One of the best live recordings ever
Rebecca M | Somerville, MA USA | 12/26/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I usually don't like live recordings. I don't need the audience to laugh appreciatively or burst into thunderous applause to tell me I should like the piece. But this album is different. It doesn't have that strange distant sense of watching a performance from outside the hall. In fact, just the opposite.
The warmth and character of Upshaw's performances pulls you in to the hall. Her respect for Mme. Jane Bathori makes this a true "hommage." Her French is impeccable, and it is clear she knows of what she sings. The performances of Ravel's "Histoires Naturelles" and Debussy's "Trois Chansons" are excellent, but I have to say her perfomance of Roussel's "Adieux" increased my respect for the composer immeasurably. However, of course Upshaw doesn't do it alone, being accompanied by one of the best piano accompanists I have ever heard. I recommend this album without reservation to any fan of Upshaw or 20th-century French song."
The joy of hearing, and listening to, the voice that is Dawn
ssaattbb | Pontiac, IL | 10/16/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The joy of listening to Dawn Upshaw perform is that in any venue, in recital or stage performance, in any language, one can understand every word of text, and feel every expression. And, in any recording, especially this recording, one can "see" her expression, poise, and performance without having been in the auditorium. From Mozart to Vernon Duke, from Milhaud to Goliov, she exudes the pure joy of singing, with a clarity of tone and text, that communicates to the back row of an auditorium, or through stereo speakers, the jubilance that is Dawn Upshaw."