Critics who sprinkle their "appreciations" with plentiful disparagements, as though the article were some kind of omelet, demean themselves more than their subject. On the one hand on the other hand reviews, leave a reader with a sour taste in their mouth. Jessie Norman was a giant, with a voice that projected and penetrated every ounce of her roles, not to mention opera houses and listeners' souls. I will miss knowing she is with us.
51
It was not unusual back in the '60's for graduate students from the University of Michigan's Music Department to be involved with the First Congregational Church's music program in Ann Arbor. Ms. Norman, in her Master's program, was a member of the choir, and occasionally sang solos for the service, both classical and spirituals.
Then just in high school, I joined the choir also. This was a long time ago, and I've done decades of amateur choral singing, and experienced many "goose-bump" moments since. But none have been more memorable than sitting a few seats away from Ms. Norman, up in that church balcony, hearing the sanctuary fill with her amazing voice. At that point, before her European training, her sound was perhaps less polished, but wonderfully warm and natural, and capable of thrilling power. And her musicality! When she sat down, there was not a dry eye in the congregation, nor, I expect, anyone who was not in some way transformed by the experience of what she had just shared with us.
I'm not a very religious person. But I think everyone who heard her sing back then was aware not only of being privileged to hear a young lady with extraordinary talent on her way to an exceptional career, but also of catching a glimpse into something beyond - elegant, profound, universal - that music and art can provide at their best. Ms. Norman found a way to convey that, even at an early age.
My thoughts go to her family. And I will treasure my memories.
5
Listen to her recording, or watch the DVD, conducted by James Levine, of Schoenberg's"Erwartung". Then listen to "With A Song In My Heart", her album of pop songs, conducted by John Williams. Jessye could do it all, and everything in between.
3
Anthony aces the “opulent tone [as] not originating from her body, but enveloping you, coming at you from all the corners of the opera house. Her voice penetrated; it permeated. ... Norman was not a fiery singer, though in flashes she could turn ominous.”
Deep condolences and blessings to the family and friends of Jessye Norman. Jessye is really up there with the greats.
Worst tribute ever
4
Ms. Norman said more with one “haughty” look than all the articles written by Mr. Tommasini!
6
Singers are human and sing with their bodies, which suffer transformations with passing time. Some critics seem to not understand this basic fact.
I saw Miss Norman for the first time in 1972 in Edinbrugh on a marvellous lieder recital whose impression still lingers on.
in her time she was unique and grandiose and I advise anyone who has not heard her yet to run and listen to her Strauss, Mahler, Brahms, lieder...
4
Jessye Norman was inspirational. You, Mr. Tomassini, are not.
16
As a chorister in the San Francisco Symphony Chorus I recall we were enveloped in her sound when she performed Mahler with us in the 1980s. Her voice was glorious and seemed to come from everywhere even though she was facing away from us.
I also remember a PBS broadcast from around that time in which she sang Jocasta in Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex (It's available on YouTube).She sang music from most every era and did it magnificently.
RIP Jessye.
6
Among the first words I ever heard Jessye Norman utter were beautifully enunciated phrases first in Yiddish and then in Hebrew. It was at an Edinburgh Festival recital in Festival Hall in 1972, and she was singing Ravel's "Deux Melodies Hebraiques." There was no stage or dais. I sat in the first row, ten feet from her, and felt cradled in the warmth of that all-embracing ocean of voice. Her "Kaddish" sent chills down my spine. I had never heard of her before. The other works on that program were lieder by Schubert, Brahms, and Richard Strauss. I was stunned. I was dazzled.
Since then I have heard Ms. Norman sing five times at the Met. And many, many years after that Edinburgh recital I had the great pleasure of hosting my university's honorary-degree tribute and banquet in her honor. In my introductory remarks I recalled that first experience in Scotland and held up the program from the Festival, which I had carefully saved over the years. She was surprised, and moved, and the dinner turned out to be a wonderful and--against all odds--surprisingly intimate event of good conversation over good food. Sitting next to her and talking with her turned out to be one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life. She urged me to visit her backstage if I were to attend any of her performances in the future, and I did so several times with great pleasure. "Call me and we can go to dinner sometime," she said, each time I visited the Green Room; of course I never did.
