Perfido

Leading British soprano Sophie Bevan performs a sumptuous programme of concert arias by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. Bevan is accompanied on this new recording by The Mozartists, recently launched by Ian Page's internationally renowned period ensemble Classical Opera as an expansion of its continuing exploration of Mozart and his contemporaries. Complementing Classical Opera's ongoing recording series of complete operas of Mozart, the creation of The Mozartists reflects the group's expanding repertoire and ambitious plans, and they can be heard in concert from September, 2017.

Ricordate dove tutto ebbe inizio? A Villa Rosa sul Poggio delle Rose, in località Roseto. Fu là, nella villa abitata un tempo da Fantomius, che nacque Paperinik. A dire il vero della villa non è rimasto molto, dopo che Gastone la fece saltare, ma quel luogo speciale ora è in pericolo e…

In mezzo alle montagne del Vermont, avvolta nella nebbia e isolata da tutto, sorge la Ellingham Academy, una rinomata scuola superiore per studenti particolarmente dotati. Il suo fondatore, Albert Ellingham, aveva voluto renderla un luogo magico e misterioso, pieno di enigmi, sentieri tortuosi e giardini. "Un posto" disse, "dove imparare sia un gioco". Ma poco dopo l'apertura della scuola, nel 1936, sua moglie e sua figlia furono rapite e Dottie Epstein, la studentessa più brillante del corso, scomparve nel nulla. L'unico indizio trovato era un indovinello beffardo che elencava una serie di modi per uccidere, firmato "Cordialmente, Perfido". Il caso non fu mai risolto. Ottant'anni dopo Stevie Bell, aspirante criminologa, si presenta alla Ellingham Academy con un piano ambizioso: risolvere quel mistero..

Who is Cornélie Falcon? Although the Falcon soprano, a rare vocal type, is well known today, its original model is much less so.

With "Falcon", Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak pays tribute to one of the most beautiful voices of the 19th century: Cornélie Falcon.An exceptional singer with generous, powerful lows, capable of reaching impressive heights, she gave her name to a well-known voice type: the "Falcon soprano".A contemporary of Pauline Viardot and her sister Maria Malibran, she was one of the stars of French singing, with a career that was as exceptional as it was dazzling. She suffered a tragic fate with the early loss of her voice, launched too early into the limelight.She was also the creator of two of the most important operas of her time: Halévy's La Juive, in which she played a sublime Rachel in 1835, and Meyerbeer's Les Hugenots, a triumph at its premiere.Accompanied by the Morphing Chamber Orchestra conducted by Bassem Akiki, Aleksandra Kurzak embraces her repertoire, taking on the roles that have made her famous, from Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and the Countess of Rossini (Le Comte Ory) to Spontini (La Vestale) and Niedermeyer, as well as Halévy and Meyerbeer. She brilliantly embodies the roles of Cornélie Falcon in a programme that is as ambitious as it is demanding.
With a very active international career, Aleksandra Kurzak will sing Tosca in Puccini's opera at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in September 2024, and Fedora in Umberto Giordano's opera at the Grand Théâtre de Genève in November 2024.

Pour son deuxième récital, la soprano Lise Davidsen propose un répertoire plus varié esthétiquement que son premier, dirigé par Esa-Pekka Salonen, où elle confrontait quelques arias de Wagner (Tannhäuser) et des pages de Richard Strauss, dont les Vier letzte Lieder - Qobuzissime. Ici, elle reste dans le plein XIXe siècle, abordant aussi bien la scène dramatique Ah perfