This recording of Jessye Norman singing ‘Afterthoughts’ with Michel Legrand at the piano is remarkable. I love it—the tone of her, the risk-taking, the musical chemistry between them both and the journey they take us on. What a gift they left us… Composer: Gene de Paul; Lyrics: Carolyn Leigh
Read MoreI do love a good rhyme. Maybe this was my gateway drug… My brother and I watched the Marx Brothers a lot when we were kids and At The Circus was one of our favorites. Here’s Groucho singing ‘Lydia, the Tattooed Lady’. (I mean, let’s talk about the utter genius of rhyming “tell her where” and “Delaware”, […]
Read MoreJust listen to how Bobby Short sings Cole Porter’s ‘I’m In Love Again’! It’s perfection. I am addicted to rough edges around a beautiful voice: that little bit of grit, the almost-growl, the ability to sense the breath in the sound. And pretty much any recording of Bobby Short holds me spellbound. Enjoy this one!
Read MoreI could listen to Jacques Brel all day every day: that fast vibrato, that tone, that uvular R… He’s one of my favorite performers—always fully committed and without any barrier to the story he’s telling. I find him electrifying to listen to. ‘Madeleine’ is a delicious, giddy romp of a song in which a lovable […]
Read MoreThe New York Festival of Song opened its doors for business 32 years ago. Bolstered by a great passion for song, the generous good will of our friends, and a thousand-dollar gift from our first benefactor Joe Machlis, Michael Barrett and I mounted our first season in the fall of 1988. Tonight NYFOS is reviving […]
Read MoreThis week New York Festival of Song honors the great Jessye Norman and her legacy with a series of remembrances from those she inspired. Today’s tribute comes from soprano Harolyn Blackwell. I first heard Ms. Norman sing when I was 18 years of age and vacationing in Mexico City. I had never heard of her. […]
Read MoreThis week New York Festival of Song honors the great Jessye Norman and her legacy with a series of remembrances from those she inspired. Today’s tribute comes from baritone Justin Austin. Growing up, Jessye Norman was the “Ariadne lady.” I knew her from the famous rehearsal footage of the Metropolitan Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos starring […]
Read MoreThis week New York Festival of Song honors the great Jessye Norman and her legacy with a series of remembrances from those she inspired. Today’s tribute comes from baritone James Martin. The first time I heard Jessye Norman sing was in Opera History class. We were studying Grand Opera, specifically Les Troyens of Berlioz. The […]
Read MoreThis week New York Festival of Song honors the great Jessye Norman and her legacy with a series of remembrances from those she inspired. Today’s tribute comes from mezzo-soprano Lucia Bradford. In high school at Fiorello H. LaGuardia, it was “Take your daughter to work” day and around ten of us were chosen to walk […]
Read MoreThis week New York Festival of Song honors the great Jessye Norman and her legacy with a series of remembrances from those she inspired. We begin with a tribute from soprano Julia Bullock. Ms. Norman undeniably had a tremendous impact and powerful presence: if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been hit with a wave of […]
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