LES Sopranos

The term 'soprano' encompasses a wide variety of voices. First come the coloratura sopranos, outstanding for their high notes. Patricia Petibon is a great example; her voice is both agile and pure in Henry Purcell s "Bid The Virtues", in which she and an oboe share a subtle musical conversation. Voices like Julia Lezhneva's, which negotiate wide leaps between the low and high registers, are known as coloratura mezzos. Lezhneva performs two excerpts from Italian opera here: the first, from Vivaldi's 'Orlando Furioso', and the second from Rossini's 'La Donna Del Lago'. The term "light" soprano refers to a bright voice that is at home in the baroque and classical repertoires. Sandrine Piau, an exceptional Mozart performer, gives a dazzling rendition of "Ach, Ich Fühl's" from 'The Magic Flute'. Barbara Schlick, who stands out for her interpretations of Bach's music and her great respect for the text, sings an excerpt from his Cantata BWV180. Magnificent performances by light sopranos Rosanna Bertini, in Monteverdi's "Lamento Della Ninfa", and Gemma Bertagnolli (in "Cujus Animam" from Pergolesi s 'Stabat Mater') round out the programme. A "lyric" soprano generally indicates a voice with a solid and generous medium register. Lyric sopranos are excellently suited to Handel's music. Here Lucy Crowe offers a convincing version of his "The Soft Complaining Flute" from the 'Ode For St. Cecilia's Day'. Veronica Cangemi's dark tone takes the well-loved "Lascia Ch'io Pianga" to new poetic heights, and Karina Gauvin demonstrates astounding control in "Piangerò" from 'Giulio Cesare'. Maria Bayo displays her abilities as a lyric soprano with an aptitude for coloratura singing in the exquisite "Exsultate Jubilate" by Mozart. The "dramatic" soprano is the most intense soprano voice, as Véronique Gens, a habitué of tragic roles, ably shows in an excerpt from Mozart's 'Don Giovanni'. These vocal categories do not define a singer for the whole of her career, however, and certain sopranos change registers with the passing years. Gäelle Arquez's rare recording of "Amerò" from Vivaldi's 'Orlando' demonstrates her talents as both a soprano and as a mezzo. Other voices simply defy classification. Such is the case of the inimitable Felicity Lott, who sings "Plaisir d'amour" with typically immaculate diction. Of course this collection is slanted towards the Naive back catalogue which excludes many of the greatest sopranos but it certainly does illustrate the different types of soprano with an interesting selection of songs. We might have preferred a greater emphasis on explicitly Christian music and, personally, could have done without the references to the popular television drama of the same name but if the gimmick encourages even one listener to give this mid-price CD a try then it will have been worthwhile. (Steven Whitehead)