Mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson made relatively few studio recordings, but particularly since her death in 2006, more and more live recordings ...
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Mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson made relatively few studio recordings, but particularly since her death in 2006, more and more live recordings of recitals have been surfacing. This album draws on two live performances with the Boston-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra led by Nicholas McGegan, one from 1991 and one from 1995. Hunt Lieberson had the kind of voice, musicianship, and presence that left critics groping for superlatives, but in his program notes for this recording, Stephen Wadsworth did a good job encapsulating her unique qualities, her "...music-making of thrilling passion yet absolute freedom... singing of shape-shifting colors and sounds which draw word and note, melody and harmony into a darkly tinged, heat-seeking truth." The inclusion of Berlioz's Les Nuits d'été makes this release particularly valuable because the 19th century was a segment of the repertoire in which Hunt Lieberson was not frequently engaged. The warmth and focus of her interpretation make it clear that she...
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