Alice Coote
"SONGS"
by Schumann and Mahler, cantata by Haydn. Drake, piano. No texts
or translations. EMI Classics 7243 5 85559 2 9
EMI
Classics's "Debut" series, a fine idea, has proved uneven in
execution, so it's a pleasure to welcome this rewarding disc by
Alice Coote. The gifted young English mezzo, seconded with
consistent artistry and tonal beauty by Julius Drake, justifies her
growing reputation (though comparisons to Ferrier and Baker seem
more a matter of nationality than of vocal likeness). Coote does
show a fine line in sensitive Mahler interpretation, programming
here the
Rückertlieder and four
Knaben
Wunderhorn settings. "Um Mitternacht" seems a bit of a stretch
tonally, but her German and her dramatic instincts are fine, the
plangent accents apt, especially in a memorably rapturous
"Urlicht."
Schumann's
Frauenliebe und -leben is superb, with a
tenderness and intimacy showcasing Coote's superbly focused attacks
and lovely liquid tone quality in sustained passages. Admirable
fleetness in several Schumann passages reflects the technical
security and finesse that make her such a promising Handelian.
Drake judges the postludes exquisitely; this version ranks with
that by Bernarda Fink and Roger Vignoles (Harmonia Mundi HMC
901753) as the most satisfying of recent recorded traversals.
One wonders what a Haydn cantata is doing on an album entitled
Songs, but the title of the disc was presumably EMI's
decision. Coote and (particularly) Drake present a finely judged
reading of
Arianna a Naxos. Her vowels do take on a somewhat
astringently Baker-ish coloration in the hurdles of the despairing
final aria, "Ah, che morria vorrei" (as also in the tragic accents
of Schumann's "Nun hast du mir den ersten Schmerz getan," where she
narrowly avoids dramatic overstatement). Coote excels at demi-tints
and soft-edged phrases (making "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen"
and the other restrained Mahler songs uncommonly attractive), but
the timbre at full tilt is marginally less well-managed: perhaps
it's fortuitous that her San Francisco Didon has been postponed, as
this young voice could profitably stick with the likes of Ascanio
and Béatrice a while. Met audiences will first encounter her
in the 2005-06 season, as Cherubino.
The booklet contains a pleasing short essay on the program by
Coote, but for texts and translations one must go to EMI's website
- the height of absurdity in a series meant to interest new
audiences in young artists and classical repertory, but
increasingly the norm in this bottom-line-driven age.
DAVID SHENGOLD
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