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Joan Sutherland (soprano)
My Favourites
Richard Bonynge (conductor)
rec. 1962 -1975
Notes in English included.
ELOQUENCE 4826448 [80:47]

The idea for this CD must have been in development for quite some time as Miss Sutherland passed away in 2010, but at last in 2021 we have a new release that comprises an assortment of her personally selected favorite recordings, along with a letter in the booklet telling why she chose these excerpts. The letter is undated and comes across as if she had written it last week. The booklet also contains a series of lovely images of some of the original costume designs that were created for various roles she sang, and her own recipe for Christmas Pudding!

The tracks on the CD were recorded from 1962 to 1975. There is quite a wide assortment of bonbons that is sure to please every taste, and anyone who wants a small sampling of what Dame Joan was capable of would do well to begin with this CD.

Things get off to a good start with an elaborate aria from Graun’s Montezuma. Sutherland has plenty of resplendent filigree vocalism on display here, although the orchestration seems to have been “glamourized” with some unusually sugary-sounding harpsichord doodads that sound pretty inauthentic to my ears. From her Mozart roles she delivers a grandly satisfying account of the Queen of the Night’s First Act aria which makes one wonder why she was so terrified of singing the role. From Bellini’s quill we get to hear her earlier 1962 version of the final cabaletta from La Sonnambula in her freshest and most scintillating voice. From Norma a heady account of the Act Two duet with the young and equally fresh-sounding Marilyn Horne: the entire scene is flawless in its beauty and execution.

The excerpt from Verdi’s Atilla reminds me that I have often wished that she had made a recital album of unfamiliar Verdi aria’s such as those from Alzira, Stiffelio, Il Corsaro and I Lombardi. Certainly there can have been no sopranos who have sung Odabella on stage who were able to conclude the Prologue caballetta in Alt the way Sutherland has here. Massenet’s Esclarmonde is declared by her to be one of her two favorite roles; the other was Norma. The Act One incantation scene is both dramatic and virtuosic in execution and her plush voice blends beautifully with Hugette Tourangeau’s luscious warm tones.

From her French Opera Scenes album (the entire album was something she was quite proud of) we are given two tracks. The waltz song from Offenbach’s Robinson Crusoë which has for many years been my own favorite of all of Sutherland’s recordings and will probably never be surpassed. Also at this level is her effervescent version of Arditi’s Il Bacio from the Command Performance album. The excerpt from Leoni’s L’Oracolo is interesting in that it shows Dame Joan in a very different repertoire but the music is fairly forgettable.

Among the non-operatic repertoire that was included is a song by Reynaldo Hahn, who was an important baritone as well as composer. His songs are little gifts to singers who choose to include them in their recital programs. Dame Joan finds a very languid mood for the one chosen here, which derives from one of the few albums of hers (Songs my Mother Taught Me) that I had not encountered before. One could easily be forgiven for thinking that Reinhold Gliere composed his unusual Concerto for Coloratura and Orchestra for La Stupenda as the creamy tone with which she executes the pyrotechnics actually elevate this music from its frequently banal effect on this listener.

Lastly the excerpts from Operetta and song albums show a different side to Miss Sutherland. Her very amusing take on Noel Coward’s Countess Mitzi is sung with a delicious sense of comic timing and a very non-specific Central European accent. The waltz song by the great Fritz Kreisler is lushly sung and accompanied by an equally lush orchestration. The remaining two songs are essentially rather syrupy music and mostly forgettable to my ears but they have a sentimental attachment for Dame Joan, hence their inclusion on the CD.

Mike Parr

Previous review: Simon Thompson

Contents
Carl Heinrich GRAUN (1704-1759)
Montezuma
Non han calma le mie pene (8:01)
rec, 1966
London Philharmonic Orchestra

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Die Zauberflöte
O zittre nicht (4:47)
rec. 1963
New Symphony Orchestra of London

Vincenzo BELLINI (1801–1835)
Norma
Mira, o Norma (7:52)
rec. 1964
Marilyn Horne
London Symphony Orchestra

La Sonnambula
Ah! non giunge uman pensiero (3:52)
rec. 1962
Chorus and orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
 
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Attila
Santo di patria (5:40)
rec. 1963
London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Jules MASSENET (1842-1912)
Esclarmonde
Esprits de l'air! Esprits de l'onde! (6:33)
rec. 1975
Huguette Tourangeau
National Philharmonic Orchestra
 
Franco LEONI (1864-1949)
L'oracolo
F: Ferito … L’hanno ferito (4:11)
rec. 1975
Tito Gobbi
Clifford Grant
National Philharmonic Orchestra
 
Charles LECOCQ (1832-1918)
Le Coeur et la Main
: Un soir Perez le capitaine (3:38)

Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
Robinson Crusoë
Conduisez-moi vers celui que j’adore (4:05)
rec. 1969
L’Orchestre de la Suisse-Romande

Luigi ARDITI (1822 - 1903)
Il Bacio (3:56)
rec. 1962
London Symphony Orchestra

Reynaldo HAHN (1874-1947)
Si mes vers avaient des ailes (2:02)
rec. 1972
New Philharmonic Orchestra

Reinhold GLIERE (1875-1956)
Concerto for Coloratura Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 82:
1.Andante (6:24)
rec. 1968
London Symphony Orchestra

Charles-François GOUNOD (1818-1893)
Repentir (O Divine Redeemer) (6:05)
rec. 1965
New Philharmonic Orchestra
 
Noël COWARD (1899-1973)
Operette
Countess Mitzi (2:44)
rec. 1966
Unidentified Chorus and Orchestra
 
Fritz KREISLER (1875–1962)
Sissy (The King Steps Out)
Stars In My Eyes (3:58)

Harold FRASER-SIMON (1878-1944)
The Maid of the Mountains
Love will find a way (2:55)
rec. 1966
Ambrosian Light Opera Chorus
New Philharmonic Orchestra

Sir Julius BENEDICT (1804-1885)
The Gypsy and the Bird (2:49)
rec. 1962
Alexander Murray (Flute)
London Symphony Orchestra