Girl with Orange Lips

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
This was a seminal recital album: Dawn Upshaw not only came of age artistically but showed the world she wouldn't be maintaining the status quo repertoire. The program is a carefully sequenced succession of darkly mysterious exotica, including Maurice Delage's Four Hindu Poems, Stravinsky's Three Japanese Lyrics and Ravel's Three Mallarme Poems, all abstractly poetic and couching the voice in chamber ensembles with unusual instrumental combinations. What makes Upshaw so perfect for this is that her clarity of voice and purpose keep it all from becoming puzzling and obscure. --David Patrick Stearns

Tracks:

Psych Falla
Trois pos de Stane MallarmI. Soupir
Trois pos de Stane MallarmII. Placet futile
Trois pos de Stane MallarmIII. Surgi de la croupe et du bond
Two Poems Of Konstantin Bal'mont: I. The Flower
Two Poems Of Konstantin Bal'mont: II. The Dove
Where Grief Slumbers: Listen To It Rain
Where Grief Slumbers: From Drunken Boat
Where Grief Slumbers: It's Raining
Where Grief Slumbers: Ophelia
Where Grief Slumbers: The Farewell
Where Grief Slumbers: The Departure
Where Grief Slumbers: The Girl With Orange Lips
Three Japanese Lyrics: I. Akahito
Three Japanese Lyrics: II. Mazatsumi
Three Japanese Lyrics: III. Tsaraiuki
Quatre pos hindous: I. Madras - Une belle...
Quatre pos hindous: II. Lahore - Un Sapin isole
Quatre pos hindous: III. Br- Naissance de Bouddha
Quatre pos hindous: IV. Jeypur - Si vous pensez

Amazon.com essential recording

This was a seminal recital album: Dawn Upshaw not only came of age artistically but showed the world she wouldn't be maintaining the status quo repertoire. The program is a carefully sequenced succession of darkly mysterious exotica, including Maurice Delage's Four Hindu Poems, Stravinsky's Three Japanese Lyrics and Ravel's Three Mallarme Poems, all abstractly poetic and couching the voice in chamber ensembles with unusual instrumental combinations. What makes Upshaw so perfect for this is that her clarity of voice and purpose keep it all from becoming puzzling and obscure. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Making high modernism (a little) easier.......2006-08-24

It was brave of Dawn Upshaw, who could have made her career in charming soubrtte roles and crossover pop, to lend her public fame to a really tough colleciton of modern songs. None of this music is immediately tuneful, and some (the wroks by Kim and Delage) is tough listening by any standards. The colleciton is held together by its exotic atmosphere and the delicacy of the poetry.

I must confess that I rarely pull this CD out, but Upshaw's voice is so lovely and her singing so committed and intelligent that I have no excuses. She has made a challenging, serious, and veyr worthwhile recital.

Very Enjoyable selection........2006-05-01

'The Girl with Orange Lips' sung by Dawn Upshaw, backed with a rather eclectic colleciton of musicians, is the kind of album Ms. Upshaw should really be doing. Like 'White Moon', it is a collection of unusual songs from far corners of 20th century repitoire, rather than an essay on the more familiar material which is done so well by the heavyweights such as Renee Fleming, Anne Sophie von Otter, and Cecilia Bartolli, not to mention songs of the modern European and American stage owned, in my mind, by Ute Lemper.

Unlike another reviewer, I really prefer 'White Moon' to this album on a visceral level, although I listen to both at least once a year.

My only criticism is that as original DVD releases go, it seems a bit short, but this only reinforces the fact that I would like to hear more of Ms. Upshaw do this material in a single shot.

An intriguing recital, beautifully sung.......2005-01-19

This might be my favorite recording by Dawn Upshaw, and she's done some wonderful work. The slightly startling title is taken from Earl Kim's song cycle Where Grief Slumbers, one of the highlights of a very well-conceived program. Of Kim's gorgeous set of seven songs, the real stunner is "Ophelia," with a dramatic a capella opening that Upshaw handles immaculately, before the harp and strings enter with their mellow accompaniment.

The Ravel Mallarme songs show Upshaw in sparkling, sensuous form, and I also loved the four Delage works, perhaps because of their relative rarity. But the entire program is quite interesting, and further, most of these works have not been recorded to death -- a great compliment to Upshaw's programming instincts.

In every track, Upshaw radiates confidence and produces a beautiful range of tonal colors matching the vivid writing, and offers exceptionally clear diction (although I can't vouch for the accuracy of her French). Nonesuch provides excellent sound quality, capturing the clarity of her voice as well as the gentle, outstanding accompaniments by the well-chosen cast of instrumentalists. For those inclined toward unusual repertoire, this can't be recommended too highly.

Thank God for musicians who...........2002-08-07

Thank God for musicians who are dedicated to expanding the repertoire which we are able to hear in performance and on recordings. So many artists are afraid to venture into 20th century art song/chamber repertoire and we have in turn been left wanting.
This is simply one of the most amazing recordings I've ever heard. Dawn Upshaw's voice is clear as a bell and deep with emotion--and her technique does not waver here, it is entirely classical and fabulous. I cannot praise her choice of repertoire more--every cycle, every song is entirely unique and remarkable. Earl Kim's cycle is breathtaking.
Don't walk, run. You need this.

exotic, exquisite and excellent of course.......2000-09-20

I have all of Dawn Upshaw's discs but this is still my favorite (maybe White Moon is a close second). Upshaw brings together masterpieces of the early and late 20th century in various chamber ensembles, linked together thematically/stylistically by an international flavor. The two Stravinsky pieces (Poems of Balmont & 3 Japanese Lyrics) albeit sound like Stravinsky, retain an eastern-sounding aura to them. The same can be said of the Delage 4 poems. The true find on the disc are the Earl Kim "Where Grief Slumbers" songs. Taking his text from the symbolist poets, Rimbaud and Apollinaire, Kim fashions a suite of some of the most contrasting and emotionally powerful songs. Earl Kim's setting of 'Ophelia' is perhaps the most moving. Upshaw performs the entire 5 minute song a capella until nearly the end when the strings enter; one can almost hear her drowning.

Upshaw is a true pioneer of the operatic/vocal world. Some of her predecessors like Jan DeGaetani helped pave the way, but Upshaw has picked up the mantle, trying to fuse the repertory in such a successful way that listeners can ultimately and only benefit. Vocally it doesn't matter if she's singing Mozart, Ravel, Stravinsky or Kim, she meets the challenges head on and is able to communicate through her heart and mind. She can soar between octaves and registers with the greatest of ease connecting phrases as if anyone could! Everyone should take notice and give it a spin.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Daze of the Underground: Tribute to Hawkwind [Import]

Live! At Steinway Hall/New York [Live]

Husa: Chamber Music

Easy Come Easy Go [CD-single]

Late Lounge Presents Angels [Import] [Limited Edition]

Insight

Lal Mirchi - Red Pepper

Lapalco

Life's Never Been So Real [Import]

Horowitz Plays Mussorgsky, Scriabin, Prokofiev, and others

Here Comes the Hot Tamale Man

La Tremenda Corte, Vol 4.: Un Éxito Radial Cubano de Más de Cinco Décadas

Exitos Quemantes: Ritmo Norteno

Forgotten Arias

With Love