shy away from higher voices (especially tenors), but I find this soprano to be flooring. For being a classicaly trained vocalist (she attended Indiana University) Ms. Norman has an incredibly versatile voice. In this album alone, she sings broad French arias, light Mozart, spirituals, and Broadway. Each is done superbly. Out of every track, her rendition of "Ave Maria" is my favorite. She sings it so tenderly and intimately, it is like she is singing it directly in front of you. You will be moved, certainly.

I suggest this CD to everyone, a fan of classical music or not. It is important for everyone to have these songs to relax, calm down, or to just listen to. You would not regret it.

This record is wonderful; simply Jessye Norman. What else can I say: loved it!

The American soprano Jessye Norman was born in Augusta, Georgia (the segregated South) on September 15, 1945 in a family of amateur musicians; her mother a pianist, her father a singer in a local choir.

Norman received a scholarship to Howard University (a historically black university in Washington, D.C.) -NOT INDIANA-, graduating in 1967 with a degree in music. The following year, she won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich. She made her operatic debut in 1969 as Elisabeth in Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser at the Berlin State Opera, and in subsequent years performed with various German and Italian opera companies. She returned to the US to make her professional concert debut at Lincoln Center in 1973.

I got it for HKD $69 in HKV in Hong Kong (which is around 8.70USD)