Kathleen Battle - Handel Let The Bright Seraphim

[Cissy97]

I think as a singer she is every bit on par with Te Kanawa.

In terms of fame, much less so.

Personality defect - what a pity!

[pedrofribeiro]

A glorious rendition, simply the best. Perfect diction, pitch, tempo, coloraturas beyond perfection, silvery voice, pure timbre. A delight, greatest rendition of this magnificent piece. For sure.

[Marmalade000000]

Kathleen Battle has certainly been blessed with an angelic voice!! She really touches the soul of my soul when I hear her voice!

[calaftheeast]

Her diction is really clear which is a plus. Handel singing usually doesn't care for diction all that much, but it's nice to hear some soprano actually care about the libretto. The voice is uniquely Battle: you either like it or hate it. Like Callas.

I like Kiri better. Sutherland though will always be untouchable among all that attempt to sing Handel.

[pedrofribeiro]

@calaftheeast Sutherland never sang anything... just mumbled some notes, without any words. Kiri only wishes of having half the voice and technique Battle displays in this single piece.

[MaddameButterfly504]

I wish she had been clearer on the diction :-/

[meetykusch1]

@MaddameButterfly504 as for Magdalena Kozena I think that a clearer diction would mean a loss of musicality; anyway, we have to take it as it is and I'm in love with the sublime work of Kathleen, not to forget Wynton! because they are closest to the great SPIRIT, and manage to touch my heart

[FloridaNativeToo]

Great soprano, great pic trumpet, great Handel. What's the fuss? It's close to sublime. It is sublime.

[FloridaNativeToo]

Great soprano, great pic trumpet, great Handel. What's the fuss? It's close to sublime.

[Prosperwithin]

I am so grateful that I was given opportunity to hear this in my lifetime!

[PatroniFan]

I like this ditty...

[mkurnat]

It's good to have a diverse representation in a particular artform, similarly to the way in which we need more female representation in the jazz community. And not in a "fine, we'll let her play 'cause coach said we had to have a girl" kind of way. Diversity helps to rule out stereotypes that separate people and art.

Unfortunately, talented as Battle is, there are lines drawn in terms of behavior, and she crossed them, so I can't sympathize with her too much about f-ing up her career.

[NART65]

@mkurnat if only life was so clear cut. Who cares regarding her behaviour. There are many classical singers out there who have behaved just as bad. It is a pity that noone wanted to re employ her. Their loss, do not think that she is short of pocket as a result do you.

[cacopheus]

It's funny that people got trolled over kathleen battle.:)

I have read many things about her being a bitch in RL but when you have the voice you can act kind diva and get away with it.

[osinging]

She has a beautiful voice.

[SangpourPlaisir]

Her voice is very pretty to listen to her but watching her.... watching her is another story entirely. :-/

[slackergirl22]

Why are people talking about her skin? Weird topic for such a voice.

[carminacat93]

Beautiful voice, beautiful woman

[sopranomommy1]

Glorious. She has the most incredible voice.

[rix657]

What a lovely lyric coloratura she has, some of the effects she uses are just incredible - her shake creates a glorious sound. And Marsalis on trumpet is glorious too.

[hartmuthopp]

@ComradeDeath Maybe its worth keeping in mind that Schumann went crazy, Beethoven went deaf etc etc

[timananda]

Fantastic. It has the 'goosebump' factor!

[Uruguruh]

Wow!!!!

Such a pity she doesn't sing this kind of repertoire anymore. She's sooo good at it!!

[yupptoc]

beautiful trumpet work here as well

[TheSoulflower]

Again, stop making personal attacks and say rather that you "just don't like her'. I am speaking to the idiots only, of course.

[tsomer07]

Perfection.

Makes me weep.

[simmad0wnn0w]

Note to self; do not read the comments, do not read the comments! Okay, just one. Dang! I should have taken my own advice.

[dedyabrian]

Gorgeous gorgeous and gorgeous. I'm not particular.

[katasongbird]

Gorgeous!!!! What a fabulous instrument she has!!!!

[dacianey3]

Flawless!!!!

[classyteacherdiva]

Absolutely glorious and heavenly all rolled up into one!

[hlkearns]

Ignorant, I am not. One makes a error or has a misunderstanding doesn't make them ignorant. If this were the case, we would all be considered ignorant. Being corrected is not a problem, we all need correcting at one point or another, but it is how it is done or delivered that makes it rude. Now I want you to look up the work rude on wordiq and maybe you'll learn something!

[goldenthroat86]

Look up Leontyne Price 2001 Richard Tucker Gala where she sings God Bless America. Leontyne was 74 and sounded AMAZING!

[bohemoth1]

OUTSTANDING, BEYOND OUTSTANDING

[Lonestarry]

This is a very difficult song to sing without straining to hold the notes. She does a remarkable job - she is such a talented, gifted, beautiful woman. Why oh why does she have to display such diva behavior wherever she goes? I'll never understand it.

[hlkearns]

@Lonestarry She doesn't display diva behavior, because a real dive would never behave in the manner in which Kathleen Battle has!

[Lonestarry]

@hlkearns You are wrong, hlkearns - she is the worst Diva known to mankind. Hideous behavior and all sorts of spoiled antics - she has the voice of an angel and the temperment of a 2 year old brat.

[Lonestarry]

@hlkearns Well, hlkearns...I understand what you mean now, but you and I must have polar opposite definitions of the word diva - lol. Anyway - she sure can sing - but I wouldn't want to share a taxi with her. LOL

[hlkearns]

@Lonestarry Granted, she does have a gorgeous instrument, but the basic sense of the term "Diva" is "goodness" in every respect of the word and this is where she fails!

[hlkearns]

@Lonestarry As I said, she is not a Diva! A real Diva would never behave in the manner in which Kathleen Battle has. A real Diva does not display hideous behavior in public or subject her colleagues to such behavior!

[Lonestarry]

@hlkearns Look up the word Diva, hlkearns. It is derived from the latin and italian word for goddess - not goodness, as you so stated. Diva used to simply mean a female opera singer, but as of late, lots of negative connotations are associated with the word, and the word Diva implies that hte star believes the only thing that matters is her person, and that everyone involved with her must cater to her every whim. Look it up on wordiq. Learn something.

[hlkearns]

@Lonestarry "Goodness" what is called a typo in my part. You need to learn not to be rude!

[Lonestarry]

@hlkearns I'm not being rude - perhaps your lack of understanding of the english language makes you misunderstand my meaning. Goodness vs. Goddess is one major typo there kiddo! LOL When I suggested you learn something I wasn't being rude, just practical. You really do need to know what you are talking about before you start spouting word definitions and meanings. Grow up.

[hlkearns]

@Lonestarry Like you said, you need to learn not to be rude! But then again, I don't guess that can be contributed to you.

[Lonestarry]

@hlkearns I do not feel I am the least bit rude. You feel I am because I am correcting your mistakes. I am stating the facts - you don't know what you are talking about. I suggest you read the definition of the word diva and learn something so that you will not continue making a fool out of yourself. I am the type of person that calls a situation like I see it. And I am calling you ignorant.

[SoshiSNSD]

beautiful woman :)

[marywardify]

One of the loveliest soprano voices of the last century!

[blackleatherrain]

Battle delivers a soaring, joyful, effortless piece of heaven in this recording. Easily my favorite rendition of the song.

[mrkartolina]

Dieser Stimme könnte ich stundenlang zuhören.

[brad130978]

This woman makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end every time she opens her mouth! Enough said!!!!

[AbeokutaCity1]

Are we listening to her singing, or her attitude and behaviour? These stories now legend for almost 20 years - yet still nobody has a concrete affirmation of what she actually said during those times - but lets just go along with more hearsay.

[goldenthroat86]

@AbeokutaCity1 How about the time Kathy stopped rehearsal and yelled "Where the hell is that fat bitch that cinched me in too tight? I am going to kill her." She then slapped the unfortunate costume woman in front of everyone. How's that for "hearsay"?

[AbeokutaCity1]

@goldenthroat86

Okay - You say she said it! So reveal your sources I will I cross check them. With dates and places, names and venues etc. If you do not want to reveal them publicly then you can message me. You say it is more than hearsay - so could you kindly inform me of how you got these facts?

[goldenthroat86]

@AbeokutaCity1 Why, the New York Times for one. And a book written by Volpe the general manager of the MET who fired her at the time. This is common knowledge as there were at least a hundred witnesses to the event. Another story from the NYT: "When it was announced that Battle had been fired...(She was in a production of La fille du Regiment) the entire cast burst into spontaneous applause."

[goldenthroat86]

@goldenthroat86 And her voice pales in comparison to the grand tradition of the black American divas...Price, Bumbry, Verret, Norman, Arroyo...etc.

[hlkearns]

@goldenthroat86 This why she sings early and baroque music for which her voice is most suited. I am just glad that she is using and has used her God given gift to the best of her ability.

[hlkearns]

@goldenthroat86 - She uses what God as give her very well. She is smart and knows that her voice lends itself best to early and baroque music. She would be foolish to use it otherwise.

[pedrofribeiro]

@goldenthroat86 A little tale, not true, of course.

[ejrouge]

@RRydnew and @qyzuf Both of you shut up, and let me listen! ha ha, JK :P

[RRydnew]

KB's pronouncation is lousy and her diction is too staccato for this piece. She does OK but leave this one to the lyrics like Swartzkopf and, espically her 1981 wedding preformance, TE KANAWA!

[qyzuf]

1. diagree on the diction.

2. this aria is better fit for a colortura, like KB, than dramatic/lyric sopranos who attempt it

[RRydnew]

Still disagree with you on both points. This is the aria that gave Kiri Te Kanawa the title of DAME! Also, if you get a coloratura, get Sutherland or Sills and not Battle. Never did like her voice and attitude as she has the range and the voice but no heart. She is just machinelike in her delivery. She is like an operatic quaalude!

[qyzuf]

first of all, I do admire kiri, and also sills - more for her personality and role as director of the opera than the singing. KB...well, sometimes she has attitude, true (she is infamous for diva behaviors) but she is a clever singer, and she did a number of things very well. On YT - check out "et incarnatus est" for example. YT had lovely vids of her doing gospel from a concert with jesse norman that were removed lately - too bad.

[bcom11]

@RRydnew i agree with the comment below. KB is the premier coloratura of the last generation and one of the last of the greats. she amazing in this piece and please stop talking about her attitude. we are here to listen to the singing not rumors of behavior. grow up.

[chipmunktubetop]

i love her.

[liedvondererde]

I love the quality of her voice, but this particular recording isn't very musical and it's just sort of sloppy...still pretty though!

[baird292]

Kathleen shows her unbelievable elegance.

[249Snowman249]

Very good,but my mum is better..:-)

[pianomags]

@249Snowman249 BESTR COMMENT I'VE EVER SEEN!

[baritonebynight]

@249Snowman249 Is your mum Dame Joan Sutherland or Dame Kiri Te Kanawa by any chance?

[GosfordAbercrombie]

her voice makes flutes jealous!!!!!

[classyteacherdiva]

A grand, classydiva!

[Discipal4goodmusic]

She is my all time favorite!!

[MandyJMaddison]

Sweet is a word that really expresses the quality. I do wish we could sing her singing it.

[kazzy211]

Beautiful!

[AteretK]

Love it! Her voice is so clear, light and bright!

[LAX324]

I was going to say the same thing. Her voice is so clear and sweet. I love it.

[paunovicpn]

Her voice is very expressive and clear. The interpretation is also one of the best I've ever heard. Her coloratura is very clear and you can hear and feel every single tone which I really admire.

[cjwabq]

I hate to see obvious racial slurs entire into an ostensible conversation about music and performance. I love baroque music and truth be told, I was at first hesitant about Kathleen Battle's presentation of Handel, But she's glorious, and while I don't ditto cooliotim's language I do his enthusiasm for Wynton Marsalis. Handel I am certain would want us 300 years on to perform him with the fantastic range we do.

[jakesga]

I absolutely love her. If you do not like her interpretation, then listen somewhere else. Because, there are plenty of us who love anything she sings.

[grofaz1939]

There are plenty of people who voted for Hitler and George W. Bush as well. Just because you ENJOY something does NOT make that thing objectively good, correct, proper or excellent. Stop projecting your subjective "enjoyment" of something as if that enjoyment were an informed, educated opinion. I coudln't care less what you "enjoy". I care plenty that you attempt to pass that off as an intelligent and educated opinion regarding a subject about which you are wholly ignorant.

[jakesga]

and likewise I couldn't (spelled correctly I might add) care less about your opinion. I use youtube for MY enjoyment and will continue to do so. I do not come here to impress some idiot who hides behind his screen to harrass other people and try to force his supposed knowledge on them. I am not obligated to agree with you anymore than you are me. So, grow up.... do what you want... because I sure am. Get used to it gossass

[MusicalAngel022631]

@grofaz1939:

If you think that she poorly displays the classic Baroque music, then WHY LISTEN? No one wants to hear you bitch about what YOU think is right or wrong. This is for people who enjoy this music, HER music, to comment on. If you dont like it, GTFO.

And btw, Coloratura sopranos such as miss Battle are VERY hard to find these days. Her voice perfectly suits this type of music. She is *supposed* to have an almost sharp tone to her voice. Do your research before you diss a great artist.

[MaestraLisi]

Her voice sparkles! It's light timbre is perfect for this song. Her technique is beautiful and effortless.

[BirchBarlow]

...that we can easily compare and tweak, and walk ourselves into the meritocracy--star quality helps too, of course.

This doesn't mean I think the people who are firmly situated in that world don't deserve to be there. You'll never hear me say a bad word about Cecilia Bartoli or Pascale Roge, I enjoy them both enormously. I think we're winning the fight, we're just still of stuck in battle mode.

[BirchBarlow]

...for anyone who supports equality--in the fine arts or elsewhere--it's really disheartening to learn about what's going on as we write. I think we hold on to the (sometimes naive) belief that the agonies of learning a canon, being the next link in the lineage and spending so much time developing your skills produces performers who have earned their stripes. We have so much information and tradition in art music, that we can make a veritable checklist of 'skills needed for such...'

[BirchBarlow]

...the classical music world is by tradition, very conservative and chauvinistic. It's changing, but it's going SO slowly. Less than 10 per cent of North American conductors are women. It can be disheartening, but as with anything, you've got to be a scrapper. If you love it enough, you'll battle it out.

I know it sounds maudlin, but that's the only course of action, isn't it?

I don't know if I'd be able to cope with being a black ballerina. The literature on this absence is saddening...

[BirchBarlow]

Trill! Hot cocoa, she sounds good!

Well, I'm a classical musician (Interestingly, black singers have managed to fare better in Europe, especially in Germany and France. Stokowski was forced to rescind an invitation to Shirley Verrett with the Houston Symphony, because the board members would not accept a black performer. Luckily, he was able to make arrangements for a better gig. Nothing's easy, right? But you see far more black opera singers than instrumentalists in the art music world...

[deizel90]

It does if you ever wanted to sing in this genre and you hear all the time that you will never thrive because this genre is partial toward you (person of color) I only state this because alot of people don't know about her and others who have made their way in this category of music

[modigliani1964]

virtuoso!

[deizel90]

Everyone please, you must understand how IMPORTANT Kathleens voice, talent, grace, and career are not only to black people but to all people of color, b4 u throw a stone at her, look at it this way, she is a black woman, in a field dominated by Caucasians, she not only holds her own, she brings a very unique quality to this genre of music and the world.

