Advantages: Clear, charming and soulful voice Disadvantages: She is young, talented, pretty and intellegant and I'm jealous
opera, Nabucco. Written in 1842, the chorus of exiles relates the Biblical story of the captivity of the Hebrews in Babylon in the 6th century B.C. Emotionally sincere and strong, Katherine voice shines out over the accompanying chorus. She also sings the aria, ?O Sole Mio?, traditionally performed by a tenor. Arranged for soprano the aria takes on a whole new aspect: strange at first but very enjoyable.
Of course there are some traditional soprano arias included. Bizet?s fiery aria ?Sequidilla? from Carmen is sung with passion and fun: pure seduction. ?Song to the Moon? from Dvorak?s opera Rusalka is haunting. Katherine shows great technical qualities attaining perfect pitch throughout.
Included on the album are a number of pieces taken from soundtracks of popular films. Ennio Morricone composed ?House of no Regrets? for the film ...
Advantages: Virtuosic operatic vocalism, unusual repertoire, mad scenes... Disadvantages: Fleming's voice is maybe not best suited for this...
the disc. The atmospheric music of the orchestral introduction is in a different musical league to anything else on the CD, and played with such intensity that one is transported immediately into the dramatic situation of the aria. There is an absolutely ravishingly sad cor anglais solo played by Melanie Feld (who rightly gets a credit in the CD brochure) and this is without a doubt top class orchestral accompaniment. Ms Fleming produces her best singing in this selection and it is a really riveting and convincing interpretation which certainly communicates the "madness" of the drama. Great listening.
Tracks 14-17 - Rossini - "Armida" Finale, Act 2:
Another stunning example of Rossini's writing for voice. Composed for the soprano who would later become his wife this is a pure appeal for love from the heroine, sorceress Armida to her ...
Advantages: Beautiful and original arrangements Disadvantages: Can seem pretentious
1967 was a first for many things... concept albums, lyrics on the sleeve, new and exciting production techniques, and of course, the first symphonic rock album. After a line-up change from their original RnB band, The Moody Blues were commissioned to record a rock version of Dvorak's New World Symphony. Quite understandably, they scrapped the idea and commenced with one on a scale just as grand: Days Of Future Passed. A concept album about a day, from dawn through to dusk, Days Of Future Passed's most noteable feature is the presence of the London Festival Orchestra, which wasn't scrapped with the Dvorak idea. The eight songs on the album are joined together by orchestral sections, arranged and conducted by Peter Knight. Some of the sections are entirely new, but many of them reprise melodies from the band's songs on the album, giving ...
George Fortune (Bass), Jan Markvart (Tenor), Joanna Borowska (Soprano), Milan Bürger (Bass), Miroslav Podskalsky (Bass), Monika Brychtová (Soprano), Pavel Daniluk (Bass), Richard Sporka (Tenor), Roman Janál (Baritone), Vladimír Nacházel (Baritone), Vratislav Kríz (Baritone), Wieslaw Ochman (Tenor), Zdenek Harvánek (Bass)
Opera Part(s)
George Fortune (Ismen), Jan Markvart (Sven), Joanna Borowska (Armida), Milan Bürger (Gernand), Miroslav Podskalsky (Petr), Monika Brychtová (Siréna), Pavel Daniluk (Hydroat), Richard Sporka (Dudo), Roman Janál (Muezzin), Vladimír Nacházel (Roger), Vratislav Kríz (Bohumír), Wieslaw Ochman (Rinald), Zdenek Harvánek (Ubald)