14
I will not stay away from the NYT comments any longer! Not given this chance to thank the wonderful Jessye Norman for many many evenings of splendid music! From Tanglewood to Englewood (yes, Englewood, NJ - a wonderful recital in their music space!) to The Met and beyond. The Sieglinde opposite Gary Lakes and conducted by the great Maestro James Levine will always be my favorite, but it was a tough choice I assure you. We will miss you being here on Earth with us, Jessye, and we thank you so very much for your gifts to us - including your wonderful smile!
8
Thank you for a stunning tribute to a great lady.
@Joan Buckley Did you READ it? It’s horrifying.
12
A great person’s greatness is often her weakness, and vice versa. I also appreciate the fact that the author didn’t avoid mentioning James Levine.
There's a difference between haughtiness and good carriage. Many people instinctively take on the speech mannerisms of their surroundings, even in individual conversations. Anyone who would look at anything other than Jessye Norman's face when she sang is missing a wonder. She was a glorious singer and a superb actress and a wonderful person. All else is commentary.
13
The first time I played Jessye Norman singing Gounod’s Sanctus from Messe solennelle (on Sacred Songs) for my mother, she had to leave the room, it was so majestic and powerful, it was almost unbearable. To this day, it gives me chills.
I was able to see her in concert once. When she walked out on the stage, she stood absolutely still for what seemed like an eternity. Minutes. Finally, you could have heard a pin drop in the audience (fortunately no one did) and she began to sing. The quintessential diva. What a magnificent angel.
33
The great Jessye Norman's 2016 Oberlin commencement speech is a testament to her life as an artist & a life to aspire to for all, not just graduates. https://www.oberlin.edu/news/jessye-norman-strive-live-artfully
i saw Jesse Norman at a performance in Switzerland in 1973. I was a music student hitch hiking and staying in youth hostels and I can tell you that listening to her hold a note....just one note, could make an Atheist believe in God. Her gift was a astounding. Her presence commanded rather than demanded one's attention. I have never forgotten that night I heard her. Ever.
17
She had an amazing voice. She made her virtuosity look effortless & will always be remembered as one of Operas great performers.
8
A "regal" presence. That is right. She came to Toronto last February, bound to a wheelchair, to take part in Black History month where Black opera was discussed. Listening to her astute, amusing comments delivered in a non-condescending but authoritative manner was a great experience.
13
Brava beautiful Jessye Norman!
Your warmth and generosity will be felt for ages.
8
"Haughty" seems like a pretty charged term. Ms. Norman was too often the butt of petty criticism about her size, her manner, her accent. Enough. Let's remember her artistry and her big, generous heart. Not enough is said about how much she gave back to her community, to young singers and to her friends. Musically and vocally, there are just two things I will add to the many great observations. The first is that her sound was utterly distinctive. You immediately recognize her after a note or two. The second is that her interpretations had the power to change how we thing about pieces we thought we knew well. Her Four Last Songs is a case in point. When someone has accomplished so much, what right does anyone possibly have to expect more?
36
A wonderful soprano, and thankfully, leaving us a treasure-trove of her talent. Wish I could say the same for the music critic who wrote this.....he seems to like to attack the dead....
Oh, please, review his scathing obit over the glorious-voiced Anna Moffo. Highly, highly unnecessary writing.
15
Jessye Norman is not more. What a shock it was to read that. What an irreparable loss to the world of music.
You tell us, Mr. Tommasini, that her voice was a bit wobbly in later years. So be it. The years creep up on us all. As a young man, I heard Marion Anderson give a recital at my college and my Dad--long since with the Lord--said the same thing. Her voice in later years showed some effect of age.
Oh well. So do I if it comes to that. So do we all.
