Elisabeth Söderström Singing Sibelius Made Available For Third Time

The latest release of a famous recording. Pre-order here.

Recorded at Kingsway Hall in London between December 1978 and November 1981, this set of complete songs from Jean Sibelius features baritone Tom Krause and soprano Elisabeth Söderström accompanied by pianists Irwin Gage and Vladimir Ashkenazy as well as guitarist Carlos Bonell. It won the Gramophone Award for "Solo Vocal Award" in 1985. Originally released on LP, this 4-CD set was available previously only by Universal Japan and then as part of a special limited-edition Gramophone Awards Collection series on Decca. For connoisseurs, this edition sets the standard quite high in the artistry department. Born in the Swedish-speaking region of Finland, Sibelius didn't begin to learn Finnish until age 11. His songs were made popular worldwide by opera singers Birgit Nilsson and Jussi Björling through their recitals, concerts, and recordings. Scandinavian music in general continued to be under-represented on disc until Elisabeth Söderström recorded a 1957 program of works that ranged from Erik Gustav Geijer to Ture Rangström. Since the initial release of Decca's Sibelius songs, the industry has produced a plethora of recordings featuring the composer's vocal gems interpreted by artists such as Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, Monica Groop, Katarina Karnéus, Soile Isokoski, and Barbara Bonney.  Listen to excerpts from Sibelius: The Complete Songs by clicking here. Read a 2004 review of the Gramophone re-issue, and see the complete list of songs, after the jump. [Source, Source]

When Sopranos Inspire Young Singers Like Catriona Murray

Brunette Ambition: Catriona Murray is on the rise
(Photo: Snooty Fox Images)

In a new interview, young soprano Catriona Murray talks about those she looks up to:

Who, in the contemporary market, do you look to for inspiration?
I think that Angela Gheorghui is gorgeous and amazing. Barbara Bonney, Felicity Lott, Yvonne Kenny, Lesley Garrett - too many, I think each has inspired me in some way at some stage having listened to their recordings and interpretations of the songs I've been trying to sing myself! Katherine Jenkins is stunning - love her style but she's totally opposite to me... I'm a brunette! Ha!

She also discusses her decision not to take the reality singing competition route; why she loves her gay friends; what her ideal recording would be comprised; thoughts on what would make opera appeal to the mainstream; and what inspired her to pursue opera. [Source] Hear Catriona Murray sing "Vissi, d'arte" after the jump.

A Soubrette Dilemma: Where Have All The Pretty Voices Gone?

Kathleen Battle sang the soubrette role of
Despina in Mozart's Così fan tutte during
January 1982 at the MET.
(Photo: Winnie Klotz/Metropolitan Opera)

When people talk about opera sopranos, many immediately conjure up the caricature of a Rubensian figure wearing viking horns with the vocal amplitude of an diaphone foghorn. Fortunately for audiences these high voices come in all shapes and sizes. On the more petite end of the spectrum is a specialized fach known as the soubrette. Often categorized as light and lyric, this voice type is more likely to caress the listener's ear drum rather than penetrate it. The last century has seen a radical shift in the characteristics of this genre. Marcella Sembrich was a late 19th-century Polish soprano who often made appearances onstage as Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), and Rosina (Il Barbiere di Siviglia). These roles were a sharp contrast to her typical fare of dramatic coloratura roles of Lucia (Lucia di Lammermoor) and Elvira (I Puritani). This fascinating cross-pollination of repertoire certainly brought a radiant sound and identity to her characterizations in the opera house. At the end of her career, the soprano taught at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia where one of her students, Eufemia Gregory, would go on to teach another famous soubrette of the 1970s & 1980s: Judith Blegen. It was in the latter half of the 20th-century that sopranos really began to give the vulnerable and sweet women in the soubrette repertoire their own distinct sound that didn't always carry over to other vocal categories. They were interpreters from around the globe like Rita Streich, Mattiwilda Dobbs, Norma Burrowes, Reri Grist, and Patrice Munsel, starting to emerge as leaders in this repertoire. But the silky floating tones of a coquette didn't mean she could not be strong in her own right. These roles became more crafted and unique under the domination of singers like Edith Mathis, Helen Donath, Elly Ameling, Judith Blegen, and Kathleen Battle. This group was heavily influenced with the stereo advancements in the recording industry which begged for a delicate immediacy from a voice in front of a microphone

