A Portrait

Johann Sebastian Bach (Composer), Georges Bizet (Composer), Johannes Brahms (Composer), Joseph Marie Canteloube (Composer), Carl Davis (Composer), Gabriel Faure (Composer), Cesar Franck (Composer), John Gay (Composer), Charles Gounod (Composer), Kiri Ta Kanawa (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Kiri Ta Kanawa
• Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach, Georges Bizet, Johannes Brahms, Joseph Marie Canteloube, Carl Davis, et al.
• Audio CD (February 10, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00013UKMO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #179,649 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #9 in	Music > Classical > Featured Performers, A-Z > ( T ) > Te Kanawa, Dame Kiri
  #41 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( C ) > Canteloube, Joseph
  #69 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( H ) > Herbert, Victor

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elegant is as elegant does!, April 24, 2004

By	OperaOnline.us "OperaOnline.us" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This the review that I wrote for OperaOnline.us: There is only one word to describe this compilation of varied works by soprano Kiri Te Kinawa: Elegant! From the cover to the selection of songs inside, to the way each selection contributes to and results in a perfect blend of orchestra and singer, nothing is out of place. I usually prefer CDs that are thematic and carry a mood throughout, and this offering by DECCA, bless them, will not disappoint those who share my sensitivity to mood. It doesn't hurt either that Kinawa's voice radiates control and smoothness that sweeps one up in defiance of gravity to a place somewhere betyween awe and gratitude, but that is exactly what occurs here. You listen to the melodic expressiveness of Beim Schlafengehen with the Wiener Philharmoniker and think it can't get any better, and then find it followed by Ave Maria with the Utah Symphony, followed by Pie Jesu with the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, and it does get better. The chorals are pretty impressive as well, as in Nuns' Chorus and Climb Every Mountain. Consistently Kinawa's voice soothes and never presses even close to the edges of shrill. She is a soprano with depth and a cultured delivery that wraps every note in any range with the delicacy of a mother's loving embrace. It just doesn't get any better than this. Give this CD to someone you love, they'll appreciate it, with this one caveat: the second of the two disks is less moody and a little uneven in mood. Hold the second disc back.