“Love” = Simone Kermes, soprano/ La Magnifica Comunita/ Enrico Casazza – Sony Classical

by | Aug 2, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Definitely on the sweet side, Kermes’ artistry is hard to resist. 

“Love” = Simone Kermes, soprano/ La Magnifica Comunita/ Enrico Casazza – Sony Classical 88875111382, 65:23 ****:

German artist Simone Kermes has easily established herself as one of the foremost coloratura sopranos in the world today, possessing a virtuoso voice of great flexibility and range. For this program she has chosen to focus—not surprisingly or unusually—on the theme of “love”. Four different countries have been selected to present us with a wide range of characters and characterizations from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. What might give pause to purists is the fact that most, if not all, of these pieces have been newly arranged, or in some cases, “recomposed”, so that what you think you are familiar with could be slightly jarring in some instances. Several of the works are nebulous enough in terms of original scoring so that an updated version is not out of place, others sound a little sugary for my taste. But what cannot be doubted is Kermes commitment to her art and to the theme of this program, which she delivers with quite a punch. For a pleasant hour of ravishing singing sans historical concerns, this is just the ticket.

TrackList:

1. Lamento della ninfa: Amor, amor
2. Folle è ben che si crede
3. Quelles beautés, ô mortels (Récit de Mnémosyne)
4. Ay amor loco
5. Che si può fare
6. Sombres déserts
7. If Love’s a Sweet Passion
8. Grida l’alma a tutt’ ore
9. Frescos ayres del prado
10. Chi vuol ch’io m’innamori
11. Chi mi tolse alle sfere! … Lumi potete piangere
12. I Burn, I Burn
13. Disserratevi abissi
14. Restless in Thoughts
15. Now, O Now I Needs Must Part
16. Piu bella maestà … Dormi, dormi ben mio
17. Thy Hand Belinda … When I Am Laid in Earth (Dido’s Lament)

—Steven Ritter

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