John Denver
John Denver and opera fans alike have something to look forward to this summer.
On June 11, legendary music producer, Milt Okun along with composer Lee Holdridge are bringing some of the most famous names in opera to John Denver 's famous hit songs: "Great Voices Sing John Denver."
The album features artists such as Placido Domingo, Rod Gilfry, Daniel Montenegro, Shenyang, Danielle de Niese and Rene Pape, among others. The group is comprised of an international group of singers to fully embody who John Denver was — an international man. All the artists were given the option of which song they wished to sing and unbelievably no two artists chose the same song. As with many people, each of the artists had personal stories that went along with their song choice.
It was Milt Okun 's wife Rosemary Okun 's idea to have opera singers sing some of John's greatest hits. She mentioned this idea one night over dinner with a group of friends and "everyone sat there and looked at me," Rosemary recalled. However, she couldn't let it go. "My feeling was that we had to do it. I believed that we owed it to John. Milt and I had been lucky enough to have this wonderful singer and performer in our lives — lives that John enriched immeasurably. And it was a true partnership. John's life was in turn enriched by Milt's work- and maybe by my cooking."
There was no question in Milt's mind that in order to get the ball rolling he needed the good graces and support of Placido Domingo.
"The instant I mentioned the idea to Placido, he said yes. He and John had such a warm relationship. I remember the time when we were recording 'Perhaps Love' in 1981 with such fondness," Milt said. "They hit it off immediately and just loved working together."
They also collaborated with Elisa Justice, who co-produced the album. She worked closely with the agents in getting the singers that were requested on board, while coordinating their schedules to get them in the studio. Elisa also brought in singers that had not been thought of, adding enormous variety to the project.
With Placido leading the way, the CD was bound to have any singer that they wanted. The result is a wonderful album comprised of opera stars of all voices and several generations. Thus, bringing their exceptional talents to John's work.
To see the track list, click here.
On June 11, legendary music producer, Milt Okun along with composer Lee Holdridge are bringing some of the most famous names in opera to John Denver 's famous hit songs: "Great Voices Sing John Denver."
The album features artists such as Placido Domingo, Rod Gilfry, Daniel Montenegro, Shenyang, Danielle de Niese and Rene Pape, among others. The group is comprised of an international group of singers to fully embody who John Denver was — an international man. All the artists were given the option of which song they wished to sing and unbelievably no two artists chose the same song. As with many people, each of the artists had personal stories that went along with their song choice.
It was Milt Okun 's wife Rosemary Okun 's idea to have opera singers sing some of John's greatest hits. She mentioned this idea one night over dinner with a group of friends and "everyone sat there and looked at me," Rosemary recalled. However, she couldn't let it go. "My feeling was that we had to do it. I believed that we owed it to John. Milt and I had been lucky enough to have this wonderful singer and performer in our lives — lives that John enriched immeasurably. And it was a true partnership. John's life was in turn enriched by Milt's work- and maybe by my cooking."
There was no question in Milt's mind that in order to get the ball rolling he needed the good graces and support of Placido Domingo.
"The instant I mentioned the idea to Placido, he said yes. He and John had such a warm relationship. I remember the time when we were recording 'Perhaps Love' in 1981 with such fondness," Milt said. "They hit it off immediately and just loved working together."
They also collaborated with Elisa Justice, who co-produced the album. She worked closely with the agents in getting the singers that were requested on board, while coordinating their schedules to get them in the studio. Elisa also brought in singers that had not been thought of, adding enormous variety to the project.
With Placido leading the way, the CD was bound to have any singer that they wanted. The result is a wonderful album comprised of opera stars of all voices and several generations. Thus, bringing their exceptional talents to John's work.
To see the track list, click here.
