American mezzo Lorraine Hunt Lieberson gets better and better. Her quiet intensity and beautiful, warmly colored voice demand attention, and listening to her sing an aria is always an emotional experience on one hand and a study of the beauty of singing on the other. Just try, to begin, the end of this CD: “Ombra mai fu,” (known as Handel’s “Largo”), has been heard so often, and in so many different arrangements, and sung by so many different voices, that you think you can no longer be moved or surprised by it. Think again — the even tone and intimate approach Hunt Lieberson brings to this odd song to a tree will catch you up and make you once again appreciate the long, lovely melody, presented here in long-breathed phrases. This CD is made up of, in addition to “Ombra mai fu,” another aria from Serse, which exhibits the mezzo’s ease and accuracy with coloratura, five arias from “Theodora” and the cantata “La Lucrezia.” There’s not a dull or disinterested moment to be heard anywhere. As the violated Lucrezia, Hunt Lieberson alternately rages against the man who raped her and turns her grief inward; the former is terrifying in its intensity, the latter makes us almost feel as if we’re eavesdropping. She knows just when to put pressure on her voice and when to back off; her sense of dynamics, from the softest pianissimo to a heartbreaking — but always musical — howl, is astonishing. The five arias for Irene, Theodora’s friend, confidante, and the upholder of Christian beliefs, are all magical prayers or statements of faith, and from Hunt Lieberson, they become real, with each word honestly conveyed and colored. The voice itself is unfailingly beautiful, the sincerity never in doubt. She is backed ideally by Harry Bicket and The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the string soloists in the ensemble — the viola da gamba player (Margriet Tindemans), lutenist (Stephen Stubbs), etc — are as gifted as she is. If you need proof that Handel was a great dramatist with a special gift for communicating emotion, all while listening to sublime sounds, this CD is a must.
