Great listening. Nice selection. - Where Shall I Fly by contemporary mezzo-soprano Jennifer Larmore is a big surprise when you first listen to it, as one wonders how such big sounds come from such a petite looking lady who se face is on the cover. The title comes from the name of a Handel aria from the opera Hercules. This is one of the two English language arias on the CD, the other being from Handel s Semele . All other arias from both Handel and Mozart are in Italian, the most familiar being Voi che sapete from Mozart s Le nozze di Figaro .As an amateur listener to classical music, I suspect Ms. Larmore is not as highly ranked (Jim Furyk to Renee Fleming s Tiger Woods)as some other mezzos, but this particular collection is makes very nice listening, at least as enjoyable as Ms. Fleming s take on Mozart.
There is two type of mezzo... - Today,it s a time of mezzo.Bartoli,Otter,etc.Larmore isone of the most exellent,of course.On this Hendel arias,she plays male roles.I think it isvery suitable for her.Probably these roles were played by castratos.Castoratos need storong and radiant voice,whichLarmore has!I prefer her male roles.She will open new windowsof baroque operas.What she impresses us is not a coquetry.She belongs to another type of mezzo.
A Mezzo for the Ages - Having heard all the great mezzos of the past 40 years, many of them (Baker, Cossotto, Horne, von Stade, Valentini-Terrani) in person, I can attest that Jennifer Larmore is one of the greatest. Though her voice is not always stunningly beautiful and her technique not completely polished, there is no question that her COMBINATION of voice, technique and interpretive nuance is unsurpassed in the modern era. Agnes Baltsa may be more honeyed of voice, for instance, but she lacks the sheer excitement and joie-de-vivre that Larmore brings to her singing. In these Baroque and Classical numbers, she also displays a deft sense of style fully apropos to the music at hand. She is truly a mezzo for the ages.
Larmore can certainly fly! - This recording albeit less colorful than her more recent stuff shows the promise that she has delivered to all of us. She is truly a blessing with her mezzo-soprano and her richness is unparalleled by few that I know of.