Warner Classics Capitalizes On Natalie Dessay Discography

As Natalie Dessay makes the decision to exit the opera stage forever, her record label searches the archives to release a compilation pulled from her career over the last 15 years of singing Bach, Händel, Rameau, and Monteverdi with Emmanuelle Haïm and William Christie. The 2-CD set also comes with a DVD featuring Ms. Dessay in Händel's Alcina. The release is set for November 6. You can pre-order your copy by clicking here. See the complete track list after the jump.

Sabine Devieilhe Follows The Love Mozart Had For Weber Sisters

Mozart was in love with three sisters of the Weber family: Josepha, Aloysia and Konstanze. He wrote music for all of the muses (and their high tessituras) during the last 14 years of his life. This new recording, Sabine Devieilhe's second solo disc for Erato, features conductor Raphaël Pichon and Pygmalion creating a journey of Mozart's amorous awaking for these women as told through music that is bold, dangerous, naive and tormented. Some of the featured tracks include: "Der Hölle Rache" from Die Zauberflöte; "Non so d'onde viene" K.294; "Io non chiedo, eterni Dei" K.316; "Nehmt meinen Dank" KV 483; "Ah, vous dirais-je maman"; and more. Due out November 6, you can pre-order this limited edition disc by clicking here. Watch a video of the recording session after the jump.

Natalie Dessay Rejoins Philippe Cassard For "Fiançailles pour rire"

The Happy Couple: Natalie Dessay and Philippe Cassard
make a musical "marriage" made in heaven for Erato. 
Pre-order the disc by clicking here.

"For their second Warner Classics album of French song - a follow-up to the Debussy CD they released in 2011 - soprano Natalie Dessay and pianist Philippe Cassard have adopted the title of Francis Poulenc's song cycle Fiançailles pour rire (A betrothal for fun). Poulenc's compact, charming and touching cycle, composed in 1939 to poems by Louise de Vilmorin, is programmed with some of the best-loved mélodies in the repertoire, such as Fauré's 'Après un rêve', 'Mandoline', and 'En sourdine', Duparc's 'Invitation au voyage' and 'Au pays où se fait la guerre', and Chausson's 'Le temps des lilas' and 'Chanson perpetuelle'. In 2013, Natalie Dessay announced that she was leaving the opera stage, but since then her inimitable vocal and dramatic talents have been showcased in the music of Michel Legrand - in concerts of his songs (and the Warner Classics CD 'Entre elle et lui') and in a semi-staged version of Les parapluies de Cherbourg (available on a Warner Classics DVD) - and in further live recitals with Philippe Cassard....On this new disc she can also enjoy the company of some old friends: in Chausson's 'Chanson perpetuelle' she is joined by the Quatuor Ebène (who welcomed her as a guest artist on their best-selling Fiction album back in 2010) and by the bass-baritone Laurent Naouri - who is, as it happens, her husband. Naouri also duets with her on the final track of the album, Poulenc's haunting 'Colloque', a setting of words by Paul Valéry. 'There can be no doubt as to Natalie Dessay's intelligence as an interpreter and her finesse as a musician,' wrote the French magazine Diapason when the Debussy album was released, also praising Philippe Cassard for playing that was 'warm and eloquent, and not prone to the

Single Lady: Dessay last month in a monologue of Howard Barker
 directed by Jacques Vincey with sets by Mathieu Lorry-Dupuy.
 She will reprise the character at the Festival Paris Quartier
d'été starting July 21, 2015.

mistiness of would-be Impressionism or to outbursts of sentiment.' 'Dessay has a real relationship with Cassard,' wrote the American magazine Opera News, 'He is the rare pianist, in Debussy's songs or in his piano music, who understands that Debussy wrote genuine contrapuntal lines that are not meant to be negated by washes of pedal.' The magic of the Dessay-Cassard partnership was captured by The Telegraph after they gave a recital at Wigmore Hall in London in 2012: 'The second half began with Chabrier's hesitantly beautiful 'Chanson pour Jeanne' [also on the new CD] and Chausson's rapturous 'Le temps de lilas'. But the highlight was Dessay's veiled and shimmering account of Duparc's masterpiece 'L'Invitation au voyage', in which her vision of Baudelaire's 'luxe, calme et volupté' dissolved into the deep velvet cushioning of Philippe Cassard's wonderfully soft-textured pianism ... Like Shakespeare's Cleopatra, Dessay makes hungry where most she satisfies. Her singing never moves straight forward; it avoids the obvious, the clear-cut, it treats words as if they were paint. And in her throat, these mélodies remain a mystery, a realm in which shadow counts for more than light.'" [Source, Source] The complete track list is after the jump.

Diana Damrau Fans Flames With Vocal Pyrotechnics For Erato

The artwork and track listing was previously revealed for Diana Damrau's forthcoming release Fiamma del Belcanto. Now the Warner Classics label gives us an inside look at the recording process in a new EPK. "In her first recital album devoted entirely to Italian opera, soprano Diana Damrau takes the golden age of bel canto, the early 19th century, as the starting point for an exploration of theatrical and musical passion that leads to the high-octane verismo drama of the 1890s. Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, Puccini and Leoncavallo are lit up by her coloratura pyrotechnics and dramatic prowess." [Source] Watch the EPK in full, and see two new publicity photos for the album, after the jump.

