Given her artistic significance, the discography that mezzo-soprano
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson left at her death in 2006 was not large, so it's heartening when new recordings of her work appear. This recital was taken from live recordings she made with the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music, the ensemble-in-residence at Emmanuel Church, Boston, between 1992 and 1999, and includes arias from two Bach cantatas and extended excerpts from Handel's musical drama Hercules. The performances rank among
Hunt Lieberson's finest on disc. She brings her characteristic penetrating insight to the role of Dejanira, Hercules' wife. Conductor Craig Smith's program notes provide the context for appreciating the character's development and illuminate the dramatic depth and subtlety of the singer's penetration of the role; she fully captures the fearsome development of Dejanira's fierce love for her husband as it turns to jealousy and then to harrowing remorse. Throughout, she sings with a fully supported and burnished tone that's always in service of the character. Jayne West, as Iole, has a light soprano that's an attractive foil to
Hunt Lieberson's gravitas.
Hunt Lieberson's intensity is no less evident in the Bach, which she sings with piercing focus. Here, the emotional climate is one of consolation and quiet confidence, and
Hunt Lieberson delivers the music with radiant serenity. Smith conducts with sensitivity and passion in the first Bach aria and the Handel excerpts, and the sound quality is quite good. John Harbison conducts the second Bach aria in a recording that is somewhat noisier. The album is dedicated to
Hunt Lieberson and Smith (who died soon after her) and is a striking tribute to their gifts.