Much has been made of the young English soprano Kate Royal's debut album in the press during the last couple of weeks. The photographs of the singer on the cover of the CD have been heavily criticised; her technique has come in for a certain amount of censure; some think it was too early for her to make a recording.
But while the album is far from perfect, the sheer beauty of the sound that Royal produces is quite enough to win me over.
The only serious criticism I have is that her diction is pretty appalling - or, at least, the recording doesn't allow her to do credit to the words on any of the tracks. However, even if the singer doesn't demonstrate insight into the texts, her musical intelligence is high, and both the repertoire - a mixture of opera and song from various countries - and its execution are commendable.
To my mind, the French music suits the lyrical sensuality of Royal's voice particularly well, recalling the sumptuous tone of Kiri Te Kanawa at times. Three of Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne provide the ideal vehicle for her expressive talents: the 'Baïlèro' is tender, poignant, elegiac, yet understated; 'Malurous quo uno fenno' is lively, rhythmically strict and percussive, emphasising the folk song element; and because of the careful shading of the voice, 'La delaïssádo' is both coaxingly erotic and wistful, depicting a shepherdess who has been abandoned by her lover. So even though we might want to hear more of the words, Royal's interpretative instincts are very much in evidence.
The other French pieces fare similarly well. Guinand's aria from Debussy's rarely-performed cantata L'Enfant prodigue is an imaginative opening to the disc, and it is again the range of tonal colour Royal brings to the melody that captivates. The Spanish flavour of Delibes' castanet-decorated 'Les Filles de Cadix' draws a warmly seductive, Carmen-like approach from the singer, while Ravel's 'Vocalise en forme de habanera' blends the Spanish feel with a more mystical atmosphere; given that there are no words to the song, it is suitably lacking in specific identity.
Some may complain that Royal's slightly strained high C at the climax of Anne Trulove's aria from The Rake's Progess indicates that the role lies beyond her. For my part, I love the combination of her purity of line and impassioned characterisation - characteristics of the fine singer of classical-period music that Royal has already proved herself to be and which work wonders in this gorgeous neo-classical score. More in the poignant vein of the Canteloube songs, 'In trutina' from Orff's Carmina Burana is all about restraint in Royal's rapt performance.
You would have to be stony-hearted indeed not to be drawn in by the three Strauss songs at the heart of the recital. 'Wiegenlied' finds Royal drawing upon the caressing quality in her voice, as befits a lullaby. 'Ich wollt' ein Sträusslein binden' is one of those wonderful Strauss songs in which constant enharmonic shifts colour the text with an undercurrent of danger or confusion, and the elegant simplicity of the singing reaps huge emotional rewards here. Most impressive of all, however, is the performance of 'Morgen!', the most familiar of the three songs she performs but here sounding the freshest. Paced with plenty of space and sensitivity, Royal's performance strikes at the core of the song's autumnal sentiment.
Five of the remaining six tracks take us onto genuine Spanish territory (rather than Spain seen through the eyes of French composers), as the intoxicating orchestration of Granados' 'Quejas, o la maja y el ruiseñor' instantly announces. Both here, and in Rodrigo's Cuatro madrigales amatorios, the extraordinary nuances in Royal's voice draw the listener in - on a purely aural level, at least - even if some of the text is difficult to discern at times.
The CD ends with the English folk song 'The Sprig of Thyme', which deals with a young girl's regret at the loss of her virginity (represented by the sprig of thyme that has been taken by a false young man, as the liner notes explain). Initially, I was taken aback by the choice of piece, but in fact it fits in brilliantly with the other songs and arias. In a magical arrangement that starts a cappella and eventually blossoms with an orchestral accompaniment, the song is ideal for Royal's exquisite voice.
Throughout, the playing of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is impeccable, not least because of the number of different styles in which the musicians have to play. Edward Gardner - ENO's new Music Director - is the thoughtful and sensitive conductor, responding always to the needs of Royal's bewitching voice.
In short, with the caveat that few of the words register in many of the pieces, this is a disc of ravishing performances by one of Britain's most important young operatic stars.
Kate Royal appears in The Coronation of Poppea at English National Opera from 18 October 2007. Read an interview with the conductor Laurence Cummings on working with Royal on the production here.
The special microsite on Royal's website giving further insights into the CD and extracts can be found here.
Kate Royal's self-titled debut CD is available now.
Read recent CD and DVD reviews, including Juan Diego Florez's new album 'Arias for Rubini', the latest instalment in John Eliot Gardiner's Bach Cantata Pilgrimage and Opera Rara's exciting new Offenbach CD here.