The Newest British Flagship

Kate Royal is one of the most ballyhooed young singers in the world right now. And, thank goodness, there’s something to ballyhoo. She is an English soprano, in her late 20s. She recently graced the cover of Gramophone magazine, a bible of classical-music recordings. She is that kind of singer: a cover girl. In fact, there’s a little — I said a little — of Catherine Zeta-Jones in her.Some of us had noticed her in small parts on two CDs: One of them was a recording of an oratorio by Paul McCartney (yes); and the other was an album of Ian Bostridge singing Handel – Kate joined him for a couple of duets. Now she has a CD of her own, on EMI Classics, her label. And it’s only right that it should be her label: EMI is a British flagship, and Ms. Royal bids fair to be such a ship herself.The contents of the new CD are varied, which, right off the bat, is a blessing. Not for Ms. Royal a theme: songs about the snail darter; songs by left-handed Hispanic lesbians of the 18th century — you know the fashion. No, Ms. Royal sings the music on her CD because a) she likes it and b) it provides a nice balance. This approach is utterly refreshing, and so old, it’s novel.She sings her songs and arias with another British flagship, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, conducted by Edward Gardner.The disc begins with French music, a repertoire to which Ms. Royal has pledged allegiance. She would not be the first Englishwoman to excel in French music — among her forebears are Maggie Teyte and Janet Baker. Ms. Royal leads off with Debussy’s Air de Lia, in which we discover her basic traits: She has a pleasing soprano voice, slightly dusky; she has solid technical control; and she has ample musical taste.One of the best things about her Debussy is that she resists oversinging in it. She has almost an instrumentalist’s awareness of what to do (no undue offense to singers!).Ms. Royal continues with something lightish, Delibes’s “Filles de Cadix,” which the late Victoria de los Angeles liked to sing. Ms. Royal doesn’t sing it as saucily and deliciously as that – but she sings it fine. And she continues with three ofCanteloube’s”AuvergneSongs.” We note the tenderness and affection with which she sings. And she is particularly good at keeping the breath moving through the sound, which these Canteloube songs can very much use, and which just about all vocal music can use.Next she sings Ravel’s “Vocalise en forme de habanera” — in which she is markedly sultry. This is no prim Englishwoman, Kate Royal.After the Ravel comes an aria by a Russian composer that is one of the most famous and best arias in the English language: Anne Trulove’s Aria (a three-parter) from “The Rake’s Progress” by Stravinsky. This is one of the most challenging and appealing arias around, and Ms. Royal is right to be drawn to it. It’s a pleasure to hear her sing in her native tongue. She sings the first two parts of the aria carefully and sensibly. And, to the last part, she brings the needed incisiveness and excitement. Oh, what a thrilling piece this is! It concludes with a difficult high C, and Ms. Royal sort of grabs at it, and holds it for a pretty brief time. But it’s there. (This is a studio recording, after all!)Next on the album is a bit of a surprise: In trutina, from Carl Orff’s “Carmina Burana.” We think of “CB” as a big, bombastic thing — but In trutina is lovely and dear, and Ms. Royal sings it that way. It’s possibly the best singing on the disc. And In trutina is a winning little piece — Orff, that old Nazi, had talent.And while we’re on the general subject: Ms. Royal gives us three songs of Strauss. In the CD booklet, she is quoted as saying, “When I sing Strauss, I feel it’s what I’m supposed to be doing in life.” A lot of singers have felt this way — a lot of sopranos, I should say.Ms. Royal sings “Wiegenlied,” that immortal lullaby, and does so with maternal love (or some kind of love). Her sound can be slightly muffled, however, and it would be nice to clear it up a tad. “Ich wollt’ ein Sträusslein binden” is appropriately slinky and mysterious. And just when you don’t think you can hear “Morgen!” again — you can. This is a credit both to Strauss and to Ms. Royal.She closes her album with Spanish music, by Granados and Rodrigo. I intend no insult when I say that Ms. Royal does not strike me as a natural Spanish singer — she does not have an especially Spanish flavor. For one thing, the sound is often too cushiony for the music. But she sings this repertoire with heart, and for that and other reasons, she sings it effectively. Rodrigo’s “Con qué la lavaré” is especially good, mainly for its simplicity.Her final Rodrigo song is “De los álamos vengo, madre,” another de los Angeles favorite – or at least a song associated with her. Ms. Royal sings it in the lowish key of G, and I think it works better in the brighter key of A. Frankly, Ms. Royal is a somewhat mezzo-y soprano. I also think the song should be faster and peppier. But Kate should not be picked on – she sings “De los álamos … ” well enough, and she does a service by perpetuating it.I said she ends her album with Spanish music — but, actually, the very final track is an English folk song, “The Sprig of Thyme.” And Ms. Royal sings it purely and inarguably. This is an impressive and valuable recording debut — and the soprano should be around to give us more albums, and many admirable live performances, for decades to come.

The Newest British Flagship

The Newest British Flagship

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