BUT--
--I listen (now and then) to Ms. Norman doing Gounod's "Sanctus" in Notre Dame cathedral. Itself a ruin now. What a tragedy!
And that voice! Dear Lord in heaven, that voice!
Like a single seraph? No. Like a battalion of seraphim. Filling the soul with ineffable majesty. Filling the cathedral?--oh no! Her voice WAS a cathedral in itself. Words fail me, Mr. Tommasini. Her singing brought out as I think I have never experienced elsewhere the grandeur, the greatness, the holiness of Almighty God.
Thank you, Lord, for this incomparable artist--for this incomparable human being.
I listen to her "Sanctus"--I imagine my Dad listening to it. He'd have wept at the sound.
I think of this, Mr. Tommasini--
--and then my own tears come.
Rest in peace, Jessye Norman. Rest in peace.
Thank you! And again. And again.
Thank you.
29
i hope we’re not all critiqued this way as soon as we die.
27
What is it about highly self confident black women, whose physical presence seems to always bring out the insecurities of American white people? Toni Morrison was also described as haughty, and so is Angela Bassett. One white woman I worked with said that Phylicia Rashad is uppity. White women are not described this way.
In addition, Ms. Norman's speech pattern is no one's business. Did the writer of this article not understand there have been many black people who were lynched in this country, because their proper diction threatened the status quo? I get so sick and tired of white Americans' need to dictate the norms with which my people should present themselves.
48
@Donna Bailey / When so-called "white" American artists die, one rarely, if never, witnesses commentary about their speech patterns in the same way so-called "black" American public figures are subject to scrutiny, as witnessed herein, "Maybe it was inevitable, but during the London years, Ms. Norman started speaking with a trace of a British accent that sometimes slipped into her singing. She insisted in interviews that this wasn’t an affectation, but the result of her penchant for mimicry." One day, maybe, we shall overcome. In the interim, we endure, with a yawn.
5
When asked in an interview how she wanted to be remembered, Jessye Norman looked deeply touched, and responded with warmth and clarity: "Remembered?... ... ...Remembered as being so happy to sing a song; so happy to play a role; so happy that music has imbued and infused my life." But here, as one of the great musicians of the last century has passed, the NYT gives us "haughty" in the title and the writer refers to vocal problems and her "decline"? That's another article, Mr. Tommasini, one you might have written long ago, perhaps after asking Ms. Price and Ms. Verrett and Ms. Battle and, yes, Ms. Norman of their experiences as black women in the opera houses of the world, rather than mentioning that some found her "overbearing" and questioning her accent as you did in this tepid, irritating postmortem. I disagreed with much of what she did—I am a musician, as well—but who cares? Was she always on my list of singers to recommend to students, or to anyone curious? Absolutely. She was a breathtaking artist of astonishing capacity to elevate those in her midst. She had rare magic that can be neither taught nor quantified. So let's celebrate that she was, indeed, "so happy to sing those songs," as magnificently as she did.
40
@Adobe Abode Bravo. Thank you.
6
I would never call her haughty, never. She was gloriously regal, carried herself more royally than any queen. What Tommasini called haughty, I say she was a woman who knew who she was and loved it. Her recordings are wonderful but nothing compared to her live performances. Her magical voice washed over the audience like someone from another world. Thank you, Ms. Norman. We were lucky to have you. Our loss is the angel’s gain.
31
Sure she was a phenomenal singer, but she was also an amazing human being. And YOU'RE using her passing as an opportunity to show us that you have a discerning ear and acute vision. That is shameless. Has she even been gone for 24 hours?
26
her Sieglinde- 92? just shattering... i was in row J dead center, turned around and Lauren Bacall was right behind us- "I wish I could sing like that," she sighed!!
