The Deepest Desire

CD Details

The Deepest Desire is a 2005 classical vocal recital featuring soprano Joyce DiDonato performing songs by major American composers. The album includes works by Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Jake Heggie, alongside pieces by David Zobel and Frances Shelly. Heggie’s song cycle that gives the album its title sets meditations by Sister Helen Prejean, a nun who began prison ministry work in New Orleans in 1981 and became known for her spiritual accompaniment of death row inmates, experiences she documented in her book Dead Man Walking, which inspired both an acclaimed film and an opera.

This single-disc CD was released on the Eloquentia label and includes tracks such as “Music I Heard With You,” “What Lips My Lips Have Kissed,” “A Julia de Burgos,” and “Piccola Serenata.” DiDonato’s solo recital debut captures vocal settings that range from intimate songs to dramatic cycles, with the Heggie work marking its world premiere recording. Add this hand-inspected classical recording to your collection at a used price.