Diana Damrau "Fiamma Del Belcanto" Full Of Fireworks

Diana Damrau's upcoming release for Erato this spring, Fiamma del Belcanto, will feature the soprano in hardcore repertoire of Bellini, Donizetti, and Verdi. The Orchestra Teatro Regio Torino is conducted by Gianandrea Noseda in works ranging from Rosmonda d'Inghilterra to Luisa Miller. The result is sure to please fans of the soprano as she mixes both familiar repertoire like "Sempre libera" from La Traviata with new offerings like "Lo Sguardo Avea Degli Angelilo" from I Masnadieri throughout the disc. The international release date is March 27, 2015. Pre-order a copy here. The full track list is after the jump.

Diana Damrau On Her Mad Journey With "Lucia di Lammermoor"

A Vision of Delirium: Diana Damrau
(Photo: Rebecca Fay)

"So when did this particular journey begin? 'I saw my first Lucia performance in Vienna standing in the famous Stehplätze [standing places] for a few euros,' she tells me. 'I was a student and I went to Vienna and I got to see Edita Gruberová in Lucia. But I think I already heard the Sutherland recording and also Callas.' And the Damrau version? She’s probably more ‘Callas’ than ‘Sutherland’. But where have her ideas about the part come from? 'Lucia di Lammermoor is the most veristic of the bel canto roles,' she explains. 'The madness of Lucia makes it a real role for acting and singing. Lucia’s madness is an illness. It’s not just a vehicle for a soprano to show her skills and her technique. I talked to doctors about that. She is bipolar and you can hear that very clearly in the first aria.' The particularly modern concept of a bipolar bel canto heroine is intriguing and Damrau has clearly thought it through. 'She gets very, very happy and almost frenetic when she talks about her visions. And ill people can have visions – she’s not just the standard ‘romantic’ figure of the time. Because she is bipolar she really gets very dark and very frightened. Everything seems to be real and very dramatic to her.

Click here to purchase the recording.

She’s under great, great pressure because her mother has died and she’s in a really bad situation. This comes to its peak when she finds out her brother betrayed her – that he forced her into a political marriage and everyone around her has actually manipulated her. When Edgardo comes back and curses her and says, 'you betrayed love and you betrayed God', that’s more tension than she can take. Then the illness comes. The madness breaks out and she kills someone.'" [Source] Read Diana Damrau's tribute to Maria Callas by clicking here. You can sample Erato's new recording of Lucia di Lammermoor featuring Diana Damrau. A video of the mad scene from the recording is after the jump.

New CDs: DiDonato In Stars; Garanča Meditates; Kaufmann Goes Light

CLICK ON INDIVIDUAL COVER ART TO PRE-ORDER.

Natalie Dessay Promotes Popular Brazilian Music For Erato

Soprano Natalie Dessay has a forthcoming release on Erato celebrating the music of famous Brazilian composers. The main works of classical composer Villa-Lobos are represented and popular music of Antônio Carlos Jobim, Baden Powell, João Gilberto, and more. She is joined by singers Agnès Jaoui and Helena Noguerra, as well as guitarist Liat Cohen.

Pre-order your copy here. Watch the EPK video after the jump. 

Is Sabine Devieilhe France's Next Big Coloratura Soprano?

Can Sabine Devieilhe carry the
torch of Janine Micheau, Mady
Mesplé, Lily Pons and
Natalie Dessay?

"Sabine Devieilhe née le 12 décembre 1985 à Ifs est une soprano française. Après des études de violoncelle et de musicologie, Sabine Devieilhe sort en 2011 du Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris avec le Premier Prix à l’unanimité et les Félicitations du Jury. Elle suit ainsi les enseignements de Jocelyne Chamonin, Martine Surais, Pierre Mervant, Malcom Walker ou encore Kenneth Weiss, Anne Le Bozec, Susan Manoff et Olivier Reboul. Membre de plusieurs ensembles professionnels tels que Pygmalion (dir. Raphaël Pichon) et Les Cris de Paris (dir. Geoffroy Jourdain), elle se produit dans un vaste répertoire de la musique ancienne à la musique contemporaine. Affectionnant tout particulièrement le Lied et la mélodie, elle se produit en récital aux côtés d’Anne Le Bozec. Sabine Devieilhe débute à la scène dans Lucia/Le Viol de Lucrèce au CNSM de Paris, ainsi que dans Lauretta/Gianni Schicchi (mes Jean-Michel Fournereau ) et d’Yniold/Pelleas et Melisande (mes Vincent Vittoz ) au festival Messiaen. Deux rencontres marquantes avec Jean-Claude Malgoire et Alexis Kossenko lui font aborder le répertoire baroque de Bach à Rameau, notamment aux Festivals d’Utrecht, Bruges, à l’Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing ou encore au Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. La saison 2010-11 est marquée par une nouvelle production de L’enfant et les sortilèges avec l’ONDIF (dir. David Levi), un programme Bernstein à la Salle Pleyel avec l’Orchestre de Paris, un

