Marilyn Horne - simply incredible voice!

[Lance]

I finally got a "playable" copy of a VAI CD [1207] (Marilyn Horne in Salzburg) in a live recital [mono only] recorded in 1979 with the outstanding Martin Katz at the piano.

I was knocked off my feet with her rendering of the aria "Nel profondo cieco mondo" from Vivaldi's opera Orlando Furioso, enough to acquire her complete recording of the opera on Erato [45147, 3 CDs] issued around 1978. At this point in her life, Horne was in complete control. Rarely have I heard a mezzo voice as agile and with the range she had. Today, only Cecilia Bartoli compares favourably insofar as technique is concerned, but Horne has the more beautiful voice, IMHO. (But I am also a great fan of Ms. Bartoli, too, but I don't believe she has recorded this aria, though she should.)

By the way, Martin Katz's piano accompaniment in this piece was as nearly as incredible as Miss Horne's work in the aria. I actually prefer the piano accompaniment to the orchestra. Everything Katz provides as her assisting artist is first class.

The VAI CD offers four Schubert songs, three of Bizet, Falla's Seven Popular Spanish Songs, arias from Lucrezia Borgia and Samson et Dalila. The encore is Stephen Foster's favourite, "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair."

If one can say that a vocalist is entirely satisfying in a recital, I would nominate Marilyn Horne!

[markhedm]

Horne appeared often on American public television around that time (1979). There was one concert she gave with Joan Sutherland, which included duets, which was a real treat. Yes, she had an agile voice, quite athletic. She did have an incredible voice, full-bodied tone, with both a great top and bottom.

Mark H.

[lmpower]

In the 1950's Marilyn Horne frequently performed in the Monday Evening Concerts in Plummer Park in West Hollywood. I thought she was good, but frankly I had no premonition of her later rise to greatness.

[Auntie Lynn]

...and furthermore...when she did Handel's Orlando with SF Opera, my daughter was one of the genii children. She was wonderful to everybody - a very generous and exceptionally funny lady...

Got great pictures - if only I knew how to get 'em on here...

[Corlyss_D]

Got great pictures - if only I knew how to get 'em on here...

Auntie, here's a link to a discussion we had last month about posting personal pics here and how to do it. You will need to lodge them with a 3rd party host to do it, but as Ted's bear pics show, it's doable.