Hadley & Hampson - Awful??!

[U15...@uicvm.uic.edu]

I've just completed playing selections from the recently released CD
featuring Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson doing various duets, including
the "Le voila c'est l'infant!" from Don Carlo and "Au fond du temple saint"
from Les
Pecheurs de perles. Has anyone else listened to this CD? I bought it with
high hopes and can't believe the performances! Is it my imagination or is
the orchestra incredibly slow and lacking in energy or drama? Are the voices
thin and lacking in power and tension?! I went back to my CD of Jussi
Bjoerling and Robert Merrill doing the same duets, and there is so much more
richness of voice, power and excitement to the music! I wonder if I'm the
only one having this response? If others agree, then this (the one with
Hadley & Hampson) is one to avoid! Too bad.

Tom Ascher Bitnet: u15310@uicvm
Associate Director, Data Resources Internet: u15...@uicvm.uic.edu
University of Illinois at Chicago Phone: (312) 413-3665

[Jon Conrad]

I haven't heard it, but my big regret about this CD is that they didn't
bring it out with its originally planned title: "Tom and Jerry."

Jon Alan Conrad

[Braden Mechley]

In article <93325.204...@uicvm.uic.edu> <U15...@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
>I've just completed playing selections from the recently released CD
>featuring Jerry Hadley and Thomas Hampson doing various duets, including
>the "Le voila c'est l'infant!" from Don Carlo and "Au fond du temple saint"
>from Les
>Pecheurs de perles. Has anyone else listened to this CD? I bought it with
>high hopes and can't believe the performances! Is it my imagination or is
>the orchestra incredibly slow and lacking in energy or drama? Are the voices
>thin and lacking in power and tension?! I went back to my CD of Jussi
>Bjoerling and Robert Merrill doing the same duets, and there is so much more
>richness of voice, power and excitement to the music! I wonder if I'm the
>only one having this response? If others agree, then this (the one with
>Hadley & Hampson) is one to avoid! Too bad.

Hmmm -- I rather liked it. I haven't given it the closest listen in the
world (and of course the LES PECHEURS DE PERLES performance can't compare
with the Bjorling-Merrill recording you mention!), but I didn't find them
thin sounding or anything. More detail when I've had time to listen to
the whole thing really closely.

Braden Mechley
Department of Classics
University of Washington

[Janis Wallace]

In article <2crh2j$v...@news.u.washington.edu>,

I won't be able to listen to it until this weekend, but the November issue
of Grammophone gave it a very favorable review overall (only a couple of
*somewhat* disappointing points - directed primarily at the conductor
rather than the singers). Their final recommendation was that it was well
worth getting.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Janis
----------
Janis Wallace
University of California, Irvine
Executive Vice Chancellor's Office
jkwa...@uci.edu