14
My most vivid memory of Jessye Norman is that of a performance she gave at the Metropolitan Opera on October 8 or 18, 1984, in which she appeared as both Cassandra and Dido, the two soprano heroines of Berlioz’s “Les Troyens,” already a momentous feat. The four-hour opera was approaching its end and Mme. Norman was getting ready to sing Dido’s taxing and exalted aria, “Adieu, fière cite,” when the platform on which she was performing collapsed beneath her, and the diva landed on her backside. The audience gasped, but Jessye was unfazed. Without missing a beat or showing the slightest sign of alarm, she commenced to sing the aria from her sitting position with dignity and waves of opulent tone. The end of the aria was greeted of course with thunderous applause.
19
Thank you Mr. Tommasini for your wonderful appreciation.
And RIP Ms. Norman; we were fortunate to experience your voice and your elegance.
3
In an extraordinary career, the legendary Jessye Norman was a peerless singer. But I do have one memory about a performance she gave that left me speechless.
In 1996, Jessye sang at Carnegie Hall under the baton of Jane Glover with the Orchestra of St Lukes. It was billed as an evening of songs that empower women. Her final song of the evening was “Mon coeur souvre a ta voix” from Saint-saen’s opera Samson and Delilah. I have seen this on YouTube a minimum of 5000 times. The first time I heard it I was speechless and stunned. The audience went wild snd rose to their feet. She was incredible. She was a unique snd powerful singer showing vocal greatness we are unlikely to see again. Thank you Maestra Norman. You left the world do much better then you found it for sure.
17
alot of interesting comments. Firstlly, she wasn't in the movie Diva, that was a different black soprano. Not sure what this error says about our perception of minorities in the arts. Second, i agree that this appraisal seems to be a bit biased towards the end of her career when her singing was less good, but of course all singers decline with age. And thirdly, Mr. Tomassini's impression of her persona says as much about him as it does her. Would a white singer seem less haughty to him?
19
@poins Norman was the inspiration for the character of the Diva - according to the author who wrote book on which the film was based. Norman and Leontyne Price are referred to through the novel.
I worked at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1989 as an artist assistant. My job was to coordinate the visiting artists’ time back stage and to assist them with any special requests. One of my main jobs was knocking on the dressing room door to give them ‘their five’. I knocked on her door and said “five minutes”
and in response she sang in the most beautiful voice, “I’ll be right there, thank you!” She was so kind and charming and funny!
23
I was lucky enough to listen to a relatively unknown Jessye Norman at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. She only gave recitals. It was the voice of an angel. Years later, she opened the Met Opera season with Les Troyens. One of the most memorable, touching performances (other than Ariadne and Sieglinde) were the Strauss Lieder at Tanglewood. Thank you, dear Jessye, for having left us a better world through your humanity and your artistry. Now you are an angel singing in Heaven.
14
I remember driving north out of Elko, Nevada toward Idaho, in the car I'd borrowed from my parents, The roof was off, and the sun had set.
I had Jessye Norman singing the Four Last Songs on the stereo.
There was a lightning storm on the western horizon.
Sublime.
17
RIP noble lady, first among equals, heavenly musician, great human being.
15
Jessye Norman had an extraordinary voice, and was a larger-than-life talent, to be sure.
9
She was the very last of those "larger than life" opera superstars like Pavarotti, Sutherland, Nilsson, to mention a select few. Her like may never come again, as HDtv and cinema thrust prettier faces and smaller voices at us.
18
I can only hope, pray and trust, that Ms. Norman’s passing was as beautiful and regal as the life she lived, songs she sang and the countless spirits she lifted beyond the ordinary.
Im Abendrot.
8
My husband and I were in Paris on July 14, 1989—the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. We joined more people than I could ever calculate, huddled near the Seine, as close to the Place de la Concorde as we could nudge. And we heard Jessye Norman sing “La Marseillaise.” We had never heard it (and would never after hear it) performed like that. I still feel the thrill in my memory and the chill in my bones.
23
@Linda Moore
I was there as well; thank you for the vivid memories!
8
@Linda Moore I only heard this on the radio, but her performance was electric and unforgettable. I would like to think that there is a heavenly choir in which she can go on singing into eternity.
