Audio CD review:
Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giuseppe Verdi, Paul McCartney, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marie-Joseph Canteloube, Gustave Charpentier - Kiri

Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giuseppe Verdi, Paul McCartney, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marie-Joseph Canteloube, Gustave Charpentier - Kiri

Band: Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giuseppe Verdi, Paul McCartney, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marie-Joseph Canteloube, Gustave Charpentier Title: Kiri Rating: Release Date: 20 November, 2001 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Samson: Let The Bright Seraphim - Kiri Te Kanawa/Crispian Steele-Perkins 2: Le Nozze Di Figaro: Dove Sono 3: Vesperae Solennes De Confessore, K.339: Laudate Dominum - Kiri Te Kanawa/Chor Of St Paul's Cathedral 4: Ave Maria 5: La Traviata: Attendo, Attendo... Addio Del Passato 6: Tosca: Vissi D'arte 7: Gianni Schicchi: O Mio Babbino Caro 8: Adriana Lecouvreur: Ecco: Respiro Appena. Lo Son L'umile Ancella 9: La Rondine: Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta 10: Louise: Depuis Le Jour 11: Requiem: Pie Jesu 12: Chants D'Auvergne: Bailero 13: West Side Story: Tonight - Kiri Te Kanawa/Jose Carreras 14: Porgy And Bess: Summertime - Kiri Te Kanawa/New York Choral Artists 15: Oh, Kay!: Someone To Watch Over Me 16: Roberta: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 17: Follow The Fleet: Let's Face The Music And Dance 18: High Society: True Love - Kiri Te Kanawa/Jim Hughes 19: Liverpool Oratorio: The World You're Coming Into 20: World In Union

Customer Reviews Great representation of music from a great singer This album represents the considerable territory that Kiri Te Kanawa covers in here repertoire. A terrific album by a great singer. She moves easily from Handel to Puccini to Jerome Kern. The insertion of classic show tunes as a part of this CD is a nice little plus. Some opera stars absolutely kill popular music by overwhelming it with operatic technique (listen to Richard Tucker singing "What now my love"; this is a pleasant little tune, but it can't stand up to Tucker's voice of steel, using all the power at his command). Te Kanawa sings these songs, for the most part, nicely and does not overpower them with operatic conventions. She does a wonderful job on Handel's "Let the bright seraphim," displaying good coloratura technique, as a matter of fact. This cut nicely illustrates the clean sound of her voice. Her version of "Dove sono" (from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro) is a reflective rendering of this aria. The smoothness of her vocal line is wonderful to hear. Her version of "Vissi d'arte" (from Puccini's Tosca) also illustrates the art of Dame Kiri. The popular tunes that follow are very interesting. She and Jose Carreras, at the outset, begin to overwhelm "Tonight" (from "West Side Story," with--by the way--Leonard Bernstein himself conducting this cut), making it appear that this might be one of those dismal pieces where opera singers wreck songs. However, shortly thereafter, the song becomes more Broadway than Metropolitan Opera, and that is to the good. Better still are Te Kanawa's versions of classic songs such as "Summertime" (from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess), where singing in a higher register works nicely and where she treats the song on its own terms; just so, Jerome Kern's "Smoke gets in your eyes" is sung so well. It is a poignant version of this song. All in all, for those who are curious about Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, this is one interesting entrée. Well worth acquiring and listening to. . Magnificent Knowledge, however, is not required to enjoy this cd, only the ability to listen and feel. I admit straightout to know nothing of opera - the cd is my first of its kind. Hearing her voice used as an instrument so beautifully I cannot but fall a little in love with her whenever listening to it. The selection of tracks is varied; I probably prefer the classical tracks, but all are well performed in my opinion. . Kiri Te Kanawa Is Peerless The first time I ever heard the inimitable voice of Kiri Te Kanawa was on a recording of Salaambo's aria from CITIZEN KANE for the RCA film classics series on vinyl. She looks and sounds so beautiful. It was one of the most haunting and beautiful pieces of music ever composed by Bernard Herrmann. It was Kiri Te Kanawa performance of this piece that was so incredible. I had seen the film several times, but to hear a high fidelity recording of Kiri Te Kanawa on this particular piece really demonstrated not only the raw talent but also a depth of intuitive emotion that she brought to Herrmann's composition. Anyone that could interpret the inner struggle behind Herrmann's music so precisely demonstrated an uncommon ability to become one with the music. Her performance of "Ave Maria" on this CD is referent and exquisite. I love Leonard Bernstein's piece from WEST SIDE STORY that Kiri performs so vibrantly with Jose Carreras. I still can't pronounce her entire name correctly but Kiri Te Kanawa is the epitome of a well-honed talent. The selections on this CD are appreciably diverse demonstrating her phenomenal range and abilities. Kiri Te Kanawa has been and still is a gift to us all. This CD is wonderful. . You can see a complete list of all Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giuseppe Verdi, Paul McCartney, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marie-Joseph Canteloube, Gustave Charpentier discography, or go back to the Kiri Te Kanawa, Giacomo Puccini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, George Frideric Handel, George Gershwin, Giuseppe Verdi, Paul McCartney, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Marie-Joseph Canteloube, Gustave Charpentier tabs