Purists may complain, but I enjoyed these operetta selections far more in piano-accompanied arrangements than I normally do with full orchestra. The lack of “schlag” is welcome in this pared-down form, and it’s easier to latch onto the melodic invention and direct charm of these baubles without swoopy strings slipping and sliding around the voice. Add to that how “direct” a singer Barbara Bonney is–she’s never affected and does everything tastefully–and the combination seems just right.
In addition to familiar selections–Adele’s Laughing Song from Fledermaus, the Vilja Lied from Merry Widow, “Meine Lippen…,” from Giuditta–Bonney and her fine accompaniest Ronald Schneider offer a lovely, sweet aria from Millöcker’s Die Dubarry, with some nice, pianissimo singing; this is followed by a zippy tune sung by “Christel” the postal worker from Der Vogelhändler. Another aria from Der Vogelhändler a few tracks later (the selections have been sorted to play up altering moods) is dreamy and evocative. Elsewhere she can be elegantly fliratatious, sophisticated and worldly, or just plain straightforward; she delights in a waltz tune from Zeller’s Der Obersteiger.
Bonney’s voice has darkened with the years (she’s close to 50) but the sound is still pure lyric: if the decision to present these songs without orchestra was made to showcase her at her least strained, it worked. There’s occasionally a feeling that Bonney is not willing to let go; one might ask for more abandon, but it’s undeniable that she makes these tunes her own. The sound is ideal–warm and intimate. This CD is charming.
