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Jessye Norman

The Unreleased Masters

Decca Classics
Release Date: March 24, 2023

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Opera Singer, Jessye Norman - David Letterman
1 Wagner: Tristan und Isolde WWV 90 / Prelude: Langsam und schmactend  
2 “Westwärts schweift der Blick” (Seemann · Isolde · Brangäne)  
3 “Frisch weht der Wind der Heimat zu” (Seemann · Isolde · Brangäne)  
4 “Weh, ach wehe! Dies zu dulden” (Brangäne · Isolde)  
5 “Wie lachend sie mir Lieder singen” (Isolde · Brangäne)  
6 “Isolde! Geliebte! – Tristan! Geliebter!” (Tristan · Isolde)  
7 “Doch es rächte sich der verscheuchte Tag” (Isolde · Tristan)  
8 “O sink hernieder, Nacht der Liebe” (Tristan · Isolde)  
9 “Einsam wachend in der Nacht” (Brangäne · Isolde · Tristan)  
10 “Unsre Liebe? Tristans Liebe? Dein’ und mein’” (Tristan · Isolde)  
11 “So starben wir, um ungetrennt” (Tristan · Isolde · Brangäne)  
12 “Mild und leise wie er lächelt” (Isoldes Liebestod) (Isolde)  
13 R. Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder TrV 296 / I Frühling (Hesse)  
14 II September (Hesse)  
15 III Beim Schlafengehen (Hesse)  
16 IV Im Abendrot (Eichendorff)  
17 Wagner: Wesendonck-Lieder / No.1 Der Engel  
18 No.2 Stehe still!  
19 No.3 Im Treibhaus  
20 No.4 Schmerzen  
21 No.5 Träume  
22 Haydn: Scena di Berenice Hob. XXIVa:10 / Recitativo: “Berenice, che fai?”  
23 Cavatina: “Non partir, bell’idol mio”  
24 Recitativo: “Me infelice!”  
25 Aria: “Perché, se tanti siete”  
26 Berlioz: Cléopâtre H.36 / Allegro vivace con impeto – Récitatif: “C’en est donc fait!”  
27 Lento cantabile: “Ah! qu’ils sont loin ces jours, tourment de ma mémoire”  
28 Méditation: Largo misterioso: “Grands Pharaons, nobles Lagides”  
29 Allegro assai agitato: “Non! … non, de vos demeures funèbres”  
30 Allegro non troppo – Recitativo misurato: “Dieux du Nil”  
31 Britten: Phaedra Op.93 / Prologue: “In May, in brilliant Athens”  
32 Recitative: “My lost and dazzled eyes saw only night”  
33 Presto: “You monster! You understood me too well”  
34 Recitative: “Oh Gods of wrath”  
35 Adagio: “My time’s too short, your highness”  
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Decca Classics is proud to present Jessye Norman – The Unreleased Masters, showcasing never-before-heard recordings of one of the greatest classical singers of all time. The set includes Wagner and Strauss song cycles, and a live recording of an eclectic programme of cantatas by Haydn, Berlioz and Britten. 

Released with the support of Ms. Norman’s family and estate, the box set pays tribute to one of the exceptional vocal performers of recent times, one of the most wide-ranging and committed artists, and certainly one of classical music’s great personalities. Born in segregated Georgia in 1945, Jessye Norman became one of the most celebrated opera singers and recitalists in the world, with her four-decade discography amassing five Grammys, including the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Ms. Norman’s continuous pursuit of excellence, combined with a relentless work ethic and schedule, meant many recording projects of extremely high standards were never finalized in her lifetime. As the former Head of Philips and Decca Classics, Costa Pilavachi writes in the booklet note: 

  • Jessye Norman - The Unreleased Masters makes NPR: 10 Best Classical Albums of 2023
    Posted At: December 13, 2023
    Decca Classics is proud to present Jessye Norman – The Unreleased Masters, showcasing never-before-heard recordings of one of the greatest classical singers of all time. The set includes Wagner and Strauss song cycles, and a live recording of an eclectic programme of cantatas by Haydn, Berlioz and Britten.Released with the support of Ms. Norman’s family and estate, the box set pays tribute to one of the exc...

  • Delighted to encounter the breadth of Jessye Norman's repertoire on 'The Unreleased Masters' / THE REHEARSAL STUDIO
    Posted At: May 3, 2023
    THE REHEARSAL STUDIO's Stephen Smoliar writes…..Towards the end of this past March, Decca Classics released a three-CD album entitled Jessye Norman: The Unreleased Masters. Unless I am mistaken, I first became aware of Norman in the late Seventies through a PBS program of a concert by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. However, I did not see her on the stage until she sang the role of Jocasta In a Metropolitan ...

