Songs By Mahler, Handel & Peter Lieberson

1	Rückert Lieder, song coll
2	Rückert Lieder, song coll
3	Rückert Lieder, song coll
4	Rückert Lieder, song coll
5	Rückert Lieder, song coll
6	Ariodante, opera, HWV 33:
7	Theodora, oratorio, HWV 6
8	Rilke Songs, for voice &
9	Rilke Songs, for voice &
10	Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's
11	Ashoka's Dream, opera: Tr
12	Deep River, spiritual
13	Unbewegte laue Luft, song
Songs By Mahler, Handel & Peter Lieberson
1.	Rückert Lieder, song collection for voice & piano (or orchestra) 21:23
	Composed by Gustav Mahler
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
2.	Ariodante, opera, HWV 33: E vivo ancore...Scherza infida 7:50
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
3.	Theodora, oratorio, HWV 68: As with rosy steps 8:08
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
4.	Rilke Songs, for voice & piano: O ihr Zärtlichen 3:07
	Composed by Peter Lieberson
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
5.	Rilke Songs, for voice & piano: Stiller Freund 4:10
	Composed by Peter Lieberson
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
6.	Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's spoken introduction to Triraksha's aria from Ashoka's Dream 1:02
	Composed by Spoken Word
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
7.	Ashoka's Dream: Triraksha's aria 5:30
	Composed by Peter Lieberson
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
8.	Deep River 3:21
	Composed by Traditional Spiritual
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
9.	Unbewegte laue Luft, song for voice & piano, Op. 57/8 4:42
	Composed by Johannes Brahms
	Performed by Roger Vignoles and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson

All Music Guide

London's Wigmore Hall occasionally releases recordings of memorable performances in its space, and this CD documents a remarkable 1998 recital by Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. She's in gorgeous voice, with a creamy consistency over the broad range that this repertoire traverses. As is typical of her performances, she sings with a passionate intensity that draws the listener into the suffering of the character she's portraying, or of the poetry's essence. She brings a special warmth and fervor of Mahler's "Fünf Rückert Lieder," but perhaps the highlight of the album is "As with rosy steps," from Handel's "Theodora." Her astonishingly smooth phrasing, and the strength and vulnerability of her characterization are breathtaking. The collection includes three pieces by her husband Peter Lieberson, two songs from his "Five Rilke Songs," and an aria from his opera "Ashoka's Dream," whose production at Santa Fe in 1996 was the occasion that brought the singer and composer together. Hunt Lieberson has recorded the complete "Rilke Songs" in their orchestral incarnation, but this version for piano reveals them as more lyrical, transparent, and emotionally engaging. The aria from "Ashoka's Dream," while less musically compelling, gives Hunt Lieberson a chance to revel in the virtuosity it requires. Her encores, "Deep River" and Brahms' "Unbewegte laue Luft," are wrenchingly poignant. Roger Vignoles offers sensitive and self-effacing accompaniment. The sound of the live performance includes some ambient noise in the pauses between songs and a low-level hiss at the very quietest moments, but it's generally not enough to be disturbing and the balance is excellent. The CD should be of strong interest to Hunt Lieberson's fans, and to listeners who love vocal music in general. Stephen Eddins

New York Times

[A] gem of a disc.... Ms. Hunt Lieberson is a force of nature. James R. Oestreich

Gramophone

Brahms's "Unbewegte laue Luft" ends the recital on an ecstatic note that surely sent the audience out on a cloud. Indispensable. Andrew Farach-Colton

BBC Music Magazine

[Lieberson's] unique warmth of tone is sounded in the first notes even of the lighter Mahler songs. But there's also a spiritual grace in her approach.... Peerless. David Nice

Philadelphia Inquirer

1/2 This is a prime example of Lieberson's intense, entrancing art. David Patrick Stearns

Audiophile Audition

Lieberson seems to wrap herself around the music and the words in an embrace of the closest possible identification. There is no haste, no wasted motion, nothing but pure solitude and, in many of these songs, sadness and consolation. Laurence Vittes

The Guardian

We're reminded of the spiritual conviction that made her artistry unique. An extract from Handel's Theodora conveys such deep religious sincerity that you feel humbled by it. Her performance of Mahler's Rückert Lieder, one of the finest on disc, avoids the usual morbidity and contains flashes of divine revelation..... Essential listening. Tim Ashley

Raleigh-Durham News & Observer

The program...seems drenched in tears. At the end, when she sings a consoling "Deep River" as an encore, the tears will be yours. David Perkins

Bay Area Reporter

Capping this priceless snapshot...is [Lieberson's] achingly beautiful account of the spiritual "Deep River," which wells up from the depths of her voice and soul alike. If you can listen to her sing "I want to cross over into campground" without choking up, you're made of sterner stuff than I. Tim Pfaff