Reviews

16th, 17th Century music: "Here's a winner. Carol Plantamura's flexible, expressive and rich soprano is accompanied impeccably by Jürgen Hübscher's lute and Beverly Lauridsen's viola da gamba, and the repertory is unusual and compelling." (One of 14 recordings to receive Charles Shere's four-star [excellent] rating during the year) Charles Shere, Oakland Tribune.

"A well-chosen programme of seventeenth century songs and lute music, pleasantly performed, plus a genuine surprise .... Carol Plantamura is a singer of extensive experience, a good deal of it in contemporary music ... She lived for twenty years in Italy, and her love and understanding of things Italian is evident in her singing here ... Her singing is idiomatic and personable, with a strong - but not exaggerated - sense of drama and Juergen Huebscher and Beverly Lauridsen are sympathetic accompanists." Glyn Pursglove, www.musicweb-international.com

"A certain theatrical temperament shines through this performance, and given the repertoire, it's altogether appropriate. This is a delightful selection of music, brought to life with verve and style by Plantamura, Hübscher, and Lauridsen. Very good sound, texts / translations, and notes. A first-class performance of a delectable program. Warmly recommended. Carol Kimball, NATS Journal [National Association of Teachers of Singing].

Kabat: "Julie Kabat is a truly enchanting artist." John Hammond, Former Executive Producer, CBS Records. "a genuine original." Allen Hughes, The New York Times. "The only regret is not seeing her in action." P. Miller, American Record Guide.

"The Five Poems by H.D. are beautiful. The glass harmonica has a ravishing sound that is novel and immediately captivating. The music is understated, but evocative and it has an other-worldly quality that is perfectly suited to the imagist poetry. Invocation in Centrifugal Form for glass harmonica and soprano, singing vocalise and speaking glossolalia-like nonsense syllables, is a purely textural piece. The work has a surrealistic quality that is lovely and intriguing." D.P.S., Fanfare.

"If one chooses to listen to the CD straight through then, having been steeped in the idioms of seventeenth century Italy for some fifty minutes, it does indeed come as something of a surprise when Julie Kabat's performance of her setting of five poems by H.D. (i.e. Hilda Doolittle) begins .... Look merely at the instrumentation and one assumes that this is going to be rather silly or gimmicky. In fact the results are striking and intriguing. The unearthly sound produced by the combination of the glass harmonium and the violin proves to be a wholly appropriate background to Ms. Kabat's slow-paced reading of H.D.'s words." Glyn Pursglove, www.musicweb-international.com