ABC Classics offers a generous celebration of Yvonne Minton’s art. Her fulsome voice, with its affecting richness and vibrancy, made her singing especially communicative. The collection opens with samplings from the mezzo’s opera and oratorio repertoire. Bach’s Laudamus te and Rossini’s Fac, ut portem Christi mortem reveal the soulful elegance with which she approached sacred music, as does the excerpt from Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius, which she renders with impassioned grace. Minton’s wide operatic repertoire ranged from Handel and Gluck all the way to Berg, Poulenc, and Janacek, though she was noted for her Mozart, represented here by her stirring Sexto (La Clemenza del Tito) and impish Cherubino (Nozze di Figaro). As Maguerite, Minton delivers an intensely concentrated yet radiantly pure performance of Berlioz’s D’amour l’ardent flamme. From Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier comes the Herr Kavalier duet (with Michael Langdon as the irrepressible Baron Ochs), and the great “diva trio” near the opera’s close. This last (taken from the Solti recording) turns out to be not much of a showcase for Minton, as Regine Crespin’s voluminous sonority dominates the proceedings.
Mahler comprises the remainder of the program. Minton regarded Georg Solti as a true “singer’s conductor”, and her Mahler recordings with him, comprising Songs of a Wayfarer, Das Lied von der Erde, and selections from Des Knaben Wunderhorn, reveal a natural and easy rapport between the two artists, giving their performances a convincing natural flow. Minton’s richly expressive yet not overly declamatory delivery draws you immediately into the melancholy atmosphere of Das Lied’s “Der Einsame im Herbst”, while her range and power underscore the despair of the song’s closing measures. These qualities are heard to even greater effect in “Der Abschied”, where Minton draws on deep reserves of emotion that she nonetheless conveys with poise and a dignified simplicity. She’s adept in Mahler’s lighter side as well, with a joyful second Wayfarer song, as well as Wunderhorn’s “Verlor’ne Muh”, where she wittily characterizes both the “he” and “she” parts.
The recordings sound clear and natural in the present transfers, giving substantial aural appeal to Minton’s artistry. In sum, this is a must for Minton fans, a timely tribute to a fine artist whose only “fault” was that she was not Christa Ludwig or Janet Baker.
