The best of Yoshikazu Mera

There is, quite simply, no other singer who is remotely comparable with Yoshikazu Mera. In classical performance he sings in the alto range as what has come to be called a "counter tenor". Here his voice is notable for the ease with which he can sing throughout the entire compass that is expected. His performance of Händel's famous aria Lascia ch'io pianga won him a wide following as a classical singer and, indeed, introduced a new audience to the world of classical music. But Mera has much more to offer the world than melting performances of the most famous of Baroque arias. He has also won a wide following for both art songs and folk songs from his native Japan. And he has given us inimitable interpretations of some of the "standards" of the popular vocal repertoire. This selection of the Best of Mera shows him in all his different roles and proves him to be an extraordinarily versatile artist with an entirely personal timbre to his voice; an artist who is ever ready to surprise people who have mentally placed him in a particular genre of singing.