Janos Gereben wrote:
>Rouse did better with the 1997 "Kabir Padavali," a song cycle to text
>by a 14th century Indian poet. With some shimmering passages, worthy of
>Richard Strauss, and a fine vocal line, there is music here beyond the "big
>sound." The singer was Valdine Anderson, introduced by Rouse as the soprano
>said by (the polite and generous) Dawn Upshaw to sing the work "better than
>I did" (Upshaw introduced the work originally). A surprising and dubious
>statement in light of the skillful but lackluster performance Sunday night.
For the record, Dawn Upshaw was ill the one and only time she sang "Kabir."
I hope other singers take up this masterpiece, but they have to take on
sanskrit!
Jeff Dunn
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