Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson: A Tribute
Lorraine Hunt – who became Lorraine Hunt Lieberson after her marriage to the American composer Peter Lieberson in 1999 – was born on March 1st 1954, in San Francisco. Her father was a music teacher and a conductor, and her mother was a contralto and a voice teacher. She played viola professionally until she was 26, when she found that her voice could be a better and richer way to express her musicality. Lorraine Hunt had a professional singing career of only 2 decades (1984-2006), interrupted twice by illness. She died from cancer on July 3, 2006, aged 52.
As a tribute to the artistry of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, this recording gathers together many of the finest recordings of arias and duets made during her acclaimed association with harmonia mundi.
George Friedrich Handel is represented by arias from his operas ‘Theodora’, ‘Ariodante’, ‘Clori, Tirsi e Fileno’, ‘Susanna’, ‘Radamisto’, ‘Ottone’, ‘Arianna’, ‘Giulio Cesare’ and from the oratorio The Messiah. There are also excerpts from Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ and from Bach’s ‘Anna Magdalena Notebook’.
Tracks on this two-CD set are:
Bach, J S:
- Bist du bei mir, BWV508
Handel:
- Qui d’amor (from Ariodante)
- Scherza, infida (from Ariodante)
- Dopo notte (from Ariodante)
- Theodora: Angels, ever bright and fair
- Theodora, HWV 68: With Darkness deep
- Theodora, HWV 68: Oh! that I on wings could rise
- To thee, thou glorious son of worth (from Theodora)
with Drew Minter (counter-tenor)
- Messiah: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion
- Messiah: But who may abide
- Messiah: He was despised
- Messiah: I know that my Redeemer liveth
- Clori, degli occhi miei, HWV 91a
- Susanna, HWV 66: Bending to the throne of glory
- Crystal streams in murmurs flowing: Susanna
- Susanna, HWV 66: Guilt trembling spoke my doom
- Susanna: If guiltless blood be your intent
- Qual nave smarrita (from Radamisto)
- Come to me, soothing sleep (from Ottone)
- Svegliatevi nel core (from Giulio Cesare)
- Qual Leon (from Arianna)
Purcell:
- Thy hand, Belinda … When I am laid in earth (from Dido & Aeneas)
- When I am laid in earth (from Dido and Aeneas)
Performed by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (soprano, mezzo-soprano) and Nicholas McGegan (director & harpsichord), with the Freiburger Barockorchester, and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
This excellent collection of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s performances is indeed what the title suggests – A Tribute. While all of these works have been released before and are scattered through various individual CDs, this two – CD set seems to have gathered some of the very finest performances.
Here is Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, singing Handel:
And now the aria “Oh! that I on wings could rise” from Handel’s Theodora, as performed by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Tags: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, soprano, A tribute