8
When I worked for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the 1990s, Jessye Norman volunteered her time to be one of three narrators for a video we produced on breast self-examination. She was incredibly gracious - friendly to a fault. She had special requests: an unopened bottle of water, an unopened package of plastic cups in which to drink the water. And why not? She did not want to get sick, because catching a cold would damage her most important tool: her voice. Her livelihood. Hers was the first of our three celebrity shoots for that video - the other two being Rita Moreno and Meryl Streep - so there were a few bumps in the road as the video crew gained their bearings. But Ms. Norman bore it in stride, laughing with us while exhibiting patience and kindness. The half hour or so that we spent together will always bring a smile to my face.
30
I was lucky enough to see Jessye Norman as Sieglinda in the Metropolitan Opera Wailkure, I think I may have even seen the performance that was filmed! I’ll never forget how her voice reached inside of me. I was standing at the very top in the very back of the Met, as far as I could possibly be from her. That sound never leaves my memory.
17
I enjoyed her in many roles. Will I ever hear a better Sieglinde?
However, being a NYer, nothing like the thrill of realizing that she was sitting close to you at St. Thomas Fifth Ave. I'll forever remember her 'surprise' performance of 'Amazing Grace' at the last service with Father John Andrew, his retirement. Hopefully, they are together now.
27
My husband worked with American artists when they were in Paris in the 70's. He told me one of his fondest memory was of Jesse Norman. He had to get her to the airport to catch her flight - and she couldn't close her luggage. She told him in her grand voice "Patrick, please zip me!" and proceeded to sit on her suitcase while he managed to squeeze her suitcase closed. He told me she was magnificent, funny and a bit of a diva - all deserved - and she made her flight.
34
What a woman of beauty, dignity and such a voice. We all will miss her because she was our American bright star in the universe.
18
I will miss her, and know that heaven is brighter for her being there.
11
Jessye Norman is flawless on the Met's recording of Die Walkure, on a CD that is otherwise a bit of a mixed bag.
6
december 19, 1981, Four Last Songs, ny philharmonic, zubin conducting. half the audience, at least, had tears in its eyes at the end, and it was the first, and only, time i've seen a con-ductor with tears running down his face after a performance.
i have heard nothing like it since. rip, jn.
28
I am no longer surprised when a black woman protecting her most valuable commodify (herself) is accused by a white man as being haughty. Coretta Scott King, Eartha Kitt, Beyonce. And you drove Nina Simone mad. You have no idea. Rest in Power, Ms Norman.
73
@wrowell Yes, yes, YES! Exactly what I thought as I read this.
7
@wrowell My thought exactly.
8
@wrowelThank you!
8
I was on the Champs Elysées in July 1989, when France was celebrating the bicentennial of the French Revolution. The French Republic had put on quite a show with as pièce de resistance Jessye Norman singing La Marseillaise. There had been lots of mumbling when she was chosen to sing, as she was not French. But when she started singing, that night... There was her voice, soaring in the night, relayed by loudspeakers from Place de La Concorde all the way up the Champs; then we heard the choir backing her up; then the public started to sing in unison. Goose bumps. Magic. Unforgettable night. May she rest in the knowledge of her gift she shared with the rest of us, poor mortals.
34
I started my day by listening to the Claudio Abbado/Vienna Philharmonic performance of the Mahler Third Symphony, with Jessye Norman's deeply moving solos in the fourth and fifth movements. It will always be some of my very favorite music. I'm so sorry she has left us, but her voice will live forever.
18
We were blessed with the presence of a musical genius. Bravo, Jessie.
12
I feel so privileged to have seen Jessye Norman in her prime years at the Met in the 80s and 90s. She was magnificent. Even as Kundry.
I did see her later in her career, and yes, her performance was spotty, to say the least. It was a recital at Tanglewood on a warm, sticky evening in 2002. She did a rather poor job on the first piece, then disappeared from the stage for a while. Then she ordered that all the doors to Ozawa Hall -- which is partly open-air and not air-conditioned -- be shut. This forced people who were on the lawn outside to cram themselves into the already full hall. After a long time she returned and still performed poorly. Coupled with the steamy atmosphere, the disappointment was tremendous. She disappeared again for quite some time. Finally, she came out, thanked us for our patience, and sang Strauss's Zueignung.
