Grace

Robert Sadin (Conductor), Kathleen Battle (Performer), Robert Wagner (Performer), Andre Emelianoff (Performer), Charles Curtis (Performer), Nancy Allen (Performer), Alan R. Kay (Performer), David Singer (Performer), David Eggard John Moses (Performer), David Carroll Donald Palma (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Kathleen Battle, Robert Wagner, Andre Emelianoff, Charles Curtis, Nancy Allen, et al.
• Conductor: Robert Sadin
• Audio CD (March 18, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029OC
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,718 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #11 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Battle, Kathleen
  • #58 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Vocal Non-Opera > Songs & Lieder > General
  • #60 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Featured Performers, A-Z > A to B

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drawn in by the beauty of her voice!, May 5, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Grace (Audio CD)

I first listened to this as a demo album at a music store and bought it on the spot. It is one of my favorite albums. Most sacred music albums seem to focus on Ava Marias, but this one has a beautiful selection from protestant traditions. There's nothing like Battle singing Handel's "Rejoice Greatly" or "O Had I Jubal's Lyre" to get you to forget all the mundane things on your "to do" list for the day. I have never heard a more beautiful interpretation of Mozart's "Laudate Dominum" either. And if her acapella rendition of "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord" doesn't stir you, I am afraid you may not have soul.

This album has depth and meaning missing in most popular media today.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, May 28, 2001

By 

"puccinigirl" (Shawnee, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace (Audio CD)

This is a wonderful collection of oratorio and sacred music. Kathleen Battle shines in this album. Normally, I have found her singing to be less than interpretive, but not this time. These pieced suit her voices ideally, containing significant amounts of coloratura lines without getting too heavy. A particularly stiking addition to this collection is the gospel piece sung a cappella. A brilliant album-I strongly recommend it!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavenly, July 12, 2004

By 

DAVID PETRICK (CARLISLE, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grace (Audio CD)

Kathleen Battle is one of the people whose lovely voice first turned me on to opera, a rather unaccessible art to the common American. It is true that you can hear her breathe, and that she tempers her notes so they are sometimes gentle, sometimes strong, but that is not a weakness. The racks are rife with stereotypical fat ladies with fat voices, bellowing with nothing but technique, but there records languish while Kathleen's sell.

The songs are all fairly main stream and include a dramatic range from happy to sad. Nothing outlandish here.

Ms. Battle has been called the most beautiful soprano voice and I would heartily agree. The clarity, the roundness, the beauty of her sound is pure femininity and grace. I studied opera and no one in school or anywhere else, has ever been on her level. Some are close, but she is magnificent. I recommend this to anyone, opera snob or first timer. You will be moved!