Moore / LaTouche: The Ballad of Baby Doe

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Music reviews of Moore / LaTouche: The Ballad of Baby Doe

Music Review: American opera as it's best
Rating: 5 Stars

Sills is in excellent vocal form. For such a young singer (29, I believe), she absolutely explodes in this role and takes immediate ownership and sets the example for future productions. As well, she has wonderful English diction. Her high notes in the Silver Aria, Willow Song, "The fine ladies" and Letter Song are rock solid (and especially interesting in the Letter Song). These three arias require coloratura ability and Sills I don't think was ever told this because she just flies right over any difficulty. However, besides some elaborate runs in the arias, this isn't really a coloratura role and a lyric soprano with coloratura ability would be much more suited for this vocally (it's worth everyone's while to listen to lyric-soprano Renee Fleming sing the Letter Song on her "I Want Magic" CD). Sills was really chosen because of her excellent acting ability and ease of singing the arias rather than the opera really fitting her vocally. Sills is not a coloratura who can transform into a lyric-soprano like Mariella Devia or Ruth-Ann Swenson. But Sills does make this work to her advantage because this way she can bring such simplicity to the vocal line. This way, her excellent acting can shine trough and really bring Baby's story to life. Perhaps a lyric-soprano of lesser quality would make this too much of a vocal opera role and not convey to an audience the profound yet simple Baby Doe story. But enough of this technical hoo haa, Sills is wonderful and spectacular.

Walter Cassel, WOW! He has such a very unique timbre of voice. I've never heard anything quite it. I can't imagine him in any other role. And he's such a compelling actor. He was really dedicated to this! Sills mentions in the CD booklet that there wasn't one performance during the final aria (when Baby is at Horace's death-bed) when she didn't cry. She goes on to say that even off-stage he would always call her "Baby."

Frances Bible is a wildly celebrated mezzo and she does wonderfully here. Much of the Augusta role is unfortunately centered on the emotions of bitterness and betrayl (which presents a challenge to the role because the actress is tempted to play "mood" the whole evening. Bible is amazingly able to create lots of layers to this role. She really was one of best singing actresses of her time.

For such an old recording (1959) it's been wonderfully remastered. This recording is just a treasure. Don't miss this opportunity.

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