Hila Fahima / ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra / Michele Gamba DONIZETTI - VERDI

 

DONIZETTI - VERDI

 

Ophélie Gaillard / Morphing Chamber Orchestra / Frédéric Chaslin CELLOPERA

 

CELLOPERA

 

Linda Richardson / Sinfonia of London / John Wilson ITALIAN OPERA ARIAS

 

ITALIAN OPERA ARIAS

Eli Kristin Hanssveen / Operaorkesteret / John Fiore SEMPRE LIBERA

 

SEMPRE LIBERA

 

Orchestra e Coro Donizetti Opera / Jean-Luc Tingaud DONIZETTI L'Ange de Nisida

 

L'ANGE DE NISIDA

 

Camille Thomas VOICE OF HOPE

VOICE OF HOPE

Maria Callas DRAMA QUEEN

DRAMA QUEEN

Benjamin Bernheim / PKF - Prague Philharmonia / Emmanuel Villaume BENJAMIN BERNHEIM

“Working in partnership with Deutsche Grammophon, a label with such a long and illustrious history, is both an enormous honour and a huge responsibility,” says Bernheim, for whom the world’s most prestigious opera houses are already homes from home. “It’s given me an even greater incentive to perform at the very highest level.” Born in Paris in 1985, Bernheim studied in Lausanne then became a member of Zurich Opera’s renowned International Opera Studio. Before long he was one of the most sought-after lyric tenors worldwide, and he is now regularly invited to appear at La Scala, Milan, the Berlin Staatsoper, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Vienna Staatsoper and the Salzburg Festival, among many others. Wherever he goes, he captivates audiences with his mesmerising vocal and dramatic interpretations.

Accompanied by the Prague Philharmonia under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume, on his debut DG album Bernheim presents a varied programme drawn from the Italian, Russian and French operatic repertoire. His vocal and expressive versatility can be heard, for example, in Lensky’s aria from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin, an opera in which he enjoyed huge success at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, and in Edgardo’s “Tombe degli avi miei” from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Another of the characters featured here is Puccini’s Rodolfo (La bohème), a role he sees as “steeped in tradition”, and therefore one for which he needed to find his own personal interpretation – “a challenging but hugely rewarding experience”. The music of his birthplace is particularly close to his heart, and is represented on the album by arias such as “En fermant les yeux” from Massenet’s Manon, “L’Amour! Oui, son ardeur” from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” from the same composer’s Faust. “The French repertoire requires perfect diction and the ability to convey the meaning behind the text as well”, observes Bernheim. “There is so much poetry in these pieces and there are so many details to discover in them. My aim is to bring all of this out in my performances. These are works in which I can give 150% and use every different facet of my voice.”

Michael Fabiano / London Philharmonic Orchestra / Enrique Mazzola VERDI - DONIZETTI

American star tenor Michael Fabiano presents a spectacular set of scenes taken from late Donizetti and middle Verdi operas, revealing the strong ties between these two composers. The album documents a paradigmatic shift in Italian opera, from the beautiful lines and crispness of belcanto to a richer, more dramatic musical universe. The historical line stretches from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, Poliuto and Maria di Rohan to mature Verdi operas such as Rigoletto, Un ballo in maschera and Don Carlos. In many cases, Fabiano has selected original, rarely-heard versions, including the thunderous ‘Qual sangue sparsi’ from the original St. Petersburg edition of La forza del destino.

Together, these arias and scenes constitute a world full of heartfelt tenderness and fire-laden drama. After numerous successes on the opera stage, this is Michael Fabiano’s debut album on PENTATONE.

Eunsie Hong / Kristin Okerlund THE FIRST

Praised as one of South Korea’s greatest soprano of the generation, Eunsie Hong carries incredible amounts of performance experience in orchestral concert and opera. Her exceptional dynamic control in her voice sways her audience in happiness and tears. 

Highlights of her 2018 season starts with a concert tour as a soloist for the Mozart Requiem at the world-renowned Musikverein Golden Hall in Vienna, Mozarteum Salzburg in Austria and Music Institute of Zagreb in Croatia. 

