sad farewell to great mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson

"Like Ferrier, Hunt was unpompous in rehearsal and unfussy on stage. She seemed almost bewildered by the sound that emerged when she opened her mouth, yet the effulgence of her ``Who May Abide'' in Handel's Messiah was volcanic, an irresistible eruption. At an indelible Wigmore Hall debut recital in London, she emulated Ferrier's love of English folksong with a rendition of ``Deep River,'' an American spiritual.

Like Ferrier, Hunt will achieve posterity on records, though sparingly -- some Bach, Handel, Purcell and a shimmering set of songs by her composer husband, Peter Lieberson. Once heard, never forgotten."