Customer Reviews

Kathleen Battle at Carnegie Hall

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kathleen Battle, a woman with the voice today being known as that of an angel's. This CD includes some of the most famous lieder, melodies, italian art songs, arias, broadway, and spiritual pieces of all time. Some highlights would be Handel's "Ombra mai fu", one of his most beautiful and famous arias. Kathleen's recitative in "Ombra mai fu" is not boring at all, it is actually quite enjoyable to listen to, unlike most singers where you just hate their recitatives with a living passion.

Kathleen then moved onto Mozart, and instead of singing his lighter lyric arias that we are used to hearing from Kathleen, we hear two of his art songs. Perhaps one of his most famous art songs, "Ridente la calma" is a soft, pure, and gentle song about love, much like his "Deh Vieni" that Susanna sings in "Le Nozze di Figaro." Kathleen sings this with a soft purity that will just melt your heart. Her high notes are always right in the head, and her placement of notes is superb. Something you will want to play over and over again.

Liszt. A composer that most people know best for his piano music and not his vocal music. He did write some very pretty french melodies, such as "Oh! Quand je dors." It is very pretty, and haunting, and of course, only Kathleen could make it that way.

After the Liszt french set, we move on to a set of R. Strauss lieder, very pretty, and cute music. I still prefer the music of french, but Kathleen did do an amazing job on both lieder, her tone properly placed, her vowels in the correct place, just an amazing job.

Then comes in a set of Rachmaninov, including his "Vocalise", which is sung with excellent technique, breath control, vocal legato line, pure tone, every thing just excellent. Very haunting, making you get goose bumps up and down your spine. A great pleasure to hear.

Then we pull over on Broadway to hear one of Kathleen's broadway tunes, "Summertime" from 'Porgy and Bess.' The tone placed a bit differently then the placement on the classical, but that is still good, because "Summertime" is more jazz like then opera like.

My favorite on the CD is "Adele's Laughing Song" (Mein Herr Marquis) from 'Die Fledermaus,' with the great belly laughs sounding like Kathleen is really laughing. The expression in this aria is superb. The trills, the high Ds, the long run at the end are all very amazing showing off the very best of Kathleen's beautiful voice.

How ever, I did take off one star because of all the spirituals on this disc. I don't care for spirituals in the least, no matter who is singing them. It is not any thing that Kathleen did wrong, I just don't like them, and I think she could have saved the audience and her voice by cutting those pieces out, and if she really had to put one in she could have put in "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

Overall, this is a very enjoyable CD. Buy it and enjoy for a lifetime. A true treasure.

Miss Battle presents absolutely fantastic program and divine inspired singing. Of particular interest, there are five songs by Rachmaninov and Kathleen does full justice to them through wonderful Russian diction (which I can appreciate as a native speaker) and thorough understanding of difficult texts and scores. The great contralto Marian Anderson was in the audience and I have to thank DG for not excluding Kathleen's dedication of "In the silence of the night" to her. It makes the album very personal and endearing. Say what you will about her ways off-stage, but there should be no doubt that Miss Battle is one of the most talanted, versatile and dedicated artists of our time and an absolute delight to hear.

Kathleen has a beautiful voice, and it's wonderful to have a CD that includes both traditional opera pieces as well as fun gospel songs. I recommend this!

God made the nightingale, and somewhere down the line, he touched a little girl named Kathleen Battle with what he originally gave to that bird from the beginning of creation. I cannot, for the life of me, believe that a voice could be so beautiful. I hear it, I marvel, but sometimes the sheer incredible beauty of this woman's vocal artistry is mind altering and surreal. Even the nightingale must suffer a moment of jealousy when a Kathy Battle tune is played!(This is bordering on blasphemous I know, and I beg forgiveness!) But Kathy Battle is simply amazing! This CD captures her at her best.
I'm not an opera buff by any means, but I love the human voice and great singing. There is not a bad song in the bunch. Like one reviewer, I too, am not a big fan of the spirituals segment, but I have a higher tolerance for it than she..I can still enjoy them for what they're worth.

Just BUY this CD...buy more than one if you can. One for home and one for your car. Believe me, you will not be disappointed.

