Kate Royal - Kate Royal (2007)

Soprano Kate Royal's debut solos album is appealing on a number of levels. The program she has chosen is quirky and diverse and refreshingly free of the big showpieces that young singers often strut out in their first recital in an attempt to wow the audience. More than half the disc is devoted to Spanish or Spanish-influenced French music, including Rodrigo's Cuatros madrigals amatorios, several of Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne, Delibes' Les Filles de Cadiz, and Ravel's Vocalise en forme de habanera. There are only two operatic arias, both relative rarities, "Anne's Aria" from The Rake's Progress, and the "Lament" from Granados' Goyescas. Strauss is represented by three songs, Debussy by "Air de Lia" from L'enfant prodigue, and Orff by "In trutina," from Carmina Burana. The album closes with a simple arrangement of the English folk song "The Sprig of Thyme." Royal has a clear, pure voice with the versatility to do justice to variety of pieces she has chosen. She sings naturally and without any pretension, but as a result sometimes fails to have a strong enough presence in the passages that require more vigor. She is most effective in the pieces highlighting her limpid, melting tone: the Strauss, Canteloube, Granados, and Debussy. She certainly has the potential to develop more forcefulness, but she is wise at this early stage in her career to focus on music that she can sing freely, without pushing herself too soon. Edward Gardner, conducting the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, accompanies her with sensitivity and a lushness that's ideal for the late romantic repertoire.