She also performed with orchestra Sinfonia Rotterdam at Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, singing arias of Strauss and Gounod. She performed with many orchestras including Hradec Králové Orchestra at Smetana Hall of Municipal House in Prague, Ukraine Symphony Orchestra, Kiev Radio Symphony Orchestra and Prime Philharmonic Orchestra, Korail Symphony Orchestra. 

She launched her career appearing in the leading roles; Violetta in La Traviata at Sejong M-Theater, and Adina of L'elisir d'amore. 

Julie Fuchs / Orchestre National d’ile de France / Enrique Mazzola MADEMOISELLE

In the 2018/19 season, Julie will appear in two new productions; as Fiorilla Il turco in Italia at Opernhaus Zürich and as Eurydice Orphée aux enfers at the Opéra Grand Avignon. She will also make her role debut as Eva in the rarely performed opera La morte d’Abel by Caldara at Salzburg Whitsun Festival. 

Other concert highlights include solo recitals at the Philharmonie de Paris, Théâtre de l’Athénée in Paris, the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Opéra de Versailles, Opéra du Rhin, and Opéra national de Bordeaux, as well as Carmina Burana with the Orchestre national de Bordeaux Aquitaine and a gala concert at Salzburg Whitsun Festival. 

Julie’s discography includes a recording of early songs by Mahler and Debussy with Alphonse Cemin, and a disc of Songs for Piano and Voice by Poulenc (Atma Classique). 

In 2014 Julie signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon, with her first solo album Yes! released in 2015. 

Deutsche Grammophon has announced the release of Julie Fuchs’ second album. The new album, set for release on Feb. 15, 2019, will be titled “Mademoiselle” and will feature of a collection of Bel canto arias personally chosen by the soprano. Enrique Mazzola conducts the Orchestre National d’ile de France. The soprano’s first album for the company was entitled “Yes!” and featured a collection of French works. She also released a Debussy album and an album with Poulenc’s complete songs for soprano. Fuchs is one of today’s rising stars in France, performing in high profile engagements. She is scheduled to appear this season at the Opéra de Bordeaux, Opernahus Zurich, and Salzburg Whitsun Festival. She will also perform a concert at the Aix-en-Provence with music by Rossini and Donizetti.

Marina Rebeka SPIRITO

After Mozart and Rossini, the Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka here presents a selection of meaty bel canto scenes on her own label, Prima Classic. It’s a bold venture but one backed up by a formidable voice and plenty of artistry, not to mention musicological research: a charming picture in the booklet shows a white-gloved Rebeka, magnifying glass at hand, poring over the manuscript of Anna Bolena in a Milan archive.

She dives straight in at the bel canto deep end with a ‘Casta diva’ that’s firm and focused, and certainly not lacking in nobility. And immediately one notices the plumminess of the voice, placed – along with her Italian consonants – far back in the throat. This is a big, dark instrument, and one that, as I noted when reviewing her Rossini, seems to nudge into the lirico-spinto category. It’s sturdy and rich across the range and has a formidable top, but also a certain weight that needs to be steered around tight coloratura corners.

As before, Rebeka scores big points for the nobility and grandezza of her performances; she’s at her best when called on to convey determination and steely strength. Her scene from Maria Stuarda is terrific, then, the prayer building up impressively and movingly. She reacts well to the more stately dramaturgy of La vestale’s finale scene, too. And the artistry on display in the Anna Bolena excerpt is moving on its own terms.

It’s when it comes to really tugging the heartstrings that I find myself wishing for a little more variety; and Rebeka doesn’t always let the flesh-and-blood characters behind the impeccably turned notes shine through. A quick comparison with Montserrat Caballé’s account of the Pirata scene or Joyce DiDonato in the Maria Stuarda preghiera (on her ‘Stella di Napoli’ album) shows what a more flexible voice and interpretative approach can bring. (Hugo Shirley / Gramophone)

