Sumi Jo - Les Bijoux / French Arias

Gustave Charpentier (Composer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Jules Massenet (Composer), Giacomo Meyerbeer (Composer), Jacques Offenbach (Composer), Ambroise Thomas (Composer), Giuliano Carella (Conductor), English Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra), Sumi Jo (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Sumi Jo
• Orchestra: English Chamber Orchestra
• Conductor: Giuliano Carella
• Composer: Gustave Charpentier, Charles Gounod, Jules Massenet, Giacomo Meyerbeer, Jacques Offenbach, et al.
• Audio CD (August 3, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Erato
• ASIN: B00000JLLS
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #212,551 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Sumi Jo is an exquisite singer, in some ways a throwback to the coloraturas of old, who could dash off high, pure sounds with ease, all the while exuding charm and grace. But unlike too many of those gone warblers, Jo also pays attention to the text--even if the texts for most of these arias tend to be pretty silly. In this new recital, she concentrates on the French repertoire, tossing these jewels at us and making us grab for more. Rarities include arias from Meyerbeer's L'Etoile du Nord, with its two- and then three-flute accompaniment (Sutherland recorded it as well) and an aria from Offenbach's Robinson Crusoe (also recorded by Dame Joan, and Yvonne Kenny--but still rare); favorites are Ophelie's Mad Scene, superbly sung and characterized, Juliette's Waltz Song, all fresh and sweet, and a nicely surprising piece of Meyerbeer's Les Huguenots. It's only in Charpentier's "Depuis le jour" that Jo seems out of her weight class, though the singing is still gorgeous. This is a sure bet for fans of this repertoire and a fine way to meet Sumi Jo if you haven't already. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Display of Coloratura Singing, January 16, 2000

By	M. Ramos - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This delightful recital shows again the skill and grace of Sumi Jo and her affinity with the French opera repertoire. As Robert Levine said, to hear Sumi Jo is in many ways to evoke the memory of Amelita Galli-Curci and Lily Pons. Among the highlights of the recording, the first that come to my mind is the Mad Scene from Hamlet. Ms. Jo brings a great expressivity to the piece, conveying Ophelie's combination of despair and happiness. Vocally, she brings a fresh sound, beautiful cadenzas and brilliant high notes. The chromatic scale at the end of the Mad Scene (up to high E) is stunning. Among the other highlights are "O légère hirondelle" from Mireille and the showpiece from L'Etoile du Nord. Both arias sparkle with brilliant staccatos and scales specially the one by Meyerbeer, where the soprano is in a vocal tour de force in competition with two flutes. The arias from Faust, Roméo et Juliette, Manon and Louise are well sung, even when Depuis le jour is a stretch for Sumi Jo's voice. But the rarities are the most refreshing part of the recital, and the recording ends brilliantly with the waltz from Robinson Crusoe, sung by the soprano with the charm and buoyancy that it needed for this repertoire.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant & Sparkling like a bunch of jewels!!!!!, September 27, 1999

By A Customer

One of the reasons this CD caught my eyes is that this contains two arias Sumi Jo sang in the sensational concert during the Melbourne Festival about a year ago (the end of Oct., 1998). One was 'Oui, pour ce soir...' from Mignon, and the other was Ophelia's mad scene from Hamlet. At that time I was so moved by her rendition of the Ophelia's aria ( I felt such an enormous sympathy towards Ophelia) that I wanted to get the recorded version from somewhere. BTW, in her Australian debut in that concert, she created sensations there and got everybody to talk about her vocal fireworks. For people who like this repertoire, every piece in this recording is like a precious jem. She is throwing a bunch of sparkling jewels at us...opal, diamond, ruby, jade, etc... If you have ever experienced other famous singers' renditions of this kind of repertoire, you will comparatively find out how excellently Sumi Jo sung. Her needle-fine accuracy in the high parts are especially thrilling and phenomenal! My favorite songs in this CD are from Romeo et Juliette, Mignon, L'etoile du Nord, Hamlet, Louise, Mireille, Manon, Robinson Crusoe. The more I hear them, the more I like them. Concerning the fact that many songs sound similar, it's because Sumi Jo seems to put one theme or similar type or trend of music in one CD (in the cases of some of her recordings). It's interesting to find everybody has a differnet taste. Someone mentioned his(her) favorite recording of Sumi Jo is "Bel Canto", which is my least favorite (even though I like it very very much. Actually I like all her albums) among many of her recordings. My three favorites of her recordings are "The Art of Sumi Jo", "Carnegie Hall Live", and "Ariadne auf Noxos". I would like to give anything to be able to go to her concert again!!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great album from Sumi Jo, October 19, 2006

By	Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I'm only a recent convert of the charming opera singer Sumi Jo. This is one of my favourite albums, showcasing arias of composers including Gounod, Offenbach, Bizet, and (most surprisingly) Meyerbeer.

The Meyerbeer arias are truly something. Sumi Jo should consider doing a whole album dedicated to his works, but until then, we can savour the "Les Huguenots" and "L'Etoile du Nord" arias.

Sumi Jo's voice has a fantastic, silvery quality, best-suited to the demanding arias on show here. Hers is a precision instrument that hits each and every note perfectly; never does she slide between notes or compromise the quality of the material. Perfection is a tough thing to live up to, but Sumi Jo is perfection.

I heartily recommend this album. [Erato/Warner Music 3984-23140-2]