Greece Hotels Travel - Handel
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List Price: $17.98
greece-hotels-travel.com Price: $17.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Decca
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0028947554721
Label: Decca
Manufacturer: Decca
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Decca
Release Date: 2004-09-14
Studio: Decca
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Editorial Reviews:
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Those who may have feared that Renée Fleming might approach Handel with a too-Romantic vocal attitude need not have; whether it's the leadership of the sympathetic, historically informed Harry Bicket, the sound of the spare but warm Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, plain good sense and musicianship, or any combination of these, here she offers sixteen arias in almost-impeccable Baroque fashion. I doubt whether sopranos of Handel's age had voices as plush as Ms Fleming's but she manages to keep her tone as light and as airy as possible in these selections, never leaning or swooping into an accompanying note in an "un-Baroque" manner, and the result is simply ravishing. The voice, of course, is almost unbelievably beautiful and agile, the technique impeccable, complete with a trill unmatchable in any soprano singing today. From the long-breathed lines of "O sleep why dost thou leave me" from Semele to the fireworks in Cleopatra's "Da tempeste…," with stops along the way at the famous "Ombra mai fu" and a complete rarity from the composer's Lotario, this CD is just breathtaking. Brava Fleming--and bravo Harry Bicket! Oh, yes--bravo Handel! --Robert Levine
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: An important voice serves Handel well
Comment: Though it's true that Fleming's Italian is not that idiomatic, I find her very comfortable and at home in this repertoire, in fact much more so than in Puccini or Verdi, and quite frankly can anyone imagine the great Handel NOT liking her voice?. Let's not forget that Handel went to Italy to look for singers, not only for opera but also for oratorio. At some point he should have had enough of the likes of prim-and-proper Emma Kirkby. Certain roles like Alcina, Cleopatra and Rodelinda demand important voices, and singers with big personalities. The great failure of Rene Jacobs general excellent Giulio Cesare is his Cleopatra. Barbara Schlick is very good in Bach and church music, but the temptress Handel wanted is nowhere to be found; being a specialist in baroque music is not always a guarantee of success. Emma Kirkby herself would be a very poor Alcina or Cleopatra.
Fleming is probably not great in every aria, but she is certainly very, very good. My only complaint is that the extremely important recitatives were omitted, bad, bad idea, otherwise a fine hour of Handel with a lovely lady.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Stellar singing, but historically inaccurate
Comment: Ms. Fleming's voice is clear and colorful - gorgeous as always. Unfortunately, she has not made good use of musicological discoveries regarding Handel's arias, particularly concerning the use of embellishment in the repeated A sections of da capo arias. This is Baroque music, and Baroque means "ostentatiously and elaborately ornamented." (Schulenberg) Given that the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment specializes in music of this era, I would have expected better.
Customer Rating:
Summary: You can't go wrong with Fleming, but this is not her voice type
Comment: Renee Fleming has a "ginormous" lyric soprano voice, and on this album, she sings Handel pieces. She must have known what she was doing, realizing that her voice is very thick and not the traditional choice for the coloratura lines required in the Handel pieces. I do not think that Ms. Fleming is ignorant, stupid, or misguided. I believe that she made the choice to record this album, completely aware that she was entering into "off limits" territory. It's like someone playing a piano concierto on a synthesizer.
So, given that assumption, I will choose to believe that Fleming went forward with the project in an attempt to challenge herself and bring her fans into a new style, as well as bringing coloratura fans into an awareness of her voice.
Having said that, I do agree that Fleming often seems to be overly obsessed with the evenness and control of her voice, at the expense of the freedom of her voice. I would encourage her to "laugh through" those lines with a lot of motion, not worrying so much about the specific notes.
However, we are listening to Renee Fleming. And it does say "Handel" on the cover. What did we expect? I give her kudos for undertaking this huge challenge and doing a pretty darn good job of it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: clear as a bell
Comment: Renee Fleming is one of the most talented female vocalists around. She has such a beautiful, crystal clear voice, and she sings every song on this album well. As a singer myself, I definitely look up to her and very much admire the tone, quality, power, and range of her voice. I would definitely reccommend this album to anyone who enjoys classical music or is looking for someone to aspire to.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Renee Fleming...somewhat out of her depth
Comment: While it's not the most thrilling Renee Fleming album in the catalogue, her interpretations of Handel pieces is quite an accomplished feat, but when compared to her earlier efforts, rings hollow with it's lack of emotion. As other reviewers have noted, Ms Fleming does not sound like she is in complete grasp of the material, and her performance lacks any real depth or dramatic weight.
Perhaps the pieces of Handel aren't completely flattering to her style, or the mood in the recording studio might not have been exactly right...a million things might have happened to dull this album's power. I have listened to this album a couple of times now, and I'll keep it in my collection, but this one is for the die-hard Renee Fleming fans.
[Decca /Universal 475 547-2]
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