There’s always the fear of oversentimentalizing an artist who gave a great deal of pleasure and died young: just take a look at how the English have beatified the plum-voiced Kathleen Ferrier. But in the case of the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, each newly discovered recording simply stabilizes her place in the pantheon of great singers. This 1998 recital from London’s Wigmore Hall couldn’t be more lovely, moving, or simply put across. For a great lieder singer, Lieberson never overstates her case, never abuses a tone, never grabs an opportunity to over-emote or over-articulate. She is truly at the service of the music she sings, and she always sounds beautiful.
Here she sings five of Mahler’s Rückert Lieder with softness, acceptance, and, in “Um Mitternacht”, with a searingly intense climax. Of course, hindsight adds extra poignancy, but even free of the circumstances, these are readings for the ages. Two arias by Handel–“Scherza infida” from Ariodante and “As with rosy steps” from Theodora–exhibit two sides of Lieberson’s art, a type of rage in the former and a dreamy legato in the latter. The pieces by her husband sit lower in her voice and are sung with great warmth and expressivity. (The accompanying notes claim they were composed in 2001; this recital took place in 1998–quite a trick!) Ravishing, too, are the spiritual “Deep River”, with Lieberson intoning cello-like sounds, and Brahms’ riveting “Unbewegte laue Luft”. Roger Vignoles’ accompaniments follow each change of mood with grace and musicality. The sound needs a bit of a volume boost but is otherwise fine. A stunning recital! [6/19/2007]
