Catalogue

Summary:

This deluxe, 21^st anniversary reissue of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s legendary Handel Arias recording is a testament to Lorraine’s unique voice and soul, preserving the mezzo-soprano’s musical persona for posterity.

This deluxe, 21^st anniversary reissue of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s legendary recording of the character Irene’s arias from George Frideric Handel’s Theodora – plus the composer’s cantata La Lucrezia and the evergreen aria “Ombra Mai Fu” from Serse – evokes vivid memories of the mezzo-soprano’s galvanizing musicianship and opens the ears of a new generation of music lovers to appreciate the timelessness of Lorraine’s poignant interpretations. Specially remastered for this CD and newly available digitally in Dolby Atmos, the longevity of these performances is a testament to Lorraine’s unique voice and soul.

Conductor and leading Baroque specialist Harry Bicket recalls the immediate musical connection he and Lorraine shared from the time they first met in 1996 during rehearsals for Theodora at Glyndebourne. When Peter Seller’s staging of the cantata was revived in 2003, it seemed obvious to go into the studio to record Lorraine’s Theodora arias.

A maverick musician and a riveting performer, Lorraine died in 2006 due to complications from cancer at the far-too-young age of 52. This recording, one of her last, preserves her consummate musical persona for posterity. The New Yorker’s classical columnist Alex Ross characterised the album as “pull-down-the-blinds, unplug-the-telephone, can’t-talk-right-now beautiful. She’s singing it again; I have to go.”

Tracklist:

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL (1685–1759)

Theodora HWV 68
Dramatic oratorio · Thomas Morell
(Irene)

Act I, Scene 4
1. recit. “Ah! Whither should we fly, or fly from whom?…
2. aria As with rosy steps the morn” Act I, Scene 3
3. recit. “O bright example of all goodness!…
4. aria Bane of virtue, nurse of passions” Act II, Scene 4
5. recit. “The clouds begin to veil the hemisphere…
6. aria Defend her, Heav’n!” Act III, Scene 1
7. aria “Lord, to Thee each night and day” Act III, Scene 3
8. recit. “She’s gone, disdaining liberty and life…
9. aria New scenes of joy”

Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment
Harry Bicket

La Lucrezia HWV 145
Solo cantata · Benedetto Pamphili

10. recit. “O Numi eterni! O stelle!…
11. aria Già superbo del mio affanno”
12. recit. “Ma voi forse nel cielo…
13. aria Il suol che preme, l’aura che spira”
14. recit. “Ah! che ancor nell’abisso…
15. aria Alla salma infedel porga la pena”
16. recit. “A voi, padre, consorte…
17. arioso Già nel seno comincia a compir”

Harry Bicket, harpsichord & chamber organ
Stephen Stubbs, 10-course lute & Baroque guitar
Phoebe Carrai, cello • Margriet Tindemans, viola da gamba

Serse HWV 40
Opera seria · anon., after Silvio Stampiglia, Nicolò Minato
(Serse)

18. aria “Se bramate d’amar, chi vi sdegna”
19. recit. “Frondi tenere e belle…
20. aria Ombra mai fu”

Orchestra of the age of Enlightenment
Harry Bicket

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano