Cheap Spirituals in Concert (Video) (Battle, Norman) Price

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Customer Reviews of Spirituals in Concert

A feast of music unlike any other!
Spirituals in Concert featuring Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman with James Levine conducting is a feast for all the senses. The video is a taped live performance given from Carnegie Hall in March of 1990. Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman are at the top of their art in this performance. The selections chosen are from the wealth of repertoire available from the spirituals of nineteenth century america. The spriritual is one of America's true art forms, coming from the enslaved african-americans of the ninteenth century.

Kathleen Battle presents many selections that prove her status as one of America's greatest singing stars. Her performances are spirited, emotional, and highly intellectual. She brings to these songs a love and understanding that is lost in most modern performances. She shows the many facets of her talent by showcasing different styles. Her rendering of the spiritual "Swing Low" is very moving and her spirited version of "My God is so High" makes one want to rise up and sing along with her. Her powerful performance of "Lord, How Come Me Here" is enough to purchase this video.

Jessye Norman asserts herself, in this video, as one of the great forces in the opera world. Her huge and voluptuous voice fills every nook and cranny in Carnegie Hall and seems to ring in the rafters for many seconds after she's finished. Ms. Norman's attention to detail comes through in each performance. They are all well-prepared and full of emotion and love. She, just like Ms. Battle, covers many styles and ranges of emotions. She brings tears to your eyes with "Sinner Please" and makes your toes tap with "You Can Tell the World". Her performance of "Calvary" will leave you speechless.

Probably the highlight of this video is the two's performance of "Scandalize My Name". In this song the two singers let down the serious air and have fun with accompanist Sylvia Olden Lee. They pass back the banter like two women you might know sitting in church telling of the gossip thats floating around. What a great moment!

The chorus that backs the singers could be considered authentic but tends to be a little off at times. The group sounds like a choir of soloists and not a choir working together. That being said they offer some wonderful moments and the joy on their faces show that this concert was one for the history books.

The orchestra conducted by James Levine offers a very intelligent reading to these spirituals. Levine is in top form, showing his expertise in working with these stars. Other performers that accompany the singers are Nancy Allen on the Harp, Hubert Laws on the flute, and Evelyn Simpson-Curenton on the organ. Their contributions give us some of the video's great and tender moments. Also in attendance at the concert, but only as spectator, was the famous contralto Marian Anderson and there are some close-up shots of her in the audience.

I first experienced this concert on CD and have to say that it made all the difference in the world to see these performances. I did realize, however, that the CD performance and the video performance had to be on two different nights. Some songs are on the CD and not the video and vice versa. Also, some of the video performances have obvious differences from the CD performances. So I would suggest owning both.

Anyone who enjoys good music and good singers should enjoy this video. I know that it is currently out of print but hopefully one day it will be re-released on video and DVD from Deutsche Grammophone.