Venera Gimadieva / The Hallé / Gianluca Marcianò MOMENTO IMMOBILE

Bel canto opera is a plethora of paradoxes and these are most powerfully embodied by the prima donna herself. Pure and passionate, alluring and alarming, desirable and dangerous, she is a woman who, driven by uncontainable desire or righteousness, defies or disregards social convention in her search for what might be deemed a more modern form of self-expression and freedom. She articulates a luxurious femininity which sonically embodies the female form and is both emancipatory and intimidating. Undeniably powerfully sensual, she was – and is – subject to patriarchal and social control; innocent, spiritual and soulful, she suffers, is sick and must be destroyed. The melismatic madness of the heroine speaks of a ‘mania’ that is not alien to contemporary notions of a neurosis afflicting modern woman. Does her vocal intensity make us idealise her, or crave and command her sacrifice? At the start of the 21st century, do we recognise her voice as our own? Or is it, as Michel Poizat argues, ‘the angel’s cry’, an inarticulate expression of the soul at both the pinnacle of its power and the moment of death: a momento immobile. (Claire Seymour)

Letizia Calandra / Fausto Tenzi / Ilario Nicotra DONIZETTI Nuits d'été à Pausilippe

Gaetano Donizetti, the great Italian opera composer, stayed between 1822 and 1838 in Naples, in a house in the luxuriant hillside area Posillipo, overlooking the island Megaride, where the siren Parthenope failed to charm Odysseus and threw herself into the sea. The beautiful surroundings inspired Donizetti to compose a series of vocal chamber music, songs for soprano, tenor and piano in French, the fashionable language of the time. “Nuits d’été à Pausilippe” contains 6 arias and 6 notturnos, highly atmospheric and evocative songs, in seductive bel canto style. Also included on this new recording are the Soirées d’automne à l‘Infrascata, the successor of the previous song cycle. Soprano Letizia Calandra is considered one of the foremost interpreters of Neapolitan songs. Her unique, versatile voice, schooled in opera and early music, is the perfect carrier for this genre, a blend of the artful and the folklore, the high and low culture of Napoli.

Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo / Brad Cohen / Emma Matthews IN MONTE CARLO

Bel Canto Emma Matthews is the brightest star out of Australia, the most anticipated since Dame Joan Sutherland. A co-production between ABC Classics and Universal Music in Australia, this CD combines jewels from French and Italian operatic repertoire, as well as music by Bernstein and 2 Australian composers Richard Mills and Calvin Bowman.

Emma made her Covent Garden debut in March/April 2010 in the title role of Cunning Little Vixen at the Royal Opera House, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras and her European concert debut with Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo in Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and also her debut with conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy as soloist in Mahler’s 4.

This release highlights Romantic opera heroines the Doll Song from Tales of Hoffmann, the Bell Song from Lakme, as well as fearless and thrilling coloratura moments in Proch’s Theme and Variations and Bernstein’s Glitter and Be Gay. There are two world premiere recordings on the disc both from Australian composers - The Nightingale’s Song at the close of Richard Mills opera The Love of the Nightingale and Calvin Bowman’s song Now touch the air softly. (Presto Classical)

Antoine Tamestit / Cédric Tiberghien BEL CANTO

Going well beyond mere historical interest, this album unveils the charms of a repertoire that delighted Parisian concert halls and salons throughout the 19th century. It demonstrates how the viola finally emerged from the violin’s shadow thanks to virtuoso playing, now resuscitated by the talent of Antoine Tamestit and Cédric Tiberghien in pieces which offer much more than the exquisite languors of bel canto. Italian for 'beautiful singing' or 'beautiful song', the term remains vague and ambiguous but is commonly used to evoke a lost singing tradition; in this case the famed singing tone of Antoine Tamestit's viola, a 1672 Stradivarius, loaned by the Habisreutinger Foundation.

Born in Paris, Antoine Tamestit studied with Jesse Levine at Yale University and with Tabea Zimmermann. He has won several coveted prizes including the William Primrose Competition, first prize at the Young Concert Artists (YCAT) international auditions, a place on BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists Scheme and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Antoine Tamestit’s distinguished discography includes Berlioz’s 'Harold en Italie', which was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra and Valery Gergiev and released in 2015 by LSO Live. For Naïve he has recorded three of the Bach Suites, Hindemith solo and concertante works recorded with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Järvi, and an earlier recording of 'Harold' with Marc Minkowski and Les Musicians du Louvre.

