Kiri! Her Greatest Hits Live

A very fine Dame Kiri

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa was never between my favourite singers but I have to admit that she is really a respectable artist and this lovely cd proves how versatile she is and how she managed to keep a fresh and mellow tone even in her fifties. She is really at her best in the extracts from Citizen Kane and the operetta The Enchanteress. It's a pity that no Verdi music is included in the program, Kiri Te Kanawa was a great Amelia (Simon Boccanegra) and a moving Desdemona. A very fine Dame Kiri indeed. January 5, 2006

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

OK. I'm going to go out on a limb here. This is, IMHO, Dame Kiri's finest recorded performance.

I know that's taking in a whole lot of territory, but there is something simply magical, and magisterial, about her singing here.

Yes, I know "perfection" is that illusive impossibility to be sought but never achieved. However, on this night I think Dame Kiri did achieve perfection.

Simply a glorious life affirming performance by one of the great singing artists of the last fifty years.

Dame Kiri, Happy Birthday, and thank you. April 15, 2005

Listen to a real diva!

Kiri's exquisite voice and expansive repertoire make for an unbeatable combination which reaches its crescendo on this special evening. A full symphony orchestra, two choruses, a jazz trio, and even a tenor (!) help Kiri in celebrating her 50th birthday. (That's her chronological age, the voice is timeless.) The hall's accoustics are excellent and orchestra and audience support without intruding. One of the reasons why I love Kiri's singing is that I believe she sings the songs the way the composer wanted them to be sung without the sometimes annoying embellishments employed by others. Kiri includes songs sung in her ancestral Maori in a program that takes the listener from the opera house to Broadway and then to an intimate jazz club. I love live concerts because I feel most artists are at their best before a live audience and this cd is proof. I don't believe that there is another artist recording today that has covered such a wide range of song styles and done it with such beauty and skill. This disc is confirmation. If you only buy one Kiri cd, make it this one. But don't be surprised if you start buying many more! December 17, 2002

She Is the Best

The first time I ever heard the voice of Kiri Te Kanawa was on a recording of Salaambo's aria from CITIZEN KANE for the RCA film classics series on vinyl. It was one of the most haunting and beautiful pieces of music ever composed by Bernard Herrmann. It was Kiri Te Kanawa performance of this piece that was so incredible. I had seen the film several times, but to hear a high fidelity recording of Kiri Te Kanawa on this particular piece really demonstrated not only the raw talent but also a depth of intuitive emotion that she brought to Herrmann's composition. Anyone that could interpret the inner struggle behind Herrmann's music so precisely demonstrated an uncommon ability to become one with the music. I still can't pronounce her name correctly but Kiri Te Kanawa is the epitome of a well-honed talent. She is a gift to us all. This CD is very welcome. October 26, 2002

Brava Kiri!

What a truly breathtaking concert! Kiri is obviously one of the top three divas to surface over the past fifty years!

Her technique is spotless, her tonality marvelous, and her intonation superb! For those worried about Kiri's "maturing" sound; age has brought a "different" soprano, but one just as lovely as ever...

The selection of music was fabulous, such a variety brings about an interesting and lively effect...

Kiri's Greatest Hits Live!, was truly a wonderful addition to my collection...I would recommend it to any opera fan! August 26, 2002

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