If You Love for Beauty.  Sasha Cooke. Colburn Orchestra, Gilad.

Yarlung (LP).

“Every once in a while, there come along singers who have a quality of singing so beautifully, and touchingly, that it kind of makes you cry, just the sound of their voice,” observed Michael Tilson Thomas.  “I think Sasha Cooke is one of those people.”  He’s right, so it’s curious Cooke isn’t better known after performing with many of the leading opera companies, symphony orchestras, and conductors; winning two Grammies; and boasting repertoire from the baroque to contemporary avant-garde.  Recorded in analog with minimal miking, Cooke’s debut album has been available on CD since 2012, but Yarlung has now released it on vinyl.  Cooke’s ravishing voice is complemented by her sensitivity and imagination, apparent in the depth of feeling and lyricism she imparts to Mahler’s Rückert–Lieder. Also on the program are two Handel arias, including a powerful performance of “Ombra mai fù,” (from Xerxes), and the teasingly erotic “Am I in Your Light?” –Cooke’s signature piece from John Adams’ opera Doctor Atomic. Gilad and his Colburn Orchestra provide accompaniment of exemplary point, purpose, and sympathy, and sonics are extraordinary in their naturalness and integrity.”

Paul Seydor

If You Love for Beauty on
Vinyl, CD, Tape, DSD, HDTracks

Jim Hannon and the staff at The Absolute Sound gave us generous permission to share Paul Seydor’s wonderful review with you. Thank you Jim and thank you Paul!  This article is from the TAS April 2020 edition.  The page itself is available here.   Please visit The Absolute Sound online. 

Sincere thanks to Yarlung executive producer Jim Mulally who made this release possible.  As you vinyl lovers know, cutting lacquers and pressing vinyl is a strange art, not a science.  Sometimes the first lacquers, metal parts and pressing work beautifully, and sometimes one has to cut the lacquers many times before one achieves a successful representation of the music on the original tape.  In this case, Bernie Grundman and I cut the lacquers FIVE times before text pressings sounded like I wanted.  Thank you Jim, and thank you Bernie for being so patient!

We visited Sasha in San Francisco during her recent performances singing the title role in Orlando.  It was fun to surprise her with a first copy.  Here it is, autographed to baritone Kelly Markgraf, Sasha’s husband. 

We’re so proud of your accomplishments, Sasha.

–Bob Attiyeh