One week ago I had the special opportunity of attending a recital by Kiri te Kanawa with piano accompaniment.
The repertory included many standard old Italian songs and other recital goodies. Sorry for no Mozart, nor Schubert!
But Dame Kiri is still a stunningly beautiful woman, with a voice which is well past her prime, and was obviously nursing it carefully during the recital. Most songs had long, slow phrases with limited dynamic range, staying within a comfortable middle of the voice tessitura. The only bright moment came with her last encore, which was Puccini's "O mio Babbino caro".
Sorry to say, it was a forgettable musical evening, short of her great recorded moments.
May she retire soon, and enjoy the glow of her great recorded legacy.
bauzace50