My very first purchase in 2014 was 12 CD box titled "The Complete Collection of Songs and Spiritual Albums" by celebrated American soprano Leontyne Price.
I can't resist to a nice packaged CD box and have already similar collections by Montserrat Caballé and Marilyn Horne - sure, it takes me forever to actually go trough so much music and to be honest, perhaps I would be better off with "The best of" compilation but its usually a curiosity to hear lesser known and now forgotten complete albums that drives me to buy these collections + they have good, remastered sound and original album covers so who can resist.
Just like her name suggest, Leontyne Price is a lioness with a instantly recognizable, fierce and dramatic voice - her discography is so huge that RCA Victor decided to omit her operatic work and concentrate here on complete albums of her spiritual and "song" collections. Like some brilliant link between Marian Anderson and Jessye Norman, Price truly shines on her spiritual albums (particularly on "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" from 1962) though I find her whole albums focused on art songs of for example Samuel Barber perhaps less instantly likable - where with spirituals and hymns I love both music and singing, when it comes to "art songs", Berber, lieder and such, here my concentration suddenly wonders off. Like in "box of chocolates" I stumbled quite unexpectedly upon 1964. recording of "El Amor Brujo" piece by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla here and its a joy - for some time now, I loved "Iberia" by Isaac Albéniz and this is just as good - truly delicious, distinctive Spanish music (Fritz Reiner conducted Chicago Symphony Orchestra and it is a perfect setting for Price). This might easily be the highlight of the box set.
The most surprising is actually her take on famous "Four Last Songs" by Richard Strauss ("Grammy" winner for 1974.) that sound strong, powerful and not unlike later similar recording of Jessye Norman - I always assumed that Norman single-handedly turned this work inside out, but now I realize this was not a case, Price was there before. Another curiosity is collaboration with André Previn ("Right as the Rain" album) where she changes that famous powerhouse voice into more intimate, sensual croon - very interesting crossover album. Also included here are two Carnegie Hall concerts (from 1965 and 1991) where Price sounds even stronger on later recording. Just as is usual the case with this kind of "collected album" box sets, it all boils down to subjective preferences and even those can probably change with times - magnificent and dignified singer though, the voice is truly regal and unusually versatile.
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