Angel Blue, soprano
Bryan Wagorn, piano
Program
| HOIBY | Lady of the Harbor |
| DEBUSSY | “Clair de lune,” from Suite bergamasque (piano solo) |
| FAURÉ | Clair de lune, Op. 46, No. 2 Mandoline, Op. 58, No. 1 Fleur jetée, Op. 39, No. 2 |
| SCHUMANN | Stille Tränen, Op. 35, No. 10 |
| R. STRAUSS | Allerseelen, Op. 10, No. 8 Befreit, Op. 39, No. 4 Morgen!, Op. 27, No. 4 Cäcilie, Op. 27, No. 2 |
| HOIBY | Winter Song There Came a Wind Like a Bugle |
| CHOPIN | Prelude in D-flat major, Op. 28, No. 15, Raindrop (piano solo) |
| WEILL | Youkali |
| TRADITIONAL | My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord You Can Tell the World Deep River Ride on King Jesus |
ENCORES: |
|
| PUCCINI | O Mio Babbino Caro |
| R. CHAPI | Las Hija Del Zebedeo |
The enchanting voice of American soprano Angel Blue is praised for its expressiveness, both in the crystalline heights of her range and the smoky depths of her lower register.
Puccini’s La Bohème has played a prominent role in Blue’s career—she made her US operatic debut as Musetta at the Los Angeles Opera in 2007 and her Metropolitan Opera debut as Mimi in 2017. Most recently, she starred in the Met’s long-awaited new production of Porgy and Bess, for which she shared a Grammy for Best Opera Recording this year. Of that performance, which she has reprised in concert versions with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Times raved, “as Bess, the sumptuously voiced soprano Angel Blue is radiant, capturing both the pride and fragility of the character.”
Blue makes her Cal Performances solo recital debut with an eclectic and inviting program of songs and arias by Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Richard Strauss, Kurt Weill, and 20th-century American composer Lee Hoiby. The recital concludes with an inspiring selection of traditional Black American spirituals.
The run time for this performance is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes, with intermission.