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| Rhymes and Reasons | Danielle de Niese | Australian-born to parents of Sri Lankan and Dutch heritage, Danielle de Niese grew up in Los Angeles. The soprano has been captivating audiences since childhood, when she was a fixture of Los Angeles local television hosting a week..ly arts showcase for teenagers, for which she won an Emmy Award. Under an exclusive recording contract with Decca, her 2007 debut solo album Handel Arias and her recent Mozart Album were released to international acclaim. | |
| This Old Guitar | Rod Gilfry | Rod Gilfry, two-time Grammy nominee, singer and actor, has performed in all the world's music capitals. His most recent Grammy nomination was for his 2008 performance in the title role of Messiaen's monumental opera Saint François d'Assise in Amsterdam. Best-known as an opera singer, he is also an acclaimed recitalist and concert artist, and appears frequently in musical theater classics. | |
| Leaving On A Jet Plane | Patricia Racette | Patricia Racette is an American operatic soprano. She has been a regular performer at the San Francisco Opera since 1989, and the Metropolitan Opera since 1995. She is known for her strong, dramatic intensity. Her most recent performances of Madama Butterflyand Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera were seen in HD in movie theaters across the world as part ofThe Met: Live in HD, with Madama Butterfly being one of the most successful broadcasts in the history of the series. | |
| Sweet Surrender | Thomas Hampson | Thomas Hampson is an American lyric baritone who is recognized as one of the world’s pre-eminent classical singers, having appeared in major opera houses and concert halls all over the world and outputting over 170 musical recordings. | |
| The Eagle and The Hawk | Zajick, Gilfry, Montenegro | This trio was handpicked to perform The Eagle and The Hawk by Lee Holdridge and Milt Okun. “I felt the song would benefit from this more intense treatement,” Holdridge said. “Even back when John Denver and I performed it together, I felt that the song had an operatic grandeur to it. I felt it could be treated in a larger than life fashion. I actually mentioned that idea to John and he was very intrigued by the whole thing. I think he would have loved hearing this version.” | |
| Goodbye Again | Daniel Montenegro | Daniel Montenegro, a Southern California native, has traveled the world performing on stages ranging from the Sydney Opera House in Australia to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music graduate most recently made his San Francisco Opera debut as Roderigo in Verdi’s Otello. Daniel also appeared in the Sydney Festival as the Shepherd in Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex. | |
| Sunshine On My Shoulders | Denyce Graves | Denyce Graves is recognized worldwide as one of today’s most exciting vocal stars. Her career has taken her to the world's great opera houses and concert halls. Denyce has become particularly well known to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. In 1991 Denyce Graves received the Grand Prix Lyrique, awarded once every three years by the Association des amis de l’opéra de Monte-Carlo, and the Marian Anderson Award, presented to her by Miss Anderson. | |
| Like A Sad Song | Dolora Zajick | Dolora Zajick is an internationally acclaimed rare voice with a true dramatic Verdi mezzo-soprano, typified by the composer's most famous and difficult mezzo-soprano roles, Azucena, Amneris and Eboli. Born in Oregon, but raised in Nevada, Dolora studied voice with Ted Puffer, former Artistic Director of the Nevada Opera. She has appeared in opera and in concert with some of the foremost conductors of today. | |
| Shanghai Breezes | Shenyang | Shenyang is a Chinese bass-baritone singer and the son of two professional musicians. He did not start his singing career until he was 16 years old. He was inspired by German Lieder singer Hans Hotter while growing up. At 19 years old, Shenyang entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he studied at the Zhou Xiaoyan International Opera Center. He also trained at the Metropolitan Opera and Juilliard School. | |
| Fly Away | Stuart Skelton and Bárbara Padilla | Stuart Skelton is acknowledged as one of the finest heldentenors of his generation, being critically acclaimed for his outstanding musicianship, tonal beauty and intensely dramatic portrayals. Stuart has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated opera houses including the Metropolitan Opera, Seatlle Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Paris Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Hamburg State Opera, Berlin State Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dresden Semperoper, and the Vienna State Opera. Bárbara Padilla is a Mexican-American operatic soprano. She was the runner-up on the fourth season ofAmerica's Got Talent. She is well known as a survivor of Hodgkin's lymphoma. | |
| Follow Me | René Pape | René Pape, one of the world’s leading bass singers studied music in his native city of Dresden. While still a student, he made his debut in 1988 at the Berliner Staatsoper and has been a member of that company ever since. | |
| Per Te | Matthew Polenzani | Matthew Polenzani is an American lyric tenor, born in Evanston, Illinois. He has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Seattle Opera, and other companies. He has also sung with numerous symphony orchestras. | |
| Calypso | Nathan Gunn | Nathan Gunn is an American operatic baritone born in Indiana. He has performed in many of the world’s well-known opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera and the Seattle Opera, among others. Gunn was appointed a tenured professor of voice at the University of Illinois in the fall of 2007. | |
| Perhaps Love | Plácido Domingo – Plácido Domingo Jr. | Plácido Domingo is a world-renowned singing actor in the history of opera. He is also a conductor and a major force as an opera administrator in his role as general director of two companies: LA Opera and Washington National Opera. His work has earned him 12 Grammy Awards, three of which are Latin Grammys. Plácido Domingo, Jr is the son of Plácido Domingo and a Mexican singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. In 2010, together with SonicProjects Records, Plácido Domingo, Jr made his international debut as a performer, collaborating with Grammy Award-winner producer/engineer Juan Cristóbal Losada. | |
| Annie’s Song | ( All Cast) | Domingo, de Niese, Hampson, Graves, Zajick, Gilfry, Montenegro, Racette, Yang, Skelton, Padilla, Polenzani, Gunn and Plácido Domingo, Jr. | |
| For You | Matthew Polenzani | Matthew Polenzani is an American lyric tenor, born in Evanston, Illinois. He has appeared with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Seattle Opera, and other companies. He has also sung with numerous symphony orchestras. | |
| Shanghai Breezes (Mandarin) | Shenyang | Shenyang is a Chinese bass-baritone singer and the son of two professional musicians. He did not start his singing career until he was 16 years old. He was inspired by German Lieder singer Hans Hotter while growing up. At 19 years old, Shenyang entered the Shanghai Conservatory of Music where he studied at the Zhou Xiaoyan International Opera Center. He also trained at the Metropolitan Opera and Juilliard School. | |
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