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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2008 > April > 08 > Entry
Review: Kathleen Battle at the Long Center
It was a diva evening: glittering opera legend graces the stage of the Dell Hall on Monday night at the new, and equally glittering, $77 million Long Center for the Performing Arts hosting the first classical concert presented by the Long Center itself.
Days before her much-anticipated return to Carnegie Hall this Sunday, luminary soprano Kathleen Battle sang a captivating two-hour recital with selections spanning three centuries, from baroque to gospel.
To be sure, there was some inconsistency with Battle’s delivery. Perhaps she was holding back in preparation for Carnegie Hall? Still, when she did deliver she did so brilliantly, re-affirming that at moments Battle still has one of the most distinctive voices of our era. And she also re-affirmed that the acoustics of the new Dell Hall sparkle with perfection.
Taking the stage in a simple yet elegant black velvet dress and wrapping a full-length golden satin stole around her with dramatic flair, Battle began with a set of songs by baroque composer Henry Purcell — a strange fit for her that she obliviously seemed unsure of herself with, as was evident in her breathy delivery and unsure pitch on sustained notes. Her surety and flair kicked in a bit more when she moved on to a set of Schubert lieder, and a trio of songs by Felix Mendelssohn demonstrated her extraordinary clarity and dramatic turns.
After intermission, she resoundingly impressed with Franz Liszt’s “Die Lorelei” garnering the first of several shouts of “brava” from the audience that rippled through the recital’s second half.
But when she emerged alone on stage without accompanying pianist Ted Taylor to sing an awe-inspiring a cappella version of “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” we heard the legendary beauty. Gone was the distracted glancing at musical scores, the audible inhaling of breath, the odd facial expressions. Instead, Battle unleashed a full, rich, resonant sound.
And that was the diva the audiences came to hear.
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