Melba Recordings

"... a label of fragrant distinction"

There are no products in your shopping cart.

HONOURING A GREAT VOICE: The Nance Grant Archive

The long awaited recordings of much loved soprano Nance Grant, released to critical acclaim.

Cherished as one of Australia’s finest operatic artists this two CD set is the long overdue presentation of soprano Nance Grant.  

On the first disc Nance Grant and Geoffrey Parsons perform Grieg, Hageman and R. Strauss, and on the second Ms Grant sings opera, oratorio and Lieder.  

The recordings on The Art of Nance Grant represent significant landmarks in the development of opera in Australia. From the emerging Victorian Opera’s enormously successful performances in the 1970s of Idomeneo and Maria Stuarda under the inspired direction of Richard Divall, to the Australian Opera’s Ariadne auf Naxos, Fidelio and Tannhäuser with Edward Downes, and one of the first collaborations between the Australian Opera and the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), presenting concert performances of Wagner operas featuring Nance Grant as Sieglinde in Die Walküre under the direction of Leif Segerstam.  

Nance Grant is represented in oratorio, ‘Hear Ye, Israel’ from Elijah, in a complete Lieder recital with Geoffrey Parsons, and in the orchestral song cycle Wesendonck Lieder.  

“From Australia comes a new double CD release on Melba Recordings dedicated to one of the great soprano voices from the antipodes: Nance Grant. Gifted with a beautiful and powerful voice, superlative technique and perfect phrasing. The recordings have been rescued from radio broadcasts made in the ‘60s and ‘70s and are carefully restored to offer a glimpse into the majesty of this superb artist in a variety of distinctive repertoire. This is an excellent tribute to a great singer. Little known outside her own country, now we can all know and appreciate Nance.” Fernando Segura Morillas Web La Opera (Spain)  

“One has to hear only a few random tracks to understand the interest in this homage. To start, one is struck by the opulent timbre, a powerful but agile voice (as the extract from Maria Stuarda bears witness), a firm middle and lower range, allied to a luminous top in a perfect blend of registers...Grant’s approach rests before all else on her musicality and her tone, marking her out as belonging to an older school of singing. If the unusual Elisabetta or Elektra strike us because of the quality of the singing – to the point where one forgets they are in English (which is not a small point) – it is above all in Wagner where Grant is revealed at her absolute best. (The soprano was, let’s remember, coached at Bayreuth.) The extracts from Die Walküre additionally give the feeling of hearing a total characterisation of the role.  

“To sum up, here is without doubt the best compliment that one can pay to this collection: More please!” Jean Michel Pennetier Forum Opéra (France)  

“Based on the two Melba CDs Nance Grant was the owner of one of the more important voices of the 20th century... those beautiful, soaring lines in the music of Strauss.” Das Opernglas (Germany)  

“Distinctive vocal qualities of a very high order. How I wondered…I had not heard of her. I immediately recognised the quality of her vocal talent which is so well represented in this double CD collection.” Musicweb International (UK)