Bel canto arias by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and Verdi Sumi Jo, soprano; English Chamber Orchestra, Giuliano Carella, conductor (Erato)
Mozart opera arias Sumi Jo, soprano; English Chamber Orchestra, Kenneth Montgomery, conductor (Erato)
Bel canto arias by Rossini, Donizetti and Bellini Eva Mei, soprano; Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, Janos Kovacs, conductor (RCA Victor)
The Korean soprano Sumi Jo is a known quantity in Chicago, having sung the Queen of the Night in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” at Lyric Opera. One’s positive impressions are borne out by her two new aria collections. Indeed, the Erato disc of Mozart opera and concert arias shows her to be among the front rank of today’s lyric-coloratura songbirds.
From a dazzling “Martern aller Arten” to several concert arias, the soprano displays excellent technique, a laser-bright vocal line and well-schooled Mozartean style. But beyond the brilliant vocalism of most of her selections, she is able to warm and refine her tone to produce a melting “L’amero, saro costante,” from “Il Re Pastore.”
On her bel canto collection, Jo traces the elaborate coloratura of such bravura showpieces as Rossini’s “Bel raggio lusinghier” and Donizetti’s “O luce di quest’anima” with insouciant ease, bell-like clarity and delicate colorations. Best of all, surprisingly, is her first-act scena from Verdi’s “La Traviata.” Historians tells us this is how the great Violettas of the past sounded–light, bright and flexible, rather than heavy and emotive in the post-Callas manner favored by most of today’s divas.
Some critics have found Jo’s sound a bit artificial, but it must be said that Mei’s voice sounds far more manufactured in her RCA disc of bel canto favorites and rarities. To be sure, there is some exciting vocalism here. The brilliance of Mei’s cabalettas should delight any canary-fancier, while she invests the aria “Dopo l’oscuro nembo,” from Bellini’s “Adelson e Salvini,” with lyrical warmth and sincerity. But the technique is problematic, with a different sound for each register. This accounts for the relative fragility of her tone–a worrisome development for a singer so young.
