COMPOSERS: d' Hardelot,Mascagni,Ponchielli,Verdi
LABELS: Pearl
PERFORMER: Eva Turner (soprano), etc
CATALOGUE NO: GEMS 0094 AAD mono
Pearl’s CD set devoted to the surviving recordings of heroic soprano EVA TURNER (1892-1990) is a treasure trove. Turner’s sound, a gleaming, powerful, high soprano without a hint of shrillness, was one of the vocal glories of the inter-war period, and her considerable emotional intensity is matched by her vocal ability to project it (a few moments of bumpy line notwithstanding).
Turner’s recorded legacy includes many duplications of repertoire (among them no fewer than five accounts of Turandot’s ‘In questa reggia’), and stems from commercial, unpublished and radio recordings. To have it all in one place, in expert transfers, makes this an important and welcome set. J