Stanko Madić / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Ivan Repušić PETERIS VASKS Viatore - Distant Light - Voices

 

VIATORE - DISTANT LIGHT - VOICES

 

Emmanuel Pahud / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Ivan Repušić DREAMTIME

DREAMTIME

Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Ivan Repušić GIUSEPPE VERDI Attila

ATTILA

Valentina Nafornita / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Keri-Lynn Wilson ROMANCE

                                                                        ROMANCE

Sonya Yoncheva / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Massimo Zanetti THE VERDI ALBUM

Sony has announced Sonya Yoncheva’s third CD “The Verdi album.”

The new album sees Yoncheva explore the composer’s music through arias from “Nabucco,” “Attila,” “Luisa Miller” and “Stiffelio.” There are also arias from “Il Trovatore,” “Otello,” “Simon Boccanegra,” and “Don Carlo.”

Every selection on the album was selected by Yoncheva with the soprano noting that her favorite aria on the album was from “Attila.” She also noted that Abigaille’s aria, which is known as a voice-wrecker was a challenge. “I never obey the rules. People tell me I should sing this, or not sing that, but I believe you have to listen to your voice. And I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to go into this dark and dramatic world, and see what came out!”

Of the arias performed on the album, Yoncheva has performed “Otello” and “Don Carlo” on stage. The soprano will take on the role of  “Luisa Miller” at the Metropolitan Opera with Plácido Domingo and Piotr Beczala this spring and will be showcased live in HD.

Sonya Yoncheva recorded her new album with Verdi specialist Massimo Zanetti and the Munich Radio Symphony Orchestra. (Francisco Salazar)

For her third solo album for Sony Classical, the Operalia-winning soprano, Yoncheva turns her attention to the work of a composer for whom many feel she has always had a special affinity: Giuseppe Verdi. The music of Verdi forms the lodestone of most dramatic-lyric sopranos, and Yoncheva includes arias from some of the composer’s rarely-performed operas in addition to some of the most beloved ones. From the early operas, she sings arias from Nabucco (1842), Attila (1846), Luisa Miller (1849) and Stiffelio (1850). The latter aria is a prayer of forgiveness from a woman, the wife of a pastor, who has been unfaithful. ‘The emotional range of this aria is amazing, and musically it uses the whole voice from high to low- but amazingly it all happens in about two minutes.’ (Sony Classical)

Juliane Banse IM ARM DER LIEBE

Juliane Banse's current concept album, entitled "Love’s Embrace”, is devoted to orchestral Lieder of the early twentieth century and presents works and composers who have been very unjustly forgotten. The romantic lyrics have catchy melodies and lightweight orchestration; they are easily on a par with the well-known orchestral Lieder by Mahler or Strauss. An excellent opportunity to regain familiarity with Late Romantic orchestral Lieder by Hans Pfitzner, Joseph Marx, Walter Braunfels and Erich Wolfgang Korngold, and to experience them in exemplary interpretations.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, the Golden Age of the orchestral piano Lied and the original orchestral Lied had begun - with Hugo Wolf and, above all, Gustav Mahler. “Away with the piano!" was the latter's fierce demand: "We moderns need a larger device to express our thoughts, whether great or small.” Richard Strauss, Hans Pfitzner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Reger thought and composed in very much the same manner as such now-forgotten and soon to be finally rediscovered masters as Joseph Marx or Walter Braunfels.

In 1903, Pfitzner, for example, wrote his song "Infidelity and Consolation", which alternated between the popular sound” and artistic contrapuntal ambitions, and then orchestrated it: a "German folk song" from the pen of an intensely cerebral composer. In contrast, the Six Simple Songs op 9, composed from 1911 onwards by Erich Wolfgang Korngold - a childhood as well as a teenage prodigy - are by no means "simple"; instead they are artificial, refined, lightweight, melodically extravagant and harmoniously dazzling. The Graz composer Joseph Marx, once the most-performed living Austrian composer, represents the aspect of modernity that usually comes under the heading of “Late Romantic”; like Hugo Wolf, he also wrote music for an "Italian songbook" after Paul Heyse. The highly delicate "Three Chinese Songs" composed in the world war year of 1914 by Walter Braunfels, who was open to all the fine arts, were written for soprano and orchestra from the outset - but not merely as a footnote to once-fashionable exoticism. Like Mahler with his "Song of the Earth," Braunfels had been inspired by Hans Bethge's "Chinese Flute".

Together with the Münchner Rundfunkorchester conducted by Sebastian Weigle, Juliane Banse recorded the orchestral Lieder in a studio production by the Bayerischer Rundfunk in March 2015.

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)

Véronique Gens / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Hervé Niquet VISIONS

After an album of French songs (Néère) that earned her a Gramophone Award in 2016, Véronique Gens presents her new recital, this time with orchestra, which gives her an opportunity to display the maturity of her ‘Falcon’ soprano, the central tessitura typical of French Romantic opera, which takes its name from Cornélie Falcon, who created the works of Meyerbeer and Halévy staged in the 1830s.

She pays tribute here to a number of composers whose unknown operas she was the first to reveal in projects mounted by the Palazzetto Bru Zane (which also coproduced the present recording), including David, Godard, Saint-Saëns and Halévy. The programme selects arias from all the genres in vogue in the Romantic era: opera (Saint-Saëns, Halévy, Godard, Février), opéra-comique (David), oratorio (Franck, Massenet) and the cantata for the Prix de Rome (Bizet, Bruneau). A nod to Wagner and his Tannhäuser – in its French translation of the 1860s – completes this programme conducted by a longstanding colleague of the soprano, one of the leading specialists in French music, Hervé Niquet.

Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks / The Hilliard Ensemble / Münchner Rundfunkorchester ARVO PÄRT Live

Arvo Pärt, who was born in Estonia in 1935, has succeeded in bringing sacred music back to a broader audience, and away from the confines of the church service, more than almost any other contemporary composer. The meditative character of his works, and his return to the simplest and most basic musical forms, convey moments of intense spirituality. Even before his emigration from the Soviet Union to Austria and then to Germany, Pärt had already invented what he termed the tintinnabuli style of composition (from the Latin word for a bell). He produced an early and important example of this style in 1977 with the ""Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten"", scored for string orchestra and bell, and it is also a key feature of the three great choral works that form the greater part of this new BR-KLASSIK CD ""Arvo Pärt: Live"", namely the ""Seven Magnificat Antiphons"" for mixed choir a capella, the large-scale oratorio ""Cecilia, vergine romana"" for mixed choir and orchestra, and the vocal work Litany Prayers of St John Chrysostom for Each Hour of the Day and Night for soloists, mixed choir and orchestra. Also included on this CD is the ""Collage on B-A-C-H"" for strings, oboe, harpsichord and piano. Composed in 1964, before Pärt's aesthetic reorientation, it is one of his most famous works. Despite its radical reduction of means of expression, Pärt's music demands the greatest care in execution from those performing it and this has been masterfully realized in the present recording by the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the Münchner Rundfunkorchester, whose combined and homogenous sound is a direct result of their regular cooperation. Ulf Schirmer, Marcello Viotti und the choir's current artistic director Peter Dijkstra here demonstrate their deep familiarity with the subtle sound-world of Arvo Pärt.These live recordings were made at Munich concerts in July 2000, February and December 2005, and January and October 2011, all of which received public and critical acclaim.

Anett Fritsch / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Alessandro de Marchi MOZART Arien

Born in 1986 in Plauen, Anett Fritsch studied at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Music Academy in Leipzig with KS Prof. Jürgen Kurth. In 2001 she was awarded the first prize at the Johann Sebastian Bach Competition in Leipzig. She was a laureate at the international competition of the Chamber Opera at Schloss Rheinsberg in 2006 and 2007, where she sang the parts of Despina in Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte and Adina in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore. In the season 07/08 the Oper Leipzig engaged Anett Fritsch for various parts, including Gianetta in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore.

Since 2009 Anett Fritsch is part of the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf/Duisburg where she sings among others Pamina, Blanche/Dialogue des Carmelites, Konstanze/Entführung aus dem Serail and Marie/Fille du Régiment.

Anett Fritsch had a great success at her debut at the Glyndebourne Festival with the part of Almirena in Händel’s Rinaldo and with the part of Merione in Gluck’s Telemaco at the Theater an der Wien. She also made a triumphant debut as Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte at the Teatro Real Madrid, a production which was also very successful at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels and in 2014 appeared at the Wiener Festwochen. The tour through Europe Figaro/Cherubinowith René Jacobs and the Freiburger Barockorchester met with a big international response.

In 2014 Anett Fritsch made her debut at the Salzburg Festival as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. In Munich she sang Figaro/Susanna.

Future engagements include Arabella/Zdenka in Dusseldorf, Ginevra/Ariodante in Amsterdam, Nozze di Figaro/Susanna in Toulouse, Donna Elvira/Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival, a production of the Salieri opera Falstaff at the Theater an der Wien, Pamina in Toronto, Donna Elvira/Giovanni und at La Scala, Sifare/Mitridate at Covent Garden, Figaro/Cherubino at the Bavarian State Opera Munich.

Anna Netrebko / Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor / Münchner Rundfunkorchester / Marco Armiliato PUCCINI Manon Lescaut

It is rare for an artist to break through the boundaries of classical music stardom and achieve recognition in the wider world, but Anna Netrebko has achieved that and more. In a recording career stretching a mere dozen years she has not only seduced the classical scene with the beauty of her voice, her superb vocal control and supreme musicality, she has also become an interna­tional icon. More than an operatic diva, Anna Netrebko is an enormously charismatic individual whose vivacious style and dazzling stage presence are as celebrated as her musical artistry.

Her future plans include her latest return to the Met, this time as Manon Lescaut (November / December 2016), and appearances as Lady Macbeth at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich (December 2016). Before that, she will give three concert performances of Manon Lescaut at this summer’s Salzburg Festival, starring opposite her husband, tenor Yusif Eyvazov, with whom she will also give concerts in Hamburg and Cologne as a prelude to the 2 September launch of Verismo, her latest album for Deutsche Grammophon. 

A passionate advocate for children’s causes, Netrebko supports a number of charitable organisations, including SOS-Kinderdorf International and the Russian Children’s Welfare Society. She is a global ambassador for Chopard jewellery. Her many and varied interests all contribute to her artistry and provide insight into her ability to immerse herself so deeply in a role, whether tragic or comic. It is easy to see why Gramophone enthused as follows: “When I hear Anna Netrebko sing, live, I don’t want her to stop … Remember the days of rapturous standing ovations, when the sound of a singer’s voice would really drive people wild? That’s the kind of voice Netrebko has … She is also a stage animal … she is fuelled by sheer talent and instinct … I’d take Netrebko over anyone out there, any time.” 8/2016

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.