CDA: Benita Valente

I was saddened to read in The Times about the death of soprano Benita Valente at the age of 91. I was lucky to have turned pages for two recitals for her back in Wisconsin - - a shared recital with her beloved friend Tatiana Troyanos and a solo recital a year or so later. She was an exceptionally gifted singer, a lovely voice used in the service of the music. She worked consistently but didn't really hit the big time. Her obit said she never got the recognition she deserved for the level of her artistry. It might have been because her singing was rather placid and well-mannered compared to some of her more fiery colleagues. She was a mensch, something that isn't always appreciated in the world of opera.

I also heard her sing Britten's Les Illuminiations with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Madison and HOLY CRAP she was astounding in that. And I heard her do master classes during both of those recital visits, her comments were always kind and helpful and you could sense an improvement in the singers by the end of their time with her. That doesn't happen with every master class.

Here she is singing lovely Saint-Saëns song for soprano, violin, and piano. Funny, the color of her voice reminds me of Beverly Sills...