Customer Reviews

Frederica von Stade - French Opera Arias

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I really do not know why this CD was not released before. Here is Frederica Von Stade in peak form, singing near deffinitive versions of great French arias. Her voice is ideally fitted for the material. She has agility, range and a beautiful middle register, apart from great French diction. Highlights of the CD are "Enfin, je suis ici" from Massenet's Cendrillon, "Connais-tu le pays?" from Thomas' Mignon and the two Offenbach arias.

These French opera arias, sung by Frederica von Stade, my favorite mezzo-soprano, were recorded early in her career, and they are a delight. They may not all show quite the expressiveness she developed later, but still there's that lovely mezzo voice, unlike any other and always a pleasure to hear.

This is a recital to savour; Von Stade's voice was at its freshest but she was already an experienced singer and particularly at ease with the French language, having already lived in France and learned fluent French over some years. There is a special plangency and beauty to her tone and those excursions into her lower register are heart-stopping. Other reviewers remark upon a certain lack of depth in her interpretation of the text; I do not share these reservations and, in any case, the musicality, ease of production and clarity of enunciation carry the day for me. It is such a lovely, mellow, mezzo voice that one can listen to the whole recital without tiring of it, whereas sometimes over an hour of singing a soprano can become too glaring on the ear. "Flicka" is so much at home in the material and her joy in singing it is vividly communicated to the listener. The opening Berlioz aria is particularly successful and sampling that should win over any doubters. No wonder she is so beloved a singer, especially in the US - everybody's favourite mezzo in some repertoire.

I bought this album as an LP when it first came out and treasured it. Delighted to see it available on CD. I had the privilege to have seen and heard her Cherubino, Cendrillon, and Charlotte in Werther--all of them marvelous. Such a lovely artist.

This CD shows the art of a great mezzo in a repertoire that she is better than many french opera singers!!!!

Rich sensuous heartfealt songs by my favorite alto for many years, now on CD.