Marilyn Horne, the legendary American operatic mezzo-soprano, is a singing institution all in her compact self. One of the rare operatic singers who could cross-over to sing popular songs equally well, this DVD of her solo recital from La Scala in Milan on 2 June 1981 captures the 43 years old Marilyn Horne at her vocal peak... And her peak is much taller than her 5'2" frame implies.

After the opening credits, the recital opens with;
Händel (track 2)
Semele: Awake Saturnia/ Iris, hence away
This is how General Horne shows she's the master of ceremony at her recital... opening the program with a furiously bloodthirsty recitative and rage aria from Handel's English opera.

Beethoven
3. In questa tomba oscura, 4. Ich liebe dich, 5. Busslied

In questa tomba oscura (In this dark tomb, let me rest) is a quiet song of reproach by a recently deceased to her inconsiderate lover who didn't show her deserved tenderness when he had the chance. The very kind of song you don't want to entertain the idea of your beloved singing at you as you mourn at her grave. Sung with the commanding voice of Marilyn Horne, it is a barb of a song that is beautifully terrible to hear.

Ich liebe dich (I love you, and you love me) is just the kind of thing the (by now thoroughly flustered) lover would sing back to his beloved, reminding her of the good time and invoking god to preserve their love forever.... And, seeing how ineffective this tactic is in calming her spirit, he sings Busslied, a song of repentance of a sinner who pleads to god for mercy. It is a marvelous piece with Horne's sinner's prayer being answered in real time by Martin Katz's Almighty piano playing (I don't mean that he sounds like a powerful god, but it sure is a good impersonation of one who is touched by the prayer).

FM Alvarez
6. La Partida
From a trio of German songs to a Spanish expatriate's yearning for her homeland. Honestly, had the Spanish ambassador been in the audience at La Scala during this recital, I bet he'd have naturalized her a Spanish on the spot.

X Montsalvatge
7. Canción de cuna
This is a beautiful lullaby gorgeously sung with a lighter voice by Marilyn Horne. I really wouldn't mind having this be the last thing I hear before drifting off to Dreamland every night of my remaining days... Though Horne's rendition is so gorgeous that I'd end up resisting sleep in order to keep hitting the 'replay' button at the end of it.

E Granados
8. La Maja dolorosa
If any song can raise the dead, this is it. If only I can berate Death in such an incisive manner as La Horne does in this number, all my pets would come back to live and my landlord will finally have a good reason to kick me out of the building from having turned the pad into a bustling zoo.

F Obradors
9. El vito
This short burst of Spanish dance song is a great tease song to snap one right out of the death and sufferings of the earlier numbers.

G Rossini
10. Semiramide: Eccomi alfine/ Ah, quel giorno/ Oh, come da quel di
The gallant warrior Arsace finally returns to Babylonia, has a look around, and looks forward to reuniting with his beloved Azema. It's a long and demanding cavatina that sees practically all sides of our hero in the space of just a few minutes. Accompanied by the flawless one-man-orchestra of Martin Katz, Marilyn Horne showcases why she was so in-demand as the premiere Rossini mezzo of her days. It's mind-blowing how a voice this big can move so fast. The only objection I can offer is in how untheatrical her ornamentation is (not really in the ornament itself, but how she sings it as a 'virtuoso flare') ... but then this is a solo recital rather than an opera performance, so that's not a flaw at all.

H Duparc
11. L'invitaion au voyage, 12. Extase, 13. Le manoir de Rosemonde
L'invitation au voyage is an aptly picturesque song a nostalgic Frenchman sings to entice female relatives to go and live with him by painting a lovely picture of their lives together... An offer that's hard to refuse especially when the singer's picture of a romantic villa by the canal is aided aurally by Katz's perfectly aquatic piano strokes. Though the necrophilic Extase (#12) should give pause to anyone seriously considering the proposal of the previous number. Le manoir de Rosemonde closes the cycle with a dramatic retelling of loving and losing Rosemonde.

A Copeland: Old American Songs
14. Simple Gifts, 15. Ching a Ring Chaw, 16. Long Time Ago, 17. At the River
These are beloved American songs we all think we know well. They are hardly ever so exquisitely sung, though. I usually have the hardest time deciphering the English lyric sung by operatic divas, but no such problem is to be had with Marilyn Horne. It's an amazing thing, considering that by this point in the recital she had sung in 5 different languages; English, Italian, German, Spanish, & French... and convincingly displayed nostalgia about 3 different 'homelands'; Spain, Babylonia, & France. The American songs here aren't nostalgic per se, but Copeland's arrangement and Horne's soulful rendition of them paints American as homily as a big serving of sonic apple pie and cider.

Presentation of Award by the Mayor of Milan
G Donizetti
19. Lucrezia Borgia: Il segreto per esser felice (Brindisi)
G Rossini
20. Se il vuol, la molinara
Sample: www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7t72s7xLy0
Strangely enough, of all the numbers included, I love her rendition of the simple songs a lot more than the virtuoso ones. This is not because she isn't virtuosic enough, but because of the opposite... To me, they are too showy. Track 19 is the Brindisi (Drinking Song) from Donizetti's rarely performed opera about the infamous Venetian femme fatale whose prowess at death-inducing chemistry yields a tragic ending most becoming of an operatic diva. Drinking without thought for tomorrow is the virtue according to this florid toast. #20 is introduced by Horne herself as possibly the first song Rossini wrote. I'd take that with a grain of salt, but it sure is a cute gem worth rediscovering.

S Foster
21. Beautiful Dreamer, 23. Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-drAf-BQaRc
Honestly... My biggest problem with Marilyn Horne is that she is a 'singer' rather than a 'story-teller'. Her singing is always impeccably musical, but she doesn't always tell the story that the songs carry... unless they are sung in English like these final two tracks are! Have a listen to the sample track on Youtube and you will share my wonder that the audience let her leave Milan without another English encore or two, or three... I would have kept on clapping and stomping my feet until the roof caves in to get her to come back and sing another song, no matter how inhumane it might be for the singer!

Marilyn Horne doesn't move around much when she sings, which isn't a bad thing during a recital like this. Everything goes into the singing for her, and the singing is stupendously marvelous. Her voice is a kind that comes around once in a few generations. It is a unique instrument that is large, rangy, superbly controlled, and deceptively agile. She could and did sing everything... and did so exceedingly well. I'm envious of those who got to hear her live in her prime, and I'm very grateful for VAI that this amazing recital is commercially available.


This DVD is an absolute must buy for any lover of classical and opera singing. Both Marilyn Horne and Martin Katz are at the top of their form, and their synergy lights up the DVD player like a pair of dynamite on speed. The picture is good, video editing complimentary to the singer, and the mono-sound doesn't hurt at all. Subtitle is available in 4 languages (English, French, German, Italian) and is mostly good, though occasionally missing a word or two (most notably the 'away' in the first phrase of Juno's aria on track 2).

1 DVD. Play-time: 88 min. Songs sung in original language with subtitle in: English, German, French, Italian. Only track list included in case lining. No printed libretto.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up to Age 4