Vocal Spectrum: Anna Netrebko as Adina* [top]
and Lady Macbeth** [bottom]. (Photos: Ken
Howard* & Marty Sohl**/Metropolitan Opera)

that didn't need to carry over a wave of 4,000 audience members in the opera house. Did all this saccharine give way to a more vanilla tone in the 1990s when voices seemed to be more precise and pointed than brilliantly sensuous in the likes of Sylvia McNair, Dawn Upshaw, Barbara Bonney, and Heidi Grant Murphy? This latter group of ladies was distinctly musical, possessed superb instruments, and sang musically. But something was lacking in the timbre of the sound that seemed to bloom in the previous generation. As opera crosses into its fourth century in existence, have interpreters of the soubrette roles become even more watered-down with a non-distinct sound lacking lushness and identity leaning more toward an early music style by sopranos like Danielle de Niese and Mojca Erdmann? Society today favors an individual who can "do it all" and this may lead to the demise of the specialized singing in soubrette repertoire. Take for instance superstar soprano Anna Netrebko who sang the role of Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'Amore at the Metropolitan Opera in January 2014 and then took on one of the heaviest soprano roles in opera,  Lady Macbeth in Verdi's Macbeth at the Bayerische Staatsoper in June 2014. This blurring of lines can produce dramatic reinterpretations of roles by bringing new colors, not to mention volume, to a character in opera and certainly harkens back to the old-school voices that could tackle multiple ranges of repertoire. Read more about soubrettes and listen to audio samples of 20 sopranos in soubrette repertoire after the jump.

Barbara Bonney Has Second Career at LUNA DressDesign

Courtier Barbara Bonney

Last April 14, on her 55th birthday, soprano Barbara Bonney opened LUNA DressDesign at Schwarzstraße 21 in Salzburg, Austria. After 30 years of singing in opera and concerts, the New Jersey-native fulfilled a lifelong dream of owning her own boutique. The concept arose from the singer not being to find the right dress for a concert performance. The dresses are designed primarily by Bonney herself, but she has managed to bring the young designer Petra Storrs on board by selling her creations exclusively made for Austria in the boutique. Storrs was named by London's Independent newspaper as one of the top 15 designers that will shape the art scene and she has designed for Lady Gaga as well as Florence and the Machine. The fashion at LUNA DressDesign focuses on the uniqueness of each couture piece for the individual clients. Obviously due to the nature of Ms. Bonney's life

Soprano Maria Bengtsson
wears a LUNA creation.

experience, there is a strong focus on couture gowns for opera singers and concertgoers. Dresses are designed using exquisite fabrics that are of the highest quality and resilience. The motto of the boutique is: "Everyone is Different." The designers strive to have expressive evening wear that is not only one-of-a-kind, but also specially individual for the client. The concept for many of the dresses, ranging from evening wear to summer dresses, is in the style of 1950s & 1960s. For locals, there is a plethora of Landhausmode which updates the famous dirndl design worn by Bavarians and Austrians. Recently the boutique has expanded into creating nightgowns and ready-to-wear dresses. The boutique also sells vintage dresses by Escada, Armani and Valentino. Often donated by famous opera singers, profits from the sale of these designer gowns benefits the Barbara Bonney Foundation where the singer is a mentor, coach and consultant for the new generation of singers. Visit the LUNA DressDesign boutique online here. Barbara Bonney is concurrently Professor at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and Guest Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England. [Source, Source, Source, Source] A full biography of Barbara Bonney and more photos of LUNA creations are after the jump.

Is a High Note Like a Hole in One?

Bryn Terfel tees off at an exhibition match for the Ryder Cup in Wales.

Golf seems to be the chosen sport these days of many type-A opera singers. What is it that attracts these stage animals out into the subdued wilderness of the country club scene? I would guess the discipline that they so aptly apply to their craft is quite easily transferable to the links: skill,  precision and accuracy.