She was magnificent. And we forgave her everything.
23
Ms. Norman has provided to me countless hours of listening pleasure. The biggest revelation I learned from this article is that she used a Kalmus edition of Brahms when performing at Carnegie Hall. When I was a music student we were strongly discouraged and even admonished for simply inquiring if a Kalmus edition would be acceptable to use in almost every instance.
9
Richard Strauss.
Jessye Norman.
Four Last Songs.
Enough said.
38
Her voice was a gift from heaven.
And I am grateful that she shared it with so many.
There are no "buts".
14
I heard her in Chicago singing Strauss lieder. What a magnificent voice she brought. Yes, translucent. At the time I thought the atmosphere was shimmering and we were transported. As one writer said, thank God she had the strengths and the opportunity to further her innate beauty, her gifts, and her genius.
14
Her Christmastide Album is frequently playing at my house during the holidays. Her singing was unbelievable.
15
Agreed. My Christmas morning begins with Ms. Norman's Cristmastide, and Wynton Marsalis's Baroque Music for Trumpet. These two albums mimic the rising of the sun, and are heralds of celestial hope.
14
As a memorial tribute I just replayed a CD recording of Ms Norman singing Mahler songs. Nobody will ever sing them better.
17
Jessie Norman was in her own way, unique. Yes, she was an amazing opera singer and recitalist, but she was also open minded. She performed at Carnegie Hall on the occasion of John Cage's 100th anniversary of his birth alongside others as just one of the many on stage. She was wonderful.
Mr. Tommasini should not have talked at all about her "decline" and her seeming "haughty". Condescending, snide and uncalled for remarks about an artist whose work will live on well past her life. Will we be able to say that about his reviews???
Ms. Norman, we will surely miss you and your wonderful voice and music. Rest in Peace.
43
@Jeanie LoVetri
Somewhere in the ether where music critics are taught the rights and wrongs of their vocation, there is something that tells them that when assessing a voice, or its owner's career, they must mitigate their positive ravings with something negative in order to be considered 'balanced'; otherwise, they may come over as that most abhorrent of all creatures, a 'fan'. That's what Mr. Tommasini did here, and
his 'balanced' assessment is all that much poorer for it.
19
@Jeanie LoVetri
This isn't an obituary. It is a critic's assessment of her career and to deny that many of her later performances were often less than ideal is a lie. A lie that gives insult to all the wonderful performances she gave. With any artist their lesser work is as much a part of their legacy as everything else and sometimes tells us even more about the artist. The great performances and the not so great performances are all part of Ms. Norman's legacy. To deny that is to deny her humanity.
15
@Jeanie LoVetri Try to remember that not everyone heard Ms. Norman in her prime and own recordings from her prime. For those who are wondering what all the fuss is about, this information might encourage them to investigate recordings from her early career. I can't imagine any respectable journalist writing about Callas and ignoring the vast difference between the Callas of the 1950s and her last recordings. I will remember her for an exquisite "Dove Sono" at Mostly Mozart, and a magnificent "Gurrelieder" with the Boston Symphony at Carnegie Hall. Both were early in her distinguished career.
11
She overthrew every stereotype of the "Wagnerian" soprano; what a delight it was to hear her perform.
10
I am sorry to hear of Ms Norman's passing away. A remarkable women, a great artist with an exceptional voice. She will be missed by classical music enthusiasts. Now is not a time for petty criticism. In an interview on BBC a few years ago she refused to take seriously the criticism of those who 'attend but ever buy their tickets' i.e. art or music critics.
18
Must an obituary of a great artist mention their decline, which happens with most artists as they age?
59
@Ann
I agree, but this wasn't really an obituary. That is elsewhere in the paper. But the fact that this 'assessment' of her career was written within 24 hours of her passing should have allowed for a temporary suspension of such negative criticism. It isn't like Ms. Norman was paid her usual fee for dying and must, therefore, have her career held to a higher standard than might otherwise be the case.
