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Angela Gheorghiu - Mysterium ~ Sacred Arias
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About Angela Gheorghiu - Mysterium ~ Sacred Arias
Product description DEC 466102 2; DECCA - Inghilterra; Amazon.com At first glance, this looks like another of those star turns in which a highly publicized singer tackles material calculated to broaden her appeal. But it's much more than that, for , in addition to possessing one of the great voices of our day, exhibits an affinity for most of the 15 selections on this highly attractive disc. She opens with Romanian Orthodox works that are compelling in their heartfelt simplicity. The rest of the program includes standards, like the Schubert Ave Maria, and traditional Christmas songs, such as "O Holy Night" and "Adeste fideles" (both gorgeously sung with a restraint that averts sentimentality), along with others ranging from the familiar to the seldom heard. One of these rarities is the high point of the disc: Niedermeyer's "Pieta, Signor," sung with spectacular intensity and boasting some thrilling trills. Gheorghiu's so good that this Christmas stocking stuffer becomes a disc for all seasons. --Dan Davis Review One can argue with 'sacred', and 'arias' is a misnomer. This is a strange mixture of items from Bach to twentieth-century Romanian, but ignore the generic titling and sit back to share with Angela Gheorghiu songs which are 'for her a musical affirmation of faith'. Some of the items, such as Wiegenlied and Auf Flugeln des Gesanges should be accompanied by the piano and do not benefit from the orchestral arrangements, that to the Brahms song being mushy and nebulous. The Mendelssohn strikes me as being fast at 2'49". On a new Hyperion disc (which will be reviewed next month), Sophie Daneman takes 3'02", whereas Janet Baker has a more leisurely 3'18". Gheorghiu refines her tone for Faure's 'Pie Jesu', exquisitely done, then provides a fuller, richer sound as she pleads with God in Pieta, Signore. Indeed, this seems more a question of demanding mercy than humbly requesting it. Adeste, fideles starts at a quick pace that I never sang in my days in an Anglican church choir. Gheorghiu's version really is 'joyful and triumphant', far more invigorating than Puccini's dull Salve regina.The Romanian songs are among the most enjoyable pieces on the disc. The listener is summoned not by bells but by the toaca, a wooden device, and is rewarded with a beautiful, haunting song by Anton Pann (1794-1854), sincerely sung. It demands frequent replaying. More outgoing is the Cucu item, with Gheorghiu giving full rein to glorious tone, the voice soaring exultantly above the choir. This is not a field in which we usually hear Angela Gheorghiu. Think of it as an adjunct to her operatic fare. It is the last of her Decca recordings and is dedicated to the memory of her sister Elena, who was Giannetta in Decca's L'elisir d'amore. John T. Hughes --
