Grace Bumbry
Foto: Christian SteinerBy the 1960s she was one of the leading dramatic mezzo-sopranos of her day, appearing as Carmen under Karajan and as Eboli under Solti. In 1970, her Salome in Richard Strauss’s opera of the same name excited audiences at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, encouraging her to take on more and more soprano roles, including such high-risk parts as Tosca and Norma. The recital that she recorded for Orfeo with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra under Stefan Soltesz shows that her voice, far from revealing any signs of wear and tear, was unlimited in its resources. Here she is heard not only in show-stopping numbers from some of the roles that she sang onstage but also in arias that have always been the preserve of genuine prima donnas capable of performing them to thrilling effect both vocally and interpretatively even when they are divorced from their dramatic context. This is true, for example, of “Depuis le jour” from Gustave Charpentier’s Louise and “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana” from Catalani’s La Wally, in which the performer is required not only to produce a flawless and seamless legato while singing pianissimo but to be capable of building to a great dynamic climax. The penetrating and radiant high notes associated with the Italian term squillo that are heard in Leonore’s famous aria from La forza del destino, “Pace, pace, mio Dio”, and in “Suicidio” from Ponchielli’s La Gioconda draw the listener irresistibly into their powerful sway. In spite of her increasing conquest of the soprano repertory, Grace Bumbry was none the less able to retain her rich-toned middle register, as is clear from “Divinités du Styx” from Gluck’s Alceste, an aria that acquires hochdramatisch qualities reminiscent of Kirsten Flagstad’s recording of it. The fact that Grace Bumbry was also able to shine in excerpts from two rarely heard operas, Massenet’s Le Cid and Gounod’s Sapho, attests to the abiding and immediate fascination of her artistry. Long may she live!