[Great
Day! Indra Thomas Sings Spirituals; Indra Thomas, soprano; Sandra Lutters, piano; Delos DE 3427 (2012)]
Shorter University
of Rome, Georgia is a Baptist institution which announced on October 25,
2012 that Indra Thomas would give a free concert of samples of the
music on Great
Day! On
Nov. 2, 2012:
“October
25, 2012
- Internationally acclaimed soprano Indra Thomas will debut
selections from her new CD, Great
Day! Indra Thomas Sings Spirituals,
during an upcoming concert at Shorter University. The event will be
held Friday, Nov. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Brookes Chapel and is open to
the public at no charge.
“Thomas,
a 1993 graduate of Shorter, has built a successful career performing
in operas around the globe. She is considered one of the foremost
Aida in the world today, having recently performed the role during a
nationally televised performance in France, with the Hamburgische
Staatsoper, at the Bregenz Festival in Austria, at the Palau De Les
Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, Spain, and at the Avignon Music
Festival. She made her New York recital debut during the 2010-2011
season at Weill Recital Hall.”
On
October 30, 2012 AfriClassical posted: “'Great Day! Indra ThomasSings Spirituals' on Delos CD.” Lindsay Koob writes the liner
notes of the recording:
“While
the spirituals in this album are rendered by a single soloist, the
'call-and-response' style (with rhythmic clapping) is an additional
feature of 'Great
Day'
(track 15), in which Ms. Thomas's lines are intermittently echoed by
a vocal trio. 'Joshua
Fit the Battle of Jericho' (tr
6) and 'Witness'
(tr
10) stand as examples of both the manic African dance influence as
well as high-energy biblical storytelling.”
The
notes tell us that messages other than religion, including earthly
liberation from captivity, can be seen in several of the songs,
including Steal
Away, Deep River, Sometimes I Feel l a Motherless Child and
There is a Balm in Gilead. The
notes also explain: “Indra Thomas, a minister's daughter, was born
and raised in Atlanta, GA. Her mother, a gifted amateur singer,
served as young Indra's first voice teacher, introducing her to
spirituals at an early age.”
The
performances of Indra Thomas on Great
Day!
reflect both the emotional fervor and the refined professionalism of an
accomplished operatic soprano who grew up singing traditional African
American spirituals. We were not surprised when Megan
Mashburn posted this comment on AfriClassical on November 2,
2012:
“I
am so excited about this recording! I have heard Ms. Thomas perform
live, which was a truly moving, enriching experience. She is one of
my favorite singers. She always sings with such clarity and passion,
taking the listener to a place of intimacy and joy!
“I'm
buying a copy of this recording for myself and friends and family for
gifts. This is definitely something I do not want to miss out on!”
[Henry
Thacker Burleigh (1866-1949) and Margaret Allison Bonds (1913-1972) are profiled at AfriClassical.com,
which features
a
comprehensive Works List and a Bibliography for each composer by
Prof. Dominique-René de Lerma,
www.CasaMusicaledeLerma.com
Burleigh arranged Give
Me Jesus; Deep River; Steal Away; and
There
Is A Balm in Gilead. Bonds
arranged He's
Got the Whole World in His Hands.]
Disclosure:
A
review copy of this recording was provided by the record label.
Comment by email:
Thank you so much Mr. Zick. I saw the review and loved it. All the best! Peace and love! Indra [Indra Thomas]
Comment by email:
Thank you so much Mr. Zick. I saw the review and loved it. All the best! Peace and love! Indra [Indra Thomas]
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