Elsie Morison: Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer", part II of II

The wonderful Australian born soprano, Elsie Morison sings Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer", from a 1960 recording with Dr. Osborne Peasgood on the organ.

The performance is split into two parts at a clear and natural breaking point (due to time limitations here on YouTube).

Link back to Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYRLf5vtgSc

Here is a link to my Elsie Morison playlist: http://www.youtube.com/user/kadoguy2006#grid/user/FA3D356DF36BB0FA

Morison's art is unrivalled on many recordings, in my opinion, especially her Mary on Berlioz's L'enfance du Christ, and her Gilbert & Sullivan rec'dings with Sargent.

Hopefully, more from this great artist will surface. I would very much love to hear her singing on Mahler's 4th symphony with her husband, Rafael Kubelik conducting.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Elsie
• Morison
• Hear
• My
• prayer
• Mendelssohn
• Rafael
• Kubelik
• Osborne
• Peasgood

[Tenortalker]

Iskarin - the recording you bought would have been part of the Malcolm Sargent Gilbert and Sullivan series. There are many wonderful singers on that series of discs- some of them i knew personally because they were at the end of their careers and teaching when i was a student singer. Including John Cameron, April Cantelo and Marjorie Thomas ( who taught one of my teachers- the prize winning Oratorio and Recital Soprano Penelope Price Jones.) Kind and generous performers and teachers!

[kadoguy2006]

@Tenortalker It is true. The cast(s) Malcolm Sargent pulled together for his series of G&S operettas is absolutely first-rate! The best G&S on record and some of the best singers, period!

[Tenortalker]

Iskarin Gilbert and Sullivan is charming, beautiful repertoire that requires real singing. It is excellent for tuning the voice, combining fine diction with good tone quality . Valerie Masterson began in opera in Austria, then went to D'Oyly Carte and then to the International Opera career that she really merited. As someone who has performed many French Operas in France i can confirm to you that she was probably the best Marguerite in Faust of her generation.

[lskarin]

@Tenortalker

I appreciate the background you've given.

I sometimes wonder whether, to a singer, doing Gilbert and Sullivan is a lark. After D'Oyly Carte folded, Valerie Masterson went into French Opera where she was considered top-chop (to use a Britishism).

Regardless-hearing artists like Elsie Morison in any venue will make some in the audience want to hear & learn more. Lauritz Melchior appearing on comedy/variety shows in early television probably got some interested in opera.

[lskarin]

Peculiar. I discovered Elsie by buying a Yeoman of the Guard recording in Korea with the US Army.  Didn't realize at the time how outstanding she is.

[Tenortalker]

I think that Elsie Morison is a heavenly soprano. She recorded one of the best 'I know that my Redeemer' in Messiah ever. She always sang with a beautiful tone quality. I once took some lessons with the fine scots tenor Duncan Robertson and he mentioned 3 sopranos he had worked with who were 'always beautiful' Elsie Morison, Elizabeth Harwood and Cynthia Glover.