  • Laverne Cox, Anna Deavere Smith and more join Jessye Norman tribute / Playbill
    Posted At: August 27, 2020

    Several artists from a variety of fields have joined the lineup paying tribute to the late Jessye Norman September 15-what would have been the operatic soprano's 75th birthday. Newly added to Black Opera Productions' upcoming gala as performers and speakers are Emmy nominee Laverne Cox (an opera aficionado herself), Pulitzer Prize finalist Anna Deavere Smith, the company of Dance Theatre of Harle...

  • Jessye Norman - Gone but not forgotten / NBC News
    Posted At: December 27, 2019

    As we usher in the New Year, it's important to look back at the influential, groundbreaking women we lost in 2019. Throughout history, brave women have fought for a seat at the table. Sadly, we lost many of these important visionaries in 2019. They are the artists, authors and activists who shaped our present, and their legacies will benefit future generations. Among the resilient women who pass...

  • There was a sense of safety in the rich, majestic, capacious voice of Jessye Norman / The New York Times
    Posted At: October 2, 2019

    There was a sense of safety in the rich, majestic, capacious voice of Jessye Norman, who died on Monday at 74. To have lost her is to have lost some part of that safety, too, which may have been one reason for the intensity of feeling that greeted the news of her death. A fellow diva, Renée Fleming, called it a "stunning, saddening loss" on Twitter, posting a classic live recording of Ms. Norman s...

  • Jessye Norman set to be interviewed by Gloria Steinem@University of Louisville - Author Forum
    Posted At: November 13, 2014

    Jessye Norman has become one of the world's best-known opera singers, and in her memoir released earlier this year she writes about the stages and productions such as "Aida," "Les Troyen" and those of Wagner. But there's more to her story in "Stand Up Straight and Sing!" Norman, a Grammy Award winner who also performed at President Bill Clinton's second inauguration in 1997, is now 69 and sin...

  • How opera legend Jessye Norman learned to sing like herself / PBS 'News Hour' interview
    Posted At: May 30, 2014

    Jessye Norman's voice is known around the globe for its power, range, and beauty. In her new memoir, "Stand Up Straight and Sing!" Norman recalls her journey from growing up in the segregated South to singing on the greatest stages of the world, and winning America's highest artistic honor. Norman looks back with Jeffrey Brown at what shaped her talent. WATCH THE FULL PBS: News Hour INTERVIEW....

  • Jessye Norman: A Soprano who does it her way / WQXR: Operavore
    Posted At: May 16, 2014

    Jessye Norman has thrilled millions around the world with her vocal artistry in the opera house, and on the recital stage. She's also coped with racism and kept audiences guessing with unusual career turns. Now, the grandiloquent soprano from Augusta, Ga. has written a book called Stand Up Straight and Sing, chronicling her nearly 50-year career in the opera world and beyond. In this one-hour spe...

  • The 'Marvelous Living' Of Soprano Jessye Norman / NPR feature
    Posted At: May 5, 2014

    When it comes to singers, there have been few voices considered as majestic as soprano Jessye Norman's. The celebrated opera singer from Augusta, Ga. has meticulously built a career on her own terms, choosing her projects intelligently and carefully guarding her vocal resources, which have often been described as a force of nature. Now the 68-year-old artist can add author to her list of accompli...

  • Jessye Norman hosts Marian Anderson
    Posted At: April 14, 2014

    On Easter Sunday, 1939, Marian Anderson sang on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The concert lasted about half an hour, but the event was front-page news across the country, and more than 75,000 people from all over the States gathered on the Mall to hear it. It was the first time the Lincoln Memorial steps had been used as a place of peaceful protest. Anderson, a classically trained contralto, was sin...

  • Opera superstar Jessye Norman will host an hour of her favorite Jazz on WBGO
    Posted At: September 8, 2013

    Jessye Norman is known the world over as one of the most celebrated opera singers of all time. She is also a devoted jazz fan, and will host an hour of her favorite music on Rhonda Hamilton's Mid-Day Jazz show, Tuesday, September 10, from noon-1p on Jazz 88.3 WBGO: Newark NJ.  Ms. Norman is no stranger to singing jazz; however, it is her love for the music and her friendship with ...

  • One of the world's most famous sopranos and beautiful voices, Jessye Norman releases her most personal project to date: Roots My Life, My Song
    Posted At: June 5, 2010

    Jessye Norman is one of the world's most famous sopranos and has one of music's most beautiful voices. Sony Classical releases her long-awaited new 2-CD solo album, Roots: My Life, My Song - her most personal project to date - on June 15. This musical journey reflects her exciting life - from her years as a poor music student to the most internationally successful and highly acclai...
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