Jessye Norman - The Unreleased Masters - Decca: 4852984 - download

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Norman possessed one of the great voices in modern times, and she matured into an artist almost at the height of that voice. When the two came together, as they do throughout these performances,... — Fanfare, Sep/Oct 2023 More…

Release Date: 24th Mar 2023
Catalogue No: 4852984
Label: Decca
Length: 2 hours 42 minutes

International Classical Music Awards

2024

Nominated - Vocal Music

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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90 / Act I

Work length30:32

$5.50

$7.50

Ian Bostridge (tenor), Jessye Norman (soprano)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur
Recorded: 1998-04-01
Recording Venue: Gewandhaus, Leipzig

Prelude to Act I

Track length10:21

$1.10

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Westwärts schweift der Blick

Track length5:42

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Frisch weht der Wind der Heimat zu

Track length4:13

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Weh, ach wehe! Dies zu dulden

Track length1:58

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Wie lachend sie mir Lieder singen

Track length8:18

$1.10

$1.50

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90 / Act II

Work length29:46

$6.60

$9.00

Hanna Schwarz (mezzo-soprano), Jessye Norman (soprano), Thomas Moser (tenor)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur
Recorded: 1998-04-01
Recording Venue: Gewandhaus, Leipzig

Isolde! Geliebte! - Tristan! Geliebter!

Track length3:58

$1.10

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Doch es rächte sich der verscheuchte Tag

Track length3:55

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O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe

Track length5:28

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Einsam wachend in der Nacht

Track length3:55

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Unsre Liebe? Tristans Liebe?

Track length4:24

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So starben wir, um ungetrennt

Track length8:06

$1.10

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Wagner: Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90 / Act III

Work length6:20

$1.10

$1.50

Jessye Norman (soprano)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Kurt Masur
Recorded: 1998-04-01
Recording Venue: Gewandhaus, Leipzig

Mild und leise wie er lächelt (Isoldes Liebestod)

Track length6:20

$1.10

$1.50

Strauss, R: Vier letzte Lieder

Work length23:13

$4.40

$6.00

Jessye Norman (soprano)
Berliner Philharmoniker
James Levine
Recorded: 1989-05-24
Recording Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin

No. 1, Frühling

Track length3:19

$1.10

$1.50

No. 2, September

Track length5:03

$1.10

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No. 3, Beim Schlafengehen

Track length5:40

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No. 4, Im Abendrot

Track length9:11

$1.10

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Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder (5)

Work length22:32

$5.50

$7.50

Jessye Norman (soprano)
Berliner Philharmoniker
James Levine
Recorded: 1992-11-07
Recording Venue: Philharmonie, Berlin

No. 1, Der Engel (Orch. Felix Mottl)

Track length3:27

$1.10

$1.50

No. 2, Stehe still (Orch. Felix Mottl)

Track length4:08

$1.10

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No. 3, Im Treibhaus (Orch. Felix Mottl)

Track length7:11

$1.10

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No. 4, Schmerzen (Orch. Felix Mottl)

Track length2:19

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No. 5, Träume (Orch. Felix Mottl)

Track length5:27

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Haydn: Berenice, che fai? (Scena di Berenice), Hob XXIVa:10

Work length12:23

$4.40

$6.00

Jessye Norman (soprano)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Recorded: 1994-02-22
Recording Venue: Symphony Hall, Boston

Recit. "Berenice, che fai?"

Track length4:24

$1.10

$1.50

Cavatina "Non partir, bell'idol mio"

Track length2:33

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Recit. "Me infelice!"

Track length0:31

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Aria "Perché, se tanti siete"

Track length4:55

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Berlioz: Cléopâtre - Scène lyrique, H36

Work length22:11

$5.50

$7.50

Jessye Norman (soprano)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Recorded: 1994-02-22
Recording Venue: Symphony Hall, Boston

Recit. "C'en est donc fait!"