P.S. Can someone tell me if this Carnegie Hall recital was also filmed and where I can get a copy of it? I cannot find many filmed recitals of Kathleen Battle anywhere. There used to be many at the Metropolitan Library in NYC, but all they seem to have now are her appearances in operas. I remember seeing a Met recital of her in a red gown on the cover of the vhs box, but they must have retired it. Any Kathy Battle fans out there who can help me get a video collection going, I would be most appreciated! (ryanmarcus1@juno.com)

This Kathleen Battle carnegie hall CD was just before she began having some vocal problems(bad breath control, unreliable high E's etc) and her eventual firing from the Met. The Battle on this recording takes full advantage of all the qualities that made her a superstar in the first place. Fantastic phrasing, soaring lyricism, perfect trills and beautiful shining high notes. She is careful to chose songs which wont press her non-existant middle range and which show off her strengths. The strongest peices are the Mozart,Rachmaninov and Listz pieces. She falters in Strauss' Amor but considering the difficulty of the peice id like to hear a soprano who could sing it without a mistake here or there. The spirituals at the end of the program are truly scintillating and the perfect cap to a near perfect recital

Ms. Battle covers musical styles from baroque all the way to spirituals on this CD, and excels at each song she sings. My personal fav's are "Frondi tenere...ombra mai fu" "Mein herr marquis" "Vocalise" "Swing Low" "Piangero la sorte mia". One impression I get when I hear this CD, is that Ms. Battle had fun with each one of these songs. She sounds like she is enjoying singing them and is totally relaxed with full confidence in her voice. So many singers you hear sound tense, but not here. It's hard to explain really, but generally, when a singer is struggling and fighting to sustain a good sound or sing artistically, you can sense it. This CD is would make a wonderful sampler for someone new to Ms. Battle's voice. It is a shame, though, that she is such a "diva". Nevertheless, this is a delightful recording and I would strongly recommend it.

Kathleen Battle is at the height of her powers on this disc. Actually, I owned this CD years back, but rule #1 NEVER LOAN YOUR BATTLE CD's to a beginning soprano trying to master the art of the spiritual! This recording was a dream come true for Ms. Battle, it was her debut recital in Carnegie Hall. This live recording captures the essence of her art, especially the brilliant colouratura passages in the Handel arias. Sure Ms Battle's career has been marred by tales of her so-called "diva" behaviour, but this CD was recorded before those stories were made public. The repetoire on this disc is sung with such energy. Her voice is like a ever flowing liquid in the Rachmanioff "Vocalise" I heard Ms Battle live this past summer 2001 and her voice is just as beautiful. Through her voice I was lifted higher to another place. For those who doubt Ms. Battle's place in the annals of operatic history because she was dismissed from the MET, please don't. Despite the fact that this recording was done about 11 years ago, to have heard and seen her just last year, her vocal and physical beauty still amazes me. The spirituals are well sung and the rest of repetoire exudes a childlike pure innocence that could only make ones heart leap with inner joy!

I have to say that this, definitely, is one of the best live recordings I have heard. Kathleen Battle obviously prepared countless hours for the occasion, which marked the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall. Every phrase of every song is executed with finess and intelligence. Battle shades her tone to coincide with passages that suggest sadness and grief, such as the African American spirituals and Russian songs, and brightens her tone to coincide with passages that suggest happiness and love, such as "Depuis le jour" and "Mein her marquis". Fine interpretation is evident. Battle's diction is also worth mentioning. Every word she sings is projected in a very clear and precise manner. Her attention to consonants and knowledge of the languages sung in general is first rate.

Because the music on this CD is so varied, I have to say that I hear something different each time I listen to this CD. Baroque, Classical, Romantic, modern...its all here in this one little CD. I just wish other, "modern" artists, I say this because Kathleen Battle is unfortuately passing her prime, would sing with as much style and intelligence as she does. This CD is worth it.

Kathleen Battle has a georgious voice. I like her and will try and find her other cd's. I was a little disappointed in the songs though. I am not a huge opera fan. I like lite opera more and usually buy those kind. Kathleen sings Summer Time and it is wonderful!.

This has to be one of the best live recordings that I have heard! Marking the 100th anniversary of Carnegie Hall, as well as her solo debut performance, Kathleen Battle presented an intelligent, and varied repertoire of music that was sung with emotion and perfection. This flawless performance featured songs by Handel, Mozart, Franz Liszt (which I had never heard her sing before, and were very beautiful) Richard Strauss( you HAVE to hear "Amor!"), a very surprising, and moving set of songs by Sergei Rachmaninov; and was topped off with spirituals. This concert was very moving for another reason: The GREAT contralto, Miss Marion Anderson was an honored guest of Miss Battle, who dedicated a Rachmaninov song to her. No matter how many times I play this CD, it always makes me FEEL as though I was there that night, in the audience, thoroughly enjoying a glorious night of great music!