October 10, 1995
Benita Valente, soprano
Cynthia Raim, piano

Benita Valente, Soprano Supreme
Joseph McLellan
The Washington Post

An excellent voice is only the beginning of what soprano Benita Valente brought to her recital Tuesday night at La Maison Francaise…

…The climax of her carefully chosen program was the three "Ophelia" songs of Richard Strauss, in which she produced graceful high notes and became, vocally and visually, a total embodiment of Shakespeare's poor, mad maiden, mourning the forthcoming death of Hamlet without quite knowing what she was doing. This was vocal art at its highest
level, seamlessly linking the sung words to an inner drama…

Pianist Cynthia Raim, playing with power and subtlety and coordinating her instrument expertly with Valente's voice, added greatly to the program's success.

With this program, opening its fifth season, the Vocal Arts Society has moved to larger quarters from the Sumner Museum where it was chronically sold out. The subscription season will begin next week with a program marking Gabriel Faure's 150th anniversary.

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Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Schneeglöckchen
Röselein, Röselein!
Des Sennen Abschied
Der Sandmann
Die Lotosblitme
Er ist's

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
C'est l'extase langoureuse
Il pleure dans mon cœur
L'ombre des arbres
Chevaux de bois

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103
 He, Zigeuner
 Hocligetiirmte Rirnafli~t
 Wisst ihr, wann men) Kindchen
 Lieber Gott, du weisst
 Brauner Bursche fiilirtzi~mT ame
 Roslein dreie in der Reihe
 Kommt dir manclunal
 Rote Abendwolken zieliii

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
Drei Lieder der Ophelia
 Wie erkenn ich mein Treulieb
 Guten Morgen, 's ist Sankt Valentinstag
 Sie trugen ihn auf der Bahre bloß

Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
aus Italienisches Liederbuch
 Auch kleine Dinge
 Wer rief dich denn?
 Du denkst mit einem Fädchen
 Wie lange schon
 Ihr jungen Leute
 Mein Liebster singt am Haus
 Schweig einmal still
 Verschling' der Abgrund
 Ich hab in Penna einen Liebsten

Fernando Obradors (1897-1945)
Al amor
Con amores, la mia madre ...
Dos cantares populares
Coplas de Curro Dulce