Great Performances - Eileen Farrell - Puccini Arias and Others in the Great Tradition

The child of veteran vaudevillians, Eileen Farrell grew to become one of the greatest American sopranos of the 20th century, though one whose career centered primarily on the concert stage and radio rather than the theatrical spotlight. That discomfort with the role of traditional diva may have shortchanged her recording career over the long run, but it imparted these peformances of a dozen beloved Puccini arias and a handful of sympathetic vocal pieces by Beethoven, Gluck and von Weber with a sense of human drama too often missing in more technically focused takes by others. Whether inspired by the legacy of her show biz roots or her unpretentious persona, Farrell subtly suffuses these marvelous performances (originally recorded for Columbia in the then-new stereo process in 1958-59) with something akin to the saloon singer's dictum: find a personal emotional connection with the song and sell it passionately to your audience. That isn't to shortchange the impeccable qualities of Farrell's voice — an instrument of masterful power and rarer dynamic range — but rather to emphasize the shrewd, artistically rewarding way she uses it throughout.