Track length3:02

$1.10

$1.50

Ah! qu'ils sont loin ces jours, tourment de ma mémoire

Track length6:50

$1.10

$1.50

Méditation "Grands Pharaons, nobles Lagides"

Track length4:47

$1.10

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Non!... non, de vos demeures funèbres

Track length2:42

$1.10

$1.50

Dieux du Nil

Track length4:50

$1.10

$1.50

Britten: Phaedra, Op. 93

Work length16:22

$5.50

$7.50

Jessye Norman (soprano)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa
Recorded: 1994-02-22
Recording Venue: Symphony Hall, Boston

In May, in Brilliant Athens

Track length1:26

$1.10

$1.50

My Lost and Dazzled Eyes Saw Only Night

Track length1:15

$1.10

$1.50

You Monster! You Understood Me Too Well

Track length4:03

$1.10

$1.50

Oh Gods of Wrath

Track length3:15

$1.10

$1.50

My Time's Too Short, Your Highness

Track length6:23

$1.10

$1.50

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Decca Classics is proud to announce Jessye Norman – The Unreleased Masters, showcasing never-before-heard recordings of one of the greatest classical singers of all time. The set includes excerpts from Tristan und Isolde, Wagner and Strauss song cycles, and a live recording of an eclectic programme of cantatas by Haydn, Berlioz and Britten.

Released with the support of Ms. Norman’s family and estate, the box set pays tribute to one of the exceptional vocal performers of recent times, one of the most wide-ranging and committed artists, and certainly one of classical music’s great personalities. Born in segregated Georgia in 1945, Jessye Norman became one of the most celebrated opera singers and recitalists in the world, with her four-decade discography amassing five Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Ms. Norman’s continuous pursuit of excellence, combined with a relentless work ethic and schedule, meant many recording projects of extremely high standards were never finalized in her lifetime. As the long-standing Head of Philips and Decca Classics Costa Pilavachi writes in the booklet note:

“A perfectionist, Jessye was hardest on herself and she struggled to get everyone to help her achieve the highest possible standards. Some recordings took years to reach the public and some were never released, although this set rectifies some of these omissions.”

The immense emotional range of Jessye Norman’s voice is demonstrated by a remarkable recording of highlights from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. Recorded with Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1998, the recording features Thomas Moser as Tristan and a young Ian Bostridge as the Seemann.

Jessye Norman’s 1982 recording of Strauss’s Four Last Songs is frequently regarded as one of classical music’s greatest all-time recordings. On this new release, listeners will hear a fascinating alternative 1989 recording of Norman performing the work, this time with James Levine and the Berliner Philharmoniker, paired with a 1992 recording of Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder.

The final disc of the three-CD set contains a 1994 live recording of Ms. Norman with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Spanning repertoire from the Classical and Romantic eras and the twentieth century, the programme of cantatas is bound together by the theme of ancient queens, containing Haydn’s Scena di Berenice, Berlioz’s Cléopâtre and Britten’s Phaedra.

Jessye Norman won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 1968 and made her operatic debut the following year at the Deutsche Oper, Berlin. As well as becoming one of the most in-demand opera and concert singers in the world, Norman’s artistry reached audiences outside the classical world, performing at the inaugurations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, for Queen Elizabeth II for her 60th birthday celebrations at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and La Marseillaise for world leaders on the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. Among other charity and outreach projects, (and The Rachel Longstreet Foundation) established the Jessye Norman School of the Arts in Augusta, Georgia in 2003 to provide tuition-free arts education for economically challenged youth.

The integrity and depth of Norman’s performances were best characterized by the New York Times:

“This is an amazing voice, a catalog of all that is virtuous in singing.”

Reviews

Sep/Oct 2023

Norman possessed one of the great voices in modern times, and she matured into an artist almost at the height of that voice. When the two came together, as they do throughout these performances, the effect was breathtaking.

July 2023

in Britten’s Phaedra she is a revelation, quite different to Baker (for whom it was written), her singing more sumptuous and trenchantly articulated...The set is worth acquiring for this item alone, memorably accompanied by Ozawa’s Bostonians.

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Jessye Norman - The Unreleased Masters

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