Joan Sutherland still reigns

Press, 12 September 1983, Page 19

Joan Sutherland still reigns

Classical records

ALLAN FRANCIS

LOVE LIVE FOREVER. Joan Sutherland sings various operetta excerpts with the Ambrosian Singers and the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge. DECCA JUBILEE 410 129-1 (2 discs). In the minds of many Australians Joan Sutherland has not only equalled the legend of Gladys Moncrieff, she has now surpassed the greatness which the latter enjoyed in the worlds of musical comedy and operetta.

Brief reference is made to Gladys Moncrieff in the cover notes but there is no doubt that this album is centred on the belief that Joan Sutherland has a far better voice anyway. The excellent support she gets from the classy Ambrosian Singers and her husband, Richard Bonynge, only serves to reinforce that contention.

Only the very loyal (or sentimental), would still hang on to their old 78s of “Our Glad” with the fixed belief that contained within the scratches of those shellac walls is the best possible operetta from Australia on record. It is an unfair contest at the outset, with one reaching her peak in that field and the other stepping down slightly from her usual role to relive memories of an era now almost disappeared. For once, Miss Sutherland sings recognisable lyrics, and this rare attribute survives throughout a multitude of songs from “Show Boat,” “Student Prince,” “The Only Girl” and the dated “Rose Marie.” After these bread and butter pieces come the more interesting selections from one of the masters of operetta, Franz Lehar, and some of the lesser lights, Oscar Strauss and George Posford — not lesser in

terms of quality, but at the time overshadowed perhaps by the greater names in that effervescent world of tinsel and gaiety.

Even Massanet was tempted to write a fine work, “Cherubin,” a far more successful excursion away from his norm than his orchestral works. As a not so Merry Widow, Miss Sutherland takes a fairly serious view of- that role; her “Vilja” is studied, perfect yet lacking in any lightness.

Everywhere, the orchestral support is superb, except in the Kern excerpts with the percussionist giving the illusion that he was dubbed in after — small point though it is in the long run.

There is little hint of the vibrato which beset the soprano after this disc was made. Her highs are perfectly formed with sweet-, ness that was not always evident. Of all the tracks I heard, possibly the Kreisler “Stars in my Eyes” from the “King Steps Out” made the most impact both emotionally and technically-

MOZART. Kiri Te Kanawa, soprano, sings Opera Arias from Zaide, La Finta Giardiniera, La Clemenza, Cosi Fan Tutte, Il re Pastore, Lucio Silla, Idomeneo, Die Zauberflote. Sir Colin Davis conducts the L.S.O. PHILLIPS 6514 319.

Comparisons between these two antipodean singers are at least interesting, if not surprising. Kiri, in 1983, has much in com-

in 1967, although this may not be such a revelation after all. Both singers could be at the peak of their careers at these times, yet no one could possibly mistake one for the other. There is none of the robust quality of Miss Sutherland in Kiri’s range, but it is in the upper register where the latter fails at times in this programme. Naturally, the digital Philips sound is far more spacious than even the fine Decca stereo 15 years old,

and Kiri is no stranger to , the expert support from Sir Colin Davis and the L.S.O. Her Strauss Songs are now legend and compare more than favourably with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. however, in this fairly sober recital of well-known and not so well-known arias, Miss Te Kanawa is very much at home and her occasional coloratura passages slip into the context of her song with ease. Her renowned mid-range tone is as creamy as ever.