Kiddies, I need to keep this one brief, because I still owe you a post on Lost Objects, and also because I may be writing about some of these for one of my paying gigs. (Venal of me, I know.) I'll post one or two more installments of favorite 2004 CDs, aiming for a total of 18 (chai).
The first installment is here.
Again, in no particular order…
Rolando Villazón: Italian Opera Arias (Virgin). I reviewed this for TONY, and I've returned to it again and again over the months. What a Verdian this young man is: Listen to his bold, sure attack in the Lombardi aria—a wickedly difficult piece to pull off, since it demands forward movement and a certain martial flair while at the same time requiring a supple, airy, graceful line. (You were a perfect bastard, weren't you, Papa Verdi?) And Macduff's lament from Macbeth: Villazón makes you feel the anguish of the bereaved husband and father (those tender accents for "figli" and "cari") along with the soldier's strength and fire. Villazón's dark timbre recalls Domingo's, and his style, with an ideal balance of vigor and sensitivity, brings to mind Bergonzi (the highest compliment I can pay a non-Schipa, non-Flórez tenor).
If you missed Villazón's New York début recital, you missed one of the most joyous musical events of a lifetime. (Please, Virgin, give us a CD of Spanish-language songs, and sooner rather than later.)
Lucky Angelenos, who get to hear Villazón as Roméo in a few weeks. By the way, I'm not supposed to tip my hand on this, but you really, really need to pre-order Villazón's French Arias CD. Really.
Paul Jacobs Plays Bach (JAV). At 28, Paul Jacobs (no relation to the late pianist) is a formidably accomplished musician: the chair of Juilliard's organ department and a veteran of numerous marathon concerts of the complete works for organ of Bach, Messiaen, and Franck. In thrillingly clear and vivid sound, this unedited recording offers a selection of Bach masterworks. My favorites: the Trio Sonata in C, BWV 529, whose first movement, bathed in cool, luminous colors, unfolds with stately grace; and the Passacaglia and Fugue in c, BWV 582, which begins with an air of solemnity but never forgets its roots in the proud and dashing street dance of Spain (pasacalle). Hear Jacobs' work in the g-minor fugue.
Nancy Sinatra (Sanctuary). Nancy Sinatra is a *goddess,* and if you don't agree, stay far away, 'cause I'll bitchslap you to within an inch of your sorry life, hear? (Yeah, you can take the woman out of New Jersey, but you can't take the New Jersey out of the woman.) Check out my TONY review of this smokin' CD, which includes songs and backups from Calexico, Pete Yorn, and Morrissey. My editor didn't understand why I quoted Nietzsche in the original draft, but what else comes to mind when a world-weary, dangerous gal sings about "loving the chaos" and "tasting the stinging rain" and letting a guy "kiss you where the sun don't shine"? Not for milquetoasts who fear having the abyss stare back into them.
Villazon was a spectacular Alfredo in SF this fall, with phrasing and breath control in the Martinelli class, to give him the highest possible praise. He's got it all - voice, technique, musicianship.
Posted by: Lisa Hirsch | 11 December 2004 at 06:59