Benita Valente ignites Haydn’s vocal fireworks

THE SONGBIRD: California-born soprano Benita Valente had a long and varied career, partly because her voice retained its core strength and luminous vibrancy. She was born in 1934 and had a career breakthrough in 1960 singing lieder at the Marlboro Festival, and winning the Met National Auditions. Valente specialized in recital and concert works, with some select opera. She made her Met debut as Pamina in 1973 and also sang Gilda, Nanetta, Ilia, and Susanna at the house. I heard her live in recital in New York City in 1993 and she sounded amazing at 59 years old -- although her stage deportment was quite withering and cold when someone applauded in the middle of a song set (I will never forget that diva glare).

THE MUSIC: Of Haydn's masses, the "Nelson Mass," written in 1798, is regarded as one of his greatest. It was titled by Haydn "Missa in angustiis," which translates to "Mass for troubled times." Napolean had won four major battles in Austria and things were looking bleak, but on or about the very evening of the mass's premiere, word arrived that British Admiral Horatio Nelson had defeated Napolean at the Battle of the Nile. Due to the timing, the mass was referred to as the Lord Nelson Mass and the name has stuck. It's a powerful "fasten-your-seat-belts" work with vibrant choral writing, robust orchestration, and four soloists, led by the very demanding dramatic florid writing for the soprano. Occasionally if one digs around in the masses of this period by Mozart and Haydn and the like, one can find hidden coloratura soprano solo gems like this.

Видео Benita Valente ignites Haydn’s vocal fireworks канала songbirdwatcher