Listen to only the first track of this recording, a heart-wrenching setting of Emily Dickinson's poem "I shall not live in vain" sung by Renée Fleming, and be immediately convinced that this compilation by Jake Heggie is a must for any lover of song. THE FACES OF LOVE testifies to Heggie's nimble sensitivity in setting words to music, as he draws from a wide range of poetry, while always seeming to find the most unforced and compelling means to make these lyrics sing.
As the San Francisco Opera's first CHASE Composer-in-Residence, Heggie has had the benefit of forming professional relationships with some of the world's greatest singers, a number of whom appear on this disk in songs written expressly for them. This intimate knowledge of individual voices and personalities has enabled Heggie to write unusually idiomatic vocal music for such distinctive singers as Fleming, Carol Vaness, Frederica von Stade, and Jennifer Larmore--the four most thoughtful collaborators on this disk.
REVIEWS:
Newsday (4/30/00, p.26) - "...The disc, which is an impressive calling card, makes it clear what these singers respond to...[Heggie's] melodies play out in floating, sometimes startling movements, like a breeze-tossed kite...Heggie can also be a delightful colorist, possessed of a natural, elegant eloquence..."