RECORDINGS IN REVIEW

1 6 8 Y R E C O R D I N G S I N R E V I E W D E W E Y F A U L K N E R ‘‘We are all soon forgotten; five minutes after I walk o√ the platform for the last time, I shall be forgotten.’’ So wrote the singer Dame Janet Baker in 1982. It has not happened, nor is it likely to in 2013, when she celebrates her eightieth birthday, and for numerous reasons. Baker’s voice was mezzo-soprano in range, having a strong lower register that soon extended strongly upward. It was large, with a distinctive sound, capable of both an edge and a soft tenderness , of plangency or warmth as appropriate. Her vocal production was steady throughout the registers; her vibrato never became a wobble. In particular, her breath control was near ideal, which allowed her great flexibility in phrasing. She could and did sing softly and carry readily and quietly throughout a concert hall or opera house. Above all, she projected words and their meanings. Texts were as important to her as tones, and she kept both in balance. She radiated intelligence and imagination as well as charm, equally capable in the profundities of Hugo Wolf and the airy fa-la-las of the English songs she loved to sing. Baker began her London career in the 1950s singing in groups, 1 6 9 R and in 1961 she began making recordings, notably Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, in which her singing of Dido’s lament soon became internationally acclaimed (Decca 466387). In 1964 she recorded the Angel in Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with John Barbirolli for EMI (91973; 2 CDs), re-animating this seemingly faded work for modern audiences, and in 1966 she made her American debut in New York’s Town Hall, to enthusiastic critical and public acclaim. She starred at both Glyndebourne and Aldeburgh , no small feat considering the antipathy of Benjamin Britten ,whothroughouthercareerprovidedherwithmemorableroles, toward the former venue. In 1969 her last-minute Covent Garden appearances in Hector Berlioz’s Les Troyens proclaimed her a major diva. Yet she never acted like one, preferring professionalism and devotion to music 0ver glamour and tantrums. In 1982 she retired from the opera stage and in 1989 from the concert and recital platforms . She made her final recordings in 1991. Despite occasional British claims to the contrary, she has never had a successor. Baker’s repertoire stretched from John Dowland and Claudio Monteverdi to Benjamin Britten and Domenick Argento, concentrating in particular on Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Hector Berlioz, Gabriel Fauré, Henri Duparc, Johannes Brahms, Gustav Mahler, and Richard Strauss. Her intelligence and wide reading led her to explore the works of many other composers and many lesser-known works of composers she favored, especially songs. Much of this exists on recordings. In 1982 she wrote, ‘‘It should always be remembered that the reality, the changing living reality of a moment in performance, is the true one; . . . a record is not a living performance, only a reminder.’’ But now Baker’s ‘‘reminders,’’ which are usually pretty accurate in reproducing her voice, are all that remains. There are a good number of them since she recorded for EMI, Philips, Erato, various Decca labels, CBS/Sony, Hyperion, and other imprints. Live performances have also been released on BBC Legends and various commercial and private labels. Some have been reissued by ArkivMusic (here designated ‘‘ArkivCD’’). A great many of her broadcast performances, including most indicated here as private recordings, are preserved by the nonprofit Oriel Music Trust, 1 7 0 F A U L K N E R Y which gives proceeds from these works to the Musicians Benevolent Fund. Since Baker made her last recordings in 1991, availability varies. We can hope that 2013 will bring releases of new material and of LP material not previously transferred to CD. There is a good bit of both. Dame Janet divided her career into three kinds of appearance: opera, concert, and recital. The first is conventional enough, though her choice...