Pilar Lorengar - The Art of Pilar Lorengar (2002)

Pilar Lorengar never achieved the fame and recognition of some of her Spanish peers, such as Victoria de los Angeles and Teresa Berganza; because of this, her singing is relatively unknown to contemporary listeners. Fortunately, anyone with interest can get to know this terrific soprano through The Art of Pilar Lorengar, Decca's two-disc retrospective featuring operatic excerpts and songs of Spanish composers. It is well worth the time; Lorengar had a gorgeous voice, and at its best her singing competes with anything on record. This is especially true of the purely lyrical excerpts on the album, such as "Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante" from Carmen and "Glück, das mir verbleib" from Korngold's Die tode Stadt, both of which would be tough to beat for sheer beauty of singing. "Dich, teure Halle" from Wagner's Tannhäuser, is an unexpected highlight; it really raises the roof. Some misfires include "Ach, ich fühls" from Mozart's The Magic Flute, which is rigid and unfeeling in its movement, and several of the Puccini arias, including "Si, mi chiamano Mimi" from La bohème, which suffers from the same lack of dramatic impulse. The second disc, featuring songs and arias by Granados, Falla, and Turina, is rewarding; though she sometimes seems a step removed from the texts and dramatic contexts of the songs, her vocalism and native fluidity with the language help keep things interesting. Most of the selections are accompanied – magnificently and with great character – by Alicia de Larrocha at the piano. Fans of de Larrocha's who haven't heard her play these songs might want this recording for her alone.

Track List:

CD 1:
Giacomo Puccini:
1. La Rondine (The Swallow): Chi il bel sogno di Doretta
2. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly): Un bel di
3. Madama Butterfly (Madame Butterfly): Tu, tu, piccolo Iddio!
4. Turandot: Tu che di gel sei cinta
5. Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro
6. Suor Angelica: Senza mamma, o bimbo, tu sei morto
7. Tosca: Vissi d'arte
W. A. Mozart:
8. Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro): E Susanna non vien!…Dove sono i bei momenti
9. Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute): Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden
10. Così fan tutte: Temerari!…Come scoglio
11. Gustave Charpentier - Louise: Depuis le jour12.
12. Georges Bizet - Carmen: C'est des contrebandiers…Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante
13. Richard Strauss - Arabella: Er ist der Richtige nicht für mich…Aber der Richtig, wenn's einen gibt für mich
14. Richard Wagner - Tannhäuser: Dich, teure Halle
15. Erich Wolfgang Korngold - Die tote Stadt (The Dead City): Glück, das mir verblieb
16. Antonin Dvorák - Rusalka: Mesícku na nebi hlubokém (O silver moon)

CD 2:
Enriqué Granados:
1. Goyescas: La maja y el ruiseñor
Tonadillas al estilo antiguo, songs (10) for voice & piano, H. 136:
2. La maja de Goya
3. Amor y odio
4. El tra-la-là y el punteado
5. El majo olvidado
6. El majo timido
7. Callejeo
8. El mirar de la maja
9. Las currutacas modestas
10. El majo discreto
La maja dolorosa:
11. número 1
12. número 2
13. número 3
Canciónes amatorias, songs (7) for voice & piano (also orchestrated by Ferrer), H. 24
14. Mira que soy niña
15. Iban al pinar
16. Mañanica era
17. No lloréis, ojuelos
18. Llorad, corazón
19. Gracia mia
Manuel de Falla - La Vida breve, opera, G. 35/39 (2 versions)
20. Vivan los que rien
22. Allí está, riyendo
Joaquín Turina - Canto a Sevilla, song cycle for voice & orchestra, Op. 37
22. Semana Santa
23. Las fuentecitas
24. El fantasma
25. La Giralda

Performers:
Pilar Lorengar, soprano.

Recording's Dates:
July, 1966, Academy of St. Cecilia, Rome, Italy (tracks 1-3, 5-7, 9, 13-14)
December, 1978, Kingsway Hall, London, England (tracks 4, 8)
December, 1971, Sofiensaal, Vienna, Austria (tracks 10, 15-17)
September, 1969 & October, 1969, Sofiensaal, Vienna, Austria (track 11)
July, 1973, Kingsway Hall, London, England (track 12)
July, 1977, Rosslyn Hill Chapel, Hampstead, London, England (Disc 2)