This particular diva is the viola; its servant is Antoine Tamestit, here making his first solo recording for harmonia mundi. (Presto Classical)

Rolando Villazón / Ildar Abdrazakov DUETS

The history of recording boasts a long and glorious tradition of duet albums – think of the pairings of Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano, Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni, and Plácido Domingo and Leontyne Price, to name but a few illustrious collaborators. Rolando Villázon himself has already joined forces with one stellar partner in the studio – he and Anna Netrebko released their duet album ten years ago.

The French-Mexican star tenor’s latest recording is devoted to a much less well-known operatic repertoire than that for tenor and soprano. This time he teamed up with Russian bass Ildar Abdrazakov, here making his Deutsche Grammophon debut, to record a collection of duets for two male voices. The two singers have known each other for some years now, having first appeared on stage together in a production of Lucia di Lammermoor in 2009. Abdrazakov is one of the most sought-after basses of his generation, as confirmed by a quick glance at his schedule: Méphisto (Faust) at the Salzburg Festival, Philip II (Don Carlos) in Munich and at La Scala, Milan, Escamillo (Carmen) in Paris, Figaro (Le nozze di Figaro) at the Met in New York – the list goes on and on.

Together he and Villazón put together a programme of stylistically diverse scenes from operas by Bizet, Boito, Donizetti, Gounod and Verdi. Among their choices are classics such as “Au fond du temple saint” from Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles – perhaps the most famous tenor-baritone duet of all – and less familiar excerpts such as “Son lo spirito che nega” from Boito’s rarely performed Mefistofele.

The week-long recording sessions took place in a church in Montreal. Although the workload was intense, all the participants were brimming with admiration for one another. Rolando Villazón has spoken in glowing terms about Abdrazakov’s “chocolatey and characterful voice” and his “outstanding technique”, while conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is full of praise for the two singers: “They were so perfectly in tune. Naturally, the two of them have very different voices, but their colours blended together wonderfully. It was truly beautiful to hear!”

The album ends with two special musical treats – tributes to the two singers’ home countries. And Villazón and Abdrazakov prepared for their duet versions of Mexican composer Agustín Lara’s celebrated Granada and the Russian folk song Ochi Chernye (Dark eyes) by giving each other a few lessons in Spanish and Russian respectively! (Deutsche Grammophon)

Joyce El-Khoury / Carlo Rizzi / The Hallé ÉCHO

Of Joyce El-Khoury’s performance as Violetta in her recent Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (ROH) debut, the Independent wrote: “Her pianissimi are exquisite, her coloratura is bold, fearless and flawless, and the expressiveness of her sound grips the heart”. She is embracing her gift for bel canto repertoire with the release of her debut solo album ‘Echo’ with maestro Carlo Rizzi and The Hallé Orchestra (Opera Rara) later this summer. 

It is impossible to know with any accuracy what Julie Dorus-Gras’s voice sounded like, though in her day she acquired a reputation for rare vocal greatness. 

What is clear from the historical facts available is that she had a prodigious work ethic and was constantly refining and shaping her vocal technique to meet the requirements of the roles she sang. This iron discipline allowed her to perform a wider variety of roles than normal and placed her among the front rank of artists of the time. When composers of considerable prominence were looking for appropriate talent to debut their works, she was often the first choice. 

I feel a strong kinship with Mme. Dorus-Gras. Like her, I consider myself a perennial student of this wonderful art form. Like her, I am always looking to grow, to expand my vocal palette in an effort to convey more truthfully the trials, tribulations and intricacies of the human condition. 

There is no way to know whether my voice is similar to hers in tonal quality. What I do know, is that the repertoire she sang, some of which is featured on this disc, resonates deeply with me. Moreover, the vocal demands feel a natural fit for my voice and I simply love singing this music. 

This recital recording is both a tribute and a gesture of gratitude to this wonderful artist, who pioneered so much repertoire that still has so much to say to modern-day audiences. I decided to call this disc Écho after noticing that this word is present in a few of the pieces, whether in French or Italian (as ‘eco’). is is especially spine-tingling for me: Mme. Julie Dorus-Gras’s work is still echoing today in the 21st century and inspiring artists such as myself. 