The soprano's debut recording on Erato captures
her baroque capabilities exquisitely.

programme Mozart avec les Solistes de l’Orchestre National de Montpellier à Nîmes, une nouvelle production de Dardanus (Ensemble Pygmalion, dir. Raphaël Pichon) au Festival International de Musique Baroque de Beaune et à l’Opéra de Versailles etc. En 2011-12, elle fait ses premiers pas dans le bel canto avec Amina/La Sonnambula avec l’Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing, fait ses débuts avec Les Arts Florissants à la Cité de la Musique avant de retrouver Jean-Claude Malgoire dans La Passion selon St-Jean de Bach avec La Grande Ecurie et la Chambre du Roy. L’enthousiasme remporté par ces premiers engagements lui ouvrent aujourd’hui de nombreuses perspectives : elle fait ses débuts au Festival d’Aix-en-Provence dans Serpetta/La Finta Giardiniera (mes : Vincent Boussard , juillet 2012) et se produit au Festival de Bruges dans un programme Mozart avec Les Ambassadeurs d’Alexis Kossenko. En 2012-13 : débuts dans le rôle-titre de Lakmé à l’Opéra de Montpellier ; tournée de concerts Offenbach avec Marc Minkowski & Les Musiciens du Louvre, Le Magnificat de Bach et le Dixit Dominus de Haendel avec Hervé Niquet et Le Concert Spirituel, divers programmes Bach avec Raphaël

This nightingale has the goods to please any canary fancier.

Pichon à la tête de Pygmalion, La Folie/Platée (dir. Jean-Claude Malgoire) et La Reine de la Nuit/La Flûte enchantée à l’Opéra National de Lyon. En 2013-14 : elle retourne à l’Opéra National de Lyon pour Constance/Dialogues des carmélites et fait ses débuts à l’Opéra Comique dans Lakmé, à l’Opéra National de Paris dans La Reine de la Nuit /La Flûte enchantée et à La Monnaie de Bruxelles dans Euridyce/Orphée et Eurydice. A partir de 2014-15 : reprise de Lakmé à l’Opéra de Toulon ; Adèle/Die Fledermaus à L’Opéra Comique, ainsi que ses débuts dans Nanetta/Falstaff à l’Opéra de Marseille et Le Feu, La Princesse et le Rossignol /L’enfant et les sortilèges au Festival d’Opéra de Glyndebourne etc. [Source, Source] Purchase the debut album by clicking here. Watch the EPK for the new album and get the complete track list after the jump.

Erato Crosses Over Coloraturas Dessay And Damrau

Click here to purchase the album

Entre Elle et Lui - Après une enfance passée en adoration pour les chansons de Michel Legrand, et de nombreux concerts avec lui à travers la France ces 3 dernières années, Natalie Dessay vient d'enregistrer cet album au parfum délicieux: des chansons dans le cœur de tous les français, simplement accompagnées par Michel Legrand au piano, Pierre Boussaguet à la contrebasse, François Laizeau à la batterie et Catherine Michel à la harpe. Et si Michel Legrand chante avec elle Les Moulins de mon cœur, deux invités de marque, Patricia Petibon et Laurent Naouri, viennent flâner chacun à leur tour, le temps d’un duo avec Natalie.

Click here to purchase the album

Forever - Das gilt auch für die Sängerin selbst, sodass das Album tatsächlich so etwas wie den „Soundtrack ihres Lebens“ darstellt – mit Erinnerungen an „My Fair Lady“ aus ihrer Anfangszeit in Würzburg oder an die Jahre, in denen sie als Heranwachsende voller Bewunderung Operetten-Platten mit Anneliese Rothenberger und Lucia Popp hörte. Schon damals wurde ihr klar: „Die Operette hätte einen viel besseren Ruf verdient, denn sie erreicht nicht nur unsere Herzen, sondern sie erzählt auch von den Irrungen und Wirrungen des Lebens.“ Das Repertoire des Albums Forever reicht von Operettenmelodien von Meistern wie Lehár und Strauß über Songs von Sondheim, Gershwin, Lloyd Webber und Bernstein bis hin zu Liedern aus „Mary Poppins“, „Arielle“ und anderen Musicals. Ein Höhepunkt ist sicher „Lippen schweigen“ aus Lehárs „Lustiger Witwe“ – mit Rolando Villazón als Duettpartner. 

Full track listing after the jump for both albums, along with a special bonus feature on one diva that has covered all of this territory in the past.

From the Vault: Margarita Castro-Alberty Chante Verdi

Margarita Castro-Alberty Chante Verdi was produced on the french label Erato as a gatefold LP in 1982. The reference number is 75003. Get more information about the soprano and watch her sing "Tu al cui sguardo onnipossente" from I Due Foscari and "O patria mia" from Aida after the jump.