February 26, 2007
Gratuitous Musickal Birthday Posting (TM)
Happy Birthday, Emma Kirkby, OBE, born this day in 1949.
Who, you may ask? Kirkby is a professional singer who specializes in Renaissance and Baroque music. I don't generally go out of my way to mark particular performers, but I happen to think that Kirkby has the single most beautiful soprano voice on the planet.
Go and buy this CD of Kirkby and Evelyn Tubb singing solos and duets by Claudio Monteverdi, accompanied by Anthony Rooley and the Consort of Musicke. Half of the pieces are secular, half spiritual. When you hear their rendition of "O bone Jesu, O piissime Jesu," SV 313, you will begin to have some notion of how the seraphim and cherubim sing. They're that good.
Friends introduced me to her (well, her music) in college a couple of decades back. Beautiful voice.
Posted by: rbj at February 26, 2007 11:51 AM
Image courtesy of the lovely and talented 