Search - Jaime Ovalle, Claudio Santoro, Oscar Lorenzo Fernandez :: Modinha: Brazilian Songs

Glorious repertoire, sublime performances

Maria Jette | excelsior, mn USA | 02/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Inexplicably, Amazon doen't list the name of the SINGER on this album of songs! She is the wonderful Spanish mezzo, María José Montiel. Luiz de Moura Castro is the pianist, an equal partner in the songs and excellent soloist on the several piano solos in the recital. I'm completely beguiled by Ms. Montiel's sound, which is creamy/velvety/lush/melodious... and absolutely natural, i.e. not manipulated or synthetic in any way. Just the warmest, most satiny sort of sound, perfect intonation, legato, expression, EVERYTHING. Also, clearly there's a real mind behind the instrument. She is quite famous in Spain, but not in the USA-- that should change! There is a vast treasure trove of vocal music in Latin America, and this is a VERY appetizing sampler. The only drawback is that you're likely to be disappointed by most of the other available recordings of this repertoire once you've heard this one. On the other hand, you could just listen to Montiel and Castro over and over."