Jennie Tourel - Live at Alice Tully Hall

Jennie Tourel - James Levine

Released on 01/04/2007 by Phoenix USA
Main artists: Jennie Tourel
Genre: Classical

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Jennie Tourel was a coloratura mezzo-soprano, whose voice was brilliant and agile in the upper register, deeply expressive in the middle range, and with a darkly somber sheen in the lower. Those of us who heard Jennie Tourel's recital at Alice Tully Hall on the night of April 19, 1970, had the privilege of listening to a great artist function at the peak of her powers. Here was an artistry that blended the ripeness of maturity with complete projection of the singer's vision and perfect control of the singer's technique. [...] To those who did not hear the concert this album brings all the excitement of that memorable event, presenting a program that runs the gamut of Tourel's art and exhibits the various facets of her musical personality. The first four numbers, by Stradella, Monsigny and Beethoven, illustrate an approach to the classical repertory marked by a noble simplicity. In these songs Tourel uses the voice as if she were playing an instrument. The phrases are molded with an almost sculptural clarity ; the musical line is sustained with a breadth that reveals both inner structure and meaning. With Debussy's Trois Chansons de Bilitis we are reminded anew that the French literature has always been a Tourel speciality. In these enchanting pieces she captures all the subtle allure of "this great painter of dreams", as Romain Rolland called him.
Liszt has been unjustly neglected by singers. The inclusion on this program of four of his finest songs is a welcome step toward a rivival of interest in his vocal works. Tourel sings them with an elegance — and understatement — that does full justice to their romantic quality. The Russian repertory occupies a central place in her art. The songs of Glinka, Tchaikovsky and Dargomijsky show her in a domain in which she has no peer. The final number on the program, Massenet's popular Elegy, is followed by five favorite encores that will be familiar to all who have attended Tourel's concerts. [...] — Joseph Machlis (1973)

Note from the Producer
This recital was recorded during performance, and, by the almost complete absence of audience or hall noises, is another tribute to Jennie Tourel's artistry. The audience was spellbound. The applause is as it occured. Everything has been maintained so as to keep the illusion, for the listener, of being present at this most memorable recital.

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Jennie Tourel - Live at Alice Tully Hall

Jennie Tourel

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Per Pietà (from "Il Floridoro") (Alessandro Stradella)

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