14
@Ann Totally agree. What a bizarre 'appreciation'.
9
I first saw Jessye Norman perform in Rochester in 2000. She hadn't finished singing. The audience began to applaud prematurely. With one tiny gesture of her index finger, she silenced the crowd. Such incredible presence and charisma.
22
Just watched the video of Ms. Norman singing La Marseillaise at the Place de la Concorde on Bastille Day 1989. Still gives me goosebumps. Brava!
16
Paris, likely around 1979; Jessye Norman spends some time in an apartment, rue Herold near les Halles.
She is rehearsing every day and her voice can be heard through the open windows anywhere in that tiny street.
A few months after, I purchased her "Spirituals" album, recorded in London but rehearsed rue Herold.
I still have it and will play it now.
32
When I was a music student at SUNY Buffalo, way back in the 70s, Jessye Norman came to visit our program and gave a master class. One of my friends was fortunate enough to take the class, and since I had a work-study job in the Concert Office, I was fortunate enough to meet her, too. I’ve always remembered how warm and gracious she was - and, of course, her glorious voice. We’re all lucky to have had her on this earth with us.
31
One early morning in Santa Fe, years ago, I was walking up the street and heard an aria booming off the walls of the buildings. I looked up and Jessie Norman was walking towards me, obviously enjoying the morning. it was a highlight of my life. i just stood there and listened.
70
@Carol
I’m so envious I could weep! Lucky you.
15
Saw Norman sing Strauss's Last Songs at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia: a beautiful, haunting performance.
9
Jessye Norman singing the last four songs makes me forget where I am. It brings shivers to my heart, makes me feel I glide or surf a wave, it’s just flying to an unknown place.
28
I first heard Ms Norman on a PBS documentary "Amazing Grace" back in the 80's. Not a huge fan of opera at that time, I was cynical that they chose an opera singer to sing a song "of the common folks." I was wrong. Appropriately smitten, I started searching for her recordings. When I heard her sing in "Samson and Delilah" I wept. We all weep with her passing and rejoice in the recordings she has left us.
56
This is indeed a moment to remember her greatness, NOT her decline ... All singers tend to decline with age, sometimes gradually, and sometimes quickly. We were blessed to have her with us in top form for at least two decades.
Must she being reviewed again by yet another critic even after her death?
107
@RD Love her Christmas music
3
@RD
Singers get reviewed by critics. It's part of the job. Without critics you might never have heard of Ms. Norman in the first place. It's a critic's job to assess the good and the bad, not assuage your tender feelings.
1
I met Jessye Norman several times. Forget the regal, she was one of the most down to earth, frank musicians I ever encountered. And what an intellect! When she sang Tove, from Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, she finished each passage radiating emotion. When her orchestral motives ended and those of Waldemar began, she went completely blank, "disappearing". It was a remarkable feat of acting, more so, as she was simply standing with no lighting tricks, just facial expression! Her recordings of Berg songs are sublime.
40
Possibly the greatest Isolde I have ever heard, and a lovely person as well who understood everything about the business. Thank god she somehow found the chance to develop her enormous talent, intelligence and personality.
31
Erlkonig. Dido’s Lament. Widmung. Four Last Songs. He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands. I wore out Brava Jessye! in high school and college. I had no idea what she was saying for the most part but it didn’t matter. When I finally saw her in person she didn’t disappoint. Jessye Norman was a force of nature. The choirs of angels has a new lead singer.
39
I will never forget her performance at Bill Clinton's second inauguration. Tom Brokaw called her talent "transcendent," and her effortless voice and commanding presence embodied the dignity and joy of the occasion. We have lost a national treasure.
68
@Greek Goddess Not a national treasure but on of a few treasures of humanity. Be very grateful that we shared some time with her.
8
We have lost a magnificent singer and musician. Ms. Norman's interpretations of the late romantics - Mahler and Strauss lieder - was sublime. And she made Schoenberg remarkably dramatic and accessible for audiences unaccustomed to such difficult repertoire.
