Jessye Norman belts it out at 65: “wobbly” but “sassy”

Norman's entrance, from the side of the lawn, gave cause for concern. Singing “Somewhere” from Bernstein's “West Side Story,” Norman sounded wobbly, edgy at the top and patchy in color. She still had volcanic power over and above the miking; even so, one worried how much of her fabled velvety voice remained after largely departing her operatic career. Still, she got an instant standing ovation from the 600 or so guests who had been enjoying alfresco dinners at comfortable tables arranged on the grounds.

There were other moments of iffy pitch and dry color, especially when she sang softly, as in Gershwin's “Love Walked In” or Ellington's “Don't Get Around Much Anymore.” But Norman showed she could easily both power up and soar, and also pull in, get down and put over a song with sassiness and stylish scat singing, whatever the piece.

via latimes.com

Photo:  Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.