Review – Breathe – Hera Hyesang Park, soprano

Hera Hyesang Park is a singer new to me, but her debut album was reviewed on this site by my colleague Leighton Jones in March 2021. His review was quite positive, but an initial glance at the repertoire for this new album left me concerned, because I didn’t see a clear connection between the varied selections. Thankfully, I was very much mistaken.

In her touchingly sincere program notes, Park shares the care and thoughtfulness that went into this recital. (While some readers may find her prose overheated and naïve, I was moved by her openness and vulnerability.) The program is a heart-felt response to the fear, anxiety, and depression Park felt during Covid and mandated lockdowns. She found that music centering on loss and death offered comfort and understanding, allowing her to turn a corner to realize that life is meant to be lived fully. That is the journey we go on as we listen to this recital, and each time I listened I found it more convincing and meaningful. 

The album opens with a gorgeous new work, “While You Live,” written especially for Park by composer Luke Howard. Park and the Teatro Carlo Felice under Jochen Reider capture the music’s forlorn beauty, its text encouraging us to accept grief and then live our best lives. This is followed by two sections from Gorecki’s third symphony, the “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.” All three tracks benefit from Park’s leonine and lean sound, with clear diction and an evenness of projection across her vocal range. 

Mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo joins Park for a sweetly lyric reading of Evening Prayer from Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel. Later they perform the Flower Duet from Delibes “Lakmé,” though I would have preferred greater unanimity between their voices in the Delibes.

Cecilia Livingston’s lovely “Breath Alone: Paula Modersohn-Becker” seems to be receiving its world premiere, though there is no such acknowledgement in the notes, nor does it credit a second soprano for the performance – is it possible Park recorded both parts? If so, why, when everything else is collaborative? A few orchestra-only selections are offered by the Teatro Carlo Felice and later in the program Park is joined by the Teatro’s choir, all seemingly at one with their soloist. 

Selections from Rossini’s ‘Otello’ and ‘L’assedio di Corinto’ and Massenet’s ‘Le Cid’, give Park ample opportunity to feature her fine coloratura, and let us hear her technique in music that more severely tests the upper register. She clearly has excellent technique and musicianship, though her interpretations are perhaps not as ‘lived in’ as those by more seasoned singers. For instance, I find Mirella Freni’s version of “Ave Maria” from Verdi’s Otello (Philharmonia Orchestra & Sinopoli/DG) more affecting, but surely it is unfair to expect Park, at the beginning of her career, to plumb the emotional depths quite as much as Freni was in her golden years? There is no doubting Park’s technical prowess and interpretive instincts. 

The one disappointment (and it is a major one) is that DG does not provide texts and translations. This is disrespectful and unsupportive of this artist, who has spent a great deal of thought, time, and talent on developing this emotional journey. That journey is much harder for the listener if we an integral piece of ‘equipment’ is needed to fully appreciate and connect to what Park offers. At the very least. DG should provide a QR Code or PDF link. I am surely not the only listener lacking multilingual fluency. Otherwise, an excellent follow up to her debut album – warmly recommended.

Breathe
Hera Hyesang Park, soprano
Teatro Carlo Felice
Coro del Teatro Carlo Felice
Jochen Rieder – Conductor
Deutsche Grammophon, DG 4864627

Related Albums

Madame Butterfly – Freni & Sinopoli | Le Cid – Bumbry & Domingo | Othello – Lombardi & Pappano | Humperdinck: Hänsel und Gretel – Fassbaender & Solti

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