A great artist and a great spirit.
42
I had the honor of meeting Ms. Norman at a fundraising event many years ago in Boston. One of the event planners dragged shy me -- completely star-struck -- up to meet her. She had a magnificent presence and aura that equaled her musical talent, and I was rendered totally speechless. But she immediately took my hand and held it, and spoke in such a kind and warm way, that she instantly put me at ease. At that point, I knew I was in the presence of greatness in every way...
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I fell in love with opera and classical vocal music in the 1980s thanks to Jessye and a friend who loved her. He played me her recording of Strauss's Four Last Songs and I was swept away in that enveloping, luxurious sound of her at her best. I think one critic praised that recording for featuring what he described as one of the most thrilling vocal crescendos ever put on record, and that's not an overstatement. I went on to hear her perform those songs at Saratoga, and I remember goosebumps. I also heard her in recital several times in Toronto, and in a performance of Mahler's Third there with the symphony. It was always a thrill to hear that voice in person. One of my favourite performances was her unforgettable concert of spirituals at Carnegie Hall with an equally brilliant Kathleen Battle, who was also in superb voice that night. It was filmed for PBS and released as a CD and I never tire of listening to it. Many clips from that concert are on youtube. Check the sublime duet with Norman and Battle in "There is a Balm in Gilead." I'm listening to it now as I think of Jessye and how much thrilling musicality she offered us at her peak. Brava, Jessye, and thank-you!
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That Phillips recording of the Vier Letzte Leider under Masur is the only CD I've worn out like an old 33. Glorious...
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@DaCapo
also my favorite. Every time is as if it were the first magical time.
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@Balcony Bill "There is a Balm in Gilead." Yes!! A thousand times yes. What a duet, what a piece. If you're ever in a bad mood play it.
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I first heard Jessye's voice watching a French film "Diva" in the 1970s. She appeared in the film as a mysterious, elegant and incredible opera singer. I later met her in New York and she was funny, charming and had a wonderful laugh. She sang the most beautiful spirituals, italian, german and french opera with a sound which was unique to her and to formidible voice and training. She was also a marvellous actress and a beloved friend to a select group of people. She was a shining example for music lovers everywhere and African Americans in particular. RIP Jesseye. Thank you for the memories.
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@April- that actually wasn't Miss Norman. That was the wonderful spinto, Willhemina Fenandez-Wiggins, who sang all the material in the movie. She is still alive and singing.
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@April Actually, the film "Diva" was made in 1981, and Jessye Norman was not the soprano. Wilhelmenia Fernandez, who played Cynthia Hawkins, was an established opera singer who did her own singing in the movie. It was based on a book written by a French author. However, if Jessye Norman had been in a movie, one could imagine her playing that character.
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@Scientist Could the title character have been based on Jessye Norman? If Diva was made in 1981, it could have been conceived in the late 1970s when Ms Norman was in London, perhaps known for her earlier Deutsche Oper appearances but then not singing for 5 years? The title character in Diva was supposed to be notoriously reclusive if I recall correctly, therefore unavailable, giving the recording its value.
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Had the great honor of photographing her at a DC event. What a wonderful presence. She will be missed. Photos here: chrisstump.com
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@chris Great photos. Thanks for posting. PS: I am heartbroken. Saw her perform 3 times: at the Met, in Boston, and finally on Minneapolis.
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I recall Norman for two things: the magisterial sound of her voice in a recording with Masur and the Gewandhaus of Strauss's Four Last Songs (the German left something to be desired, however) and her live performance (broadcast) of Schoenberg's Erwartung. As I watched, I thought: how does any singer negotiate a score so challenging on stage? Only a capaciously intelligent one.
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Norman was an amazing soprano, as a singer there have been many times when I have looked to her technique as my example to grow as a singer. Though her technique at times might have been criticized, there is no doubt she had an undeniable talent. She will be missed by so many. A true opera legend.
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