The madwoman is a staple of opera, but not so much of art song. The program here is tricky from the start because the intimate nature of the song genre forecloses many of the typical operatic depictions. The medium-sized, but extremely agile voice of soprano Carolyn Sampson succeeds ideally here, but that's not the end of the delights. This is one of those releases where you might take issue with one interpretation or another (from the perspective of this writer, Wolf is not an ideal match for Sampson's voice), yet you have ...
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The madwoman is a staple of opera, but not so much of art song. The program here is tricky from the start because the intimate nature of the song genre forecloses many of the typical operatic depictions. The medium-sized, but extremely agile voice of soprano Carolyn Sampson succeeds ideally here, but that's not the end of the delights. This is one of those releases where you might take issue with one interpretation or another (from the perspective of this writer, Wolf is not an ideal match for Sampson's voice), yet you have to applaud the sheer boldness of the entire project. For one thing, Sampson, who is not German or French, is still one of the few singers equally adept in the art song styles of those two nationalities. For another, the program is impressive in its ambition. The title comes from an epigram of Nietzsche: "There is always some madness in love, but there is also always some reason in madness." The concept allows Sampson to cast her net widely. The prime attraction is Ophelia, famous...
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