The World Of Compact Discs

Contemporary Review, Sept, 2000 by Anthony Paterson

Thus Death, who kings and tars despatches,

In vain Tom's life hath doffed;

For though his body's under hatches,

His soul is gone aloft.

Luciana Serra has a splendid soprano voice too little known outside Italy, although her career began at an early age in Budapest. WARNER FONIT's new disc, with the somewhat bland title, Portraits, should introduce her to a wider audience who should be grateful to hear such a magnificent vocal talent. This selection of sixteen arias comes mainly from early nineteenth century Italian operatic masters such as Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini, though she does venture across the Alps to give a sprightly interpretation to works by Meyerbeer and Thomas, whose rarely heard Hamlet is represented in two sparkling arias. Madame Serra is particularly fine in Bellini's Puritani, Queen Victoria's favourite opera. I have never heard anyone perform 'Vien, diletto, e in ciel la luna' with more heart-rending beauty. Indeed her voice has many similarities to Lucia Albanese's. She makes great use of pianissimi and the way she controls the legato gives her performances a subtlety not often heard. Her vocal flourishes work particul arly well in the repertoire represented here. My only lament is that the booklet, obviously intended for the Italian market, does not include any translations of the lyrics.

Some years ago there was a vogue for turning some classics into syncopated or electronic versions. Personally I never could abide such travesties as 'P.D.Q. Bach' and other works in this much-hyped genre. Superficially some might think that Mozart in der Bauernmusik is yet another example of this. However there is a crucial difference. [CAMPENELLA 130076] The travesties were attempts to adapt music from centuries past into an idiom completely alien. However in this delightful CD from Germany, two talented soloists from the Berlin Philharmonic, Margit-Anna Suss on the harp and Klaus Stoll on a double bass from 1610 perform some thirty works by Mozart, including several well known ones from three of his operas. The works are short, the longest just over four minutes. This is a rewarding and a relaxing album, that gives a fresh tone to well known and beloved works. These are the sound of the peasant music that Mozart would have heard in his youth and from which roots he has enriched our civilisation. However, a few notes on the music rather than the pseudo-philosophical bilge about 'communication' in the booklet would have been most helpful and perhaps directed listeners to the original versions.

That tradition of popular music blending into what CD shops like to call 'classical' music continued well into the twentieth century, particularly through the tuneful delights of Viennese music. A constant stream of Johann Strauss albums pour forth from CD companies. The worldwide appeal of his music is well shown in A Tribute to Johann Strauss by the Korean soprano, Sumi Jo. [ERATO 3984-25500-2]. While she is, of course, well known as a Mozartian, her rendition of such melodious Strauss works such as Wo die Zitronen Bluhn and the enchanting Draussen in Sievering is laudable. One is not slighting her in saying that she comes close to, but does not equal, the unsurpassable Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.