"The Most Remarkable Singer"

Quote of the day:
“I never forget a face, but in your case, I'll make an exception."
--Groucho Marx

Followup to yesterday, “Amish Values: Aren’t They Interesting,” from Mark Scolforo of the AP:
“The killer’s widow was invited to one of the funerals yesterday, according to a Roberts family member, but it wasn’t known if she attended.”

Kudos to the police for this, from the same AP story:
“To protect the privacy of the Amish, roads leading into the village of Nickel Mines were blocked for the funerals.... Airspace for 2 1/2 miles in all directions was closed to news helicopters.”

On a much lighter and soul-nourishing note, it has been refreshing over the last three months to see an exceptional talent get her due. Singer Lorraine Hunt Lieberson died in July. She was 52, and had been diagnosed with breast cancer several months earlier. Since then, music critics have heaped glowing praise on her career and legacy. Most recently, Alex Ross of "The New Yorker" called her “the most remarkable singer I ever heard.”

Lieberson had no press agent and gave few interviews. Also, she was known among fellow musicians for being a bit eccentric. Being from Northern California didn’t help.

I have known her voice only on CD over the last few years, after reading Gramophone raves about her recordings of the Bach Cantatas BWV 82 and 199, and the Handel Arias. She has a wonderful, warm and full voice, and she employs it exquisitely, with ease, precision, passion, and control.

But what makes this music such a gift to us is that she has made it part of her. These are not just performances. In some way, she has gone to a different place. It is hard to describe, but I suggest you do yourself a favor and listen for yourself.