I very much hope you enjoy listening to this marvellous music. (Joyce El-Khoury)

Olga Peretyatko / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Miguel Gómez-Martinez LA BELLEZZA DEL CANTO

Operatic powerhouse Olga Peretyatko is accompanied by the Münchner Rundfunkorchester (Munich Radio Orchestra) conducted by Miguel Gómez-Martinez on this high-quality album of (coloratura) soprano favorites. With an able, keen orchestra behind her, Peretyatko is free to demonstrate her considerable talents. Two arias are by opera legend Rossini. One, his "Non si dà follia maggiore," begins the album, and Peretyatko interprets it in a way that leaves the listener entranced. Peretyatko's voice is clean, bright, and full of vibrato. Her interpretation is also highly dramatic. "Canzone del salice" is an even better Rossini choice for the artist, for it begins with a delicate harp and then shows off the core to Peretyatko's smooth, legato sound. Her melismas are not out of control, in keeping with the character of the piece, and there is a lovely trill on "caldi." Despite being a coloratura soprano, Peretyatko's low voice is particularly nice, with depth and color. One can hear this in arias like Dvorák's "Song to the Moon" or Donizetti's "Quel guardo il cavaliere." Where one can hear her true coloratura prowess is on pieces like "Les oiseaux dans la charmille," where the aria shows off her agility as she glides between high and low notes, and her melisma on a piano dynamic demonstrates her excellent technique. The coloratura classic "Caro Nome" is another great example of her fach, for she lightens phrases and notes in such a way that the listener will be amazed by her tremendous vocal control. She brings a rich, fullness to the aria, which is what makes her particular interpretation unique. The overall choice of repertoire on the album is excellent, for it spans a range of composers, languages, and moods that are all well suited to Peretyatko's voice and vocal personality. A general tendency is, oddly, that some of her very high notes are thin and unsupported, rendering them slightly under pitch. This seems to happen on long, sustained high notes, which is unfortunate, for they are often the climax of the aria. Needless to say, no singer is perfect, but Peretyatko and the wonderful Munchner Rundfunkorchester come close. (V. Vasan)

Lena Belkina / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Alessandro de Marchi DOLCI MOMENTI / BELCANTO ARIAS

The press has already taken her to their heart: “fulminant, brilliant, beautiful voice” (Das Opernglas), “a touching mezzo” (Süddeutsche Zeitung), “…a treat for the ears and the eyes…” (WAZ). The young mezzo-soprano Lena Belkina is already in demand all over the world.

She sang her way into the international limelight back in 2012 with her Angelina in Rossini’s La Cenerentola (Carlo Verdone/Gianluigi Gelmetti). The live video recording made by Mondovision was awarded the 64º PRIX ITALIA and the Warsaw Music Gardens Festival audience prize. What entranced the Oscar-winning director about his star performer was her extraordinary charisma: “…una fotogenia straordinaria, e la giusta dolcezza malinconica e sognante nei suoi grandi occhi neri…” (“extraordinarily photogenic, with the ideal melancholy and the dreamy sweetness of her big dark eyes”) (Verdone in Cultura). Since then, this film version produced by Andrea Andermann has been shown in more than 150 countries. Lena recorded her first solo album together with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, which will already be released this year by Sony Classical.

There are currently three new productions planned: At the moment, Lena sings the Dorabella part in Cosi Fan Tutte in the Munich Cuvilliés Theatre. Subsequently, the singer can be experienced as Olga in Eugen Onegin at the Malmö Opera and as Angelina in La Cenerentola in the Prague Estates Theatre.
Apart from that, opera lovers may look forward to listening to Lena in several solo evening recitals with orchestra in Germany and Israel.

In summer 2014, the Ukrainian singer was engaged by the Rossini Opera Festival. Lena Belkina delighted with the major role of Arsace in a newly revised edition of the opera Aureliano in Palmira. It was the first performance of the opera at the festival and was directed by Mario Martone. A special highlight was that Lena was allowed to sing Giovanni Battista Velluti’s great cadenzas: a particular honour that no one else has been granted since the great castrato’s death. The opera published by Unitel Classica. The great success was brought by the 2015 re-invitation, where Lena will sing the Pippo part in Gazza Ladra.