Strider Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Late last night/early this morning, I found out about the passing of one of my favourite singers, Catalan soprano Montserrat Figueras, of cancer on November 23. It was in this past Sunday's New York Times obituary section. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/28/arts/music/montserrat-figueras-catalan-soprano-dies-at-69.html Truly sad news...and it's put a bit of a damper on my Monday. I'm not going out, not watching Monday night football...not doing anything but staying in and listening to her music. Born in Barcelona, Spain, she had an incredible voice, and along with her partner and husband Jordi Savall, was instrumental in reviving early (Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque) music, especially the Spanish repertoire of the 16th and 17th centuries. Most people's first encounter with her voice was probably with the soundtrack to the excellent French film "Tous les matins du monde"("All the Mornings of the World") which was released in 1991, where her voice appears, along with Maria-Cristina Kiehr's, on the 3d Leçon des Ténèbres by François Couperin. http://youtu.be/UbREakKFTow It was this movie that introduced me to the viola da gamba(a precursor to the cello) and lead me to discover the music of Sainte-Colombe and Marin Marais. Of course, if you haven't seen it, I urge you to rent it immediately! Her and Jordi's work with ensembles such as Hespèrion XX, and later, Le Concert des Nations, are essential listening and a must for any classical music-lover's collection. You can read and hear more about Montserrat Figueras here: http://www.alia-vox.com/ http://www.therestis...t-figueras.html http://www.npr.org/b...usic-dies-at-69 Rest in Peace Montserrat Figueras 1942-2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share Posted December 6, 2011 Two of my favourite Montserrat Figueras releases are "Lux Feminae": http://www.amazon.co...s/dp/B000CBSVXU http://youtu.be/l_680rVNVoA And "El Cant de la Sibil-la"...this is simply STUNNING! http://www.amazon.com/El-Cant-Sibil-Montserrat-Figueras/dp/B004DY5B1M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redrum Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 May she rest in peace. I also love soprano singers and one of my faves is Dawn Upshaw on Henryk Gorecki's 'Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs' cd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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