Customer Reviews

French Opera Arias - Denyce Graves

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Buy it as soon as possible. This CD is a new edition of the "Heroines, french romantic opera arias" first solo recital of Denyce Graves on disc, now a CD very hard to find and extremely expensive. There have been several reviews and comments about this recordings for it is one of the greatest recitals on disc of the french mezzo repertoire. This is probably the best recorded work of Denyce Graves until today: the voice is fresh, round, seductive, beautiful: everything you want of a mezzosoprano voice, and now easy to find and in a very accessible price.

I'm not really into Ms. Graves, despite the fact I own most of her CDs. I thought before this is an attractive enough voice and good enough of a performer, but a bit bland interpretively (as was the case with her Christmas CD and her first RCA recital). Luckily, that's not the case with this new CD, very happy to report. There seems to be more heft and bloom to her voice and far more interpretive involvement. At times she reminds me of a young Grace Bumbry. Praise for including the little-known items from Roi d'Ys and Djamileh and O mon Fernand in French. I wish she had included the beautiful but brief recitative before 'O ma lyre immortele' (most mezzos include it on their recital albums). At 58 minutes it isn't as if we would go into overtime on the CD (and why not also include the King of Thule aria from Damnation, Amour viens from Samson and some other goodies while we're at it?). Nonetheless, it is recommended.

I purchased this CD after seeing and hearing The San Diego Opera production of Samson and Delilah. Denyce Graves' voice stayed in my mind and I longed to hear it again. I was not disappointed when I received the French Opera Arias CD. I have listened to it many times and it never fails to take me back to the experience of hearing her on the stage. I recommend this CD to anyone who appreciates the voice of a great mezzo-soprano.