[helmuthoorn]

She is just an excellent singer and the colour of her skin has NOTHING to do with it. Does this really matter ?

[ajurneyman]

@helmuthoorn

I agree as if I want to see the the sun rise I use my eyes but I have as yet not seen the sound of a voice nor have I heard the sound of colour. At 72 I feel time is running out for me to experience these pervesions of the senses.

[deizel90]

@helmuthoorn only because....for other black aspiring artists....(especially young black females)...it is extremely important for us to see this due to the fact that alot of black youth ae not exposed enough if at all to this kinda of art and talent....so her pigment is important due to her being a living success story for all Af-AM folks, both young and old

[leoperarm]

Her skin color doesn't make her special at all... I like her because of her voice, not because she's black.

[jhknight17]

@leoperarm

I like her when she doesn't sing

[blckglam]

Her tone is the BEST for this song!

[FrankJared]

Woonderful combination of performers!

[AuroraOnVenice]

very good!!!

[MusicalAngel022631]

@mxmaxamxm:

Battle is a Coloratura soprano. They are supposed to have an almost sharp quality to their voice, as opposed to a lyric soprano, who posess a much softer tone. Battle is great for this type of music because typically Coloratura sopranos have very high ranges. Lyric sopranos have lower ranges and are more suited to art songs.

You *are* entitled to an opinion, I'm not saying you're not. I'm just letting you know that the style in this song is supposed to be as you're hearing it.

[oldun52]

When Marasils starts to improvise towards the end one almost excpects Battle to break out into scat!

[mateocardona1964]

Thanks for posting this, blessings!

[Babejuda]

Wonderful clear coloratura voice. Her mate is also wonderful on his own instrument. Bravi!

[Aniretak205]

They really made this into a gorgeous duet!

[TheSolidGloryisJesus]

I've always thought her voice was perfect for Handel; confirmed again. Thank you for this post.

[bbbartolo]

That was Davis, not Solti.

[bbbartolo]

wonderful, even better than her Solti/Messiah version. Yvonne Kenny recorded this too -also wonderful.

[squarebanana94]

i'm playing this on sop

[BlkMuscGent]

I've heard many versions of this aria on YOUTUBE. Gruberova's rendition, the climactic high D aside, strikes me as the most technically brilliant--she puts her even tone, unsurpassed agility, and incredible breath control to good use. Yet Gruberova leaves me cold. Battle, however, sings with great relish, nimbly dispatching Handel's melismas and adding tasteful ornaments. In this aria she sounds more joyous than any other soprano I've ever heard. For these reasons, this is my favorite version.

[TheSolidGloryisJesus]

I love your descriptions here. I would agree, for they matched my experience not only with this piece but all of Battle's Handel handlings. Handel wrote expecting musicians to fully engage in his intent.

[x4812k]

interesting comment! what do you think of sutherland's version?

[GeorgeMaxwellDuPre]

For breath control and clarity I prefer Battle. At times I get the impression that Sutherland looses control a tad on the runs. But I prefer Sutherlands stronger thicker timbre of voice for this. Battle is clear and flutey, but I seem to want a trumpetting voice.

[socaltrumpet83]

I have this exact recording on a Wynton Marsalis cd, and I'm actually performing it a few times this semester. It's a fun piece to play, but can be a chop buster in practice because it hangs on alot of high notes. Where the high G's(A on C horns and B on B-flats since I'm playing a D horn) are sustained longer than a whole note can be pretty escruciating, more so if you have a headache.I borrowed a couple of the ornaments Wynton put in, but the rest I did myself.

[schmidtenor]

Josefina, dapat hindi ka satsat!

[timothyks]

Is this the recording with Wynton Marsalis on trumpet? Sadly, I've been on the hunt for this for years!

[urherman]

yes it  is with Marsalis when both were young and at their greatest

[socaltrumpet83]

If you're looking for a recording of this with Wynton, buy "The Essential Wynton Marsalis". It's a 2 disc collection of performances from baroqe, classical, contemporary, and his theme and variation performances like Carnical of Venice, and some jazz. This piece is the last track on the first cd. I get chills and teary eyed almost every time I hear it. It was a pain to find but I'm glad I have it. Hopefully you have luck finding it.

[gay4play]

I'm not sure I'm a fan of Battle's small mouse-like voice. While she certainly has the agility necessary for this piece, she lacks the joy and gravitas of better singers. She's too "floaty" and totally lacks support in the higher runs... almost like a singer with a bad cold purposely holding back during a practice run. It's pretty but just doesn't move me.

[crna2dlt]

Is it just me or does she bear a striking resemblance to Phylicia Rashad in this pic?

[compeld2sing]

I also think so.

[coopandre]

kind of..the big hair and all.

[organist08]

Love the trumpet ornamentation!

[SPUNKGIVER]

at least shes in tune (horn issues).

[TrevorDaniels]

I disagree with bighoody0. Although she does have a small voice, not having a big voice does not preclude one from singing opera. I have been to many Battle recitals, etc., and you can hear her from every vantage point. I will agree though that her voice has changed, but keep in mind she is in her early 60's. We should not expect her to sound like she did 10, 15, or 20 years ago.

[madziua90]

I agree, she is the best of all in that piece

[Dobermama]

Battle is my favorite for this piece. It just conveys so much joy.

[raigekimaru]

by far the best version of this piece

[musiqe07]

Bighoody, I was just at a recital of Kathy's and I sat in the balcony and heard her perfectly fine. The voice is not a large as other sopranos, but she knows how to use her instrument an it's fierce and has always been. Plus her musicianship is the best around!

[nichtsleezy]

To:gay4play-are you a musician?

[compeld2sing]

Good question to ask; I'm still waiting for the answer.

[nichtsleezy]

Also, I wonder if gay4play can understand German. Sounds like a loser to me!

[hisimperialmajesty]

Actually, I think we were saying the same thing, just in different terms. I think that Battle should be given the credit she's due, which is that of an extrodinarily talented lyric coloratura soprano. But everything she has, Dame Joan had, and had in greater amounts. Beauty of tone is a matter of personal taste, but vocal power and the ability to sing coloratura are not, and Sutherland had both of these to a much greater extent that does Battle, particularly vocal power.

[raigekimaru]

in baroque the huhuhu's are permisible and sometimes even encouraged in the bouncier melismas like these which Battle executes flawlessly. also, this piece isn't supposed to be powerful, it's bright and innocent requiring immense agility and pitch acuracy rather than power and resonance. Joan Sutherland is fabulous in her own right, but I think this piece goes to battle for her sweet voice, vocal agility, and flawless pitch.

[coopandre]

I heard Battle well beyound the 3rd row!!!

[1vinegaroon]

Such great ornamentation by both the trumpeter

and just about my favorite coloratura. There

is never a disappointment by Kathleen Battle no matter what style of music she sings. Bravo

[raigekimaru]

her voice is like honey

[amolluvia]

Kathleen Battle is amazing. .

Wynton is incredible. .

Them together - orgasmic.

[smnole]

Love this!!!

Love her voice!

BEAUTIFULL!!!

[hisimperialmajesty]

I'll tell you who's "like unto La Battle" (or was before she retired): Dame Joan Sutherland. Yes, Ms. Battle's voice is lovely, and her coloratura impeccable. And amoung sopranos who are still performing, she is almost certainly unmatched in these two things. But Dame Joan had both of those things to at least as great an extent as Battle, and she had one more thing: power.

[pedrofribeiro]

@hisimperialmajesty Yes, another thing Sutherland had, the natural inability to pronounce a single word. She just vocalized, over and over, never sang a word in her whole life.

[podimusicus]

Who is like unto LA BATTLE??? Seraphic and bright. Vox angelica.