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Jessye Norman Remembered As Force of Nature at Met Memorial

Associated Press

   NEW YORK - Jessye Norman was remembered as a force of nature as
   thousands filled the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday for a
   celebration of the soprano, who died Sept. 30 at age 74.

   Sopranos Renee Fleming, Latonia Moore, Lise Davidsen and Leah Hawkins
   sang tributes along with mezzo-soprano J'Nai Bridges and bass-baritone
   Eric Owens that were mixed among remembrances of family and friends,
   dance performances of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and video
   of Norman's career.

   "Yankee Stadium is the house that Babe Ruth built and welcome to this
   house that Jessye Norman built," Met general manager Peter Gelb said.
   "Of course Jessye wasn't alone in filling this hallowed hall with her
   glorious voice. She was joined by rather important voices, from
   Leontyne Price to Luciano Pavarotti, but in her operatic prime in the
   '80s and the 90s, her majestic vocal chords reigned supreme in the
   dramatic soprano and the mezzo range. Like Babe Ruth, who swung for the
   fences, Jessye swung for standing room in the family circle, and she
   always connected."

   Norman's celebration took place shortly after a memorial to actress
   Diahann Carroll at the Helen Hayes Theater, about a mile south. On
   Thursday, author Toni Morrison was memorialized at the Cathedral Church
   of St. John the Divine, a trio of black Americans who were leaders in
   their fields.

   "Three monumental women who carried through and offered a bounty of
   gifts to the world," actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith said.

   Smith recalled signing letters "Little Sis" to Norman's "Big Sis." She
   remembered traveling to Norman's performances around the world,
   focusing on one at the Festival de Musique de Menton on the French
   Riviera, near the Italian border. Organizers had arranged to stop
   traffic to clear the air for Norman but fretted over a train, asking
   whether Norman preferred they slow it down to lower the noise level in
   exchange for a lengthier time the noise would be audible.

   "When the train came through Menton and Jessye was hitting the high
   note, I heard Jessye. She sang through it," Smith said. "Until this
   morning, this very morning, I thought Jessye's voice simply overrode
   that train. I don't think so anymore. Now I understand that Jessye
   Norman had the ear, the timing, the love of song, the risk to share and
   the will to sing through - and with - the roaring train. In the same
   way, she integrated several musical histories to grace the world with
   the power of her voice."

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