SONGS BY MAHLER, HANDEL AND PETER LIEBERSON

 

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson - mezzo-soprano

Roger Vignoles - piano

 

The world has been mourning her loss since she died last July (2006), aged just 52 years old. Mahler and Handel were her ‘signature’ composers, and she was particularly renowned for the roles of Irene (Theodora) and the title role of Ariodante, excerpts from both of which operas appear on this disc.

 

Hunt Lieberson also worked very closely with her husband Peter Lieberson, and many of his operatic creations were written specifically with her voice in mind. Frequently compared with and considered superior to Kathleen Ferrier and Janet Baker.

 

The death of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson last July (2006) extinguished the most luminous voice of our time. Like Kathleen Ferrier and Janet Baker, two singers whom she revered, she ennobled everything she touched. Everything about this remarkable woman was almost too much to bear. As with Maria Callas, whom she matched in volcanic intensity, her performances took you so deeply into what she was singing about that the experience verged on voyeurism.

 

‘The sheer spiritual power, the sheer heartfelt sincerity and warmth of feeling in her every utterance is overwhelmingly moving’

The Telegraph

 

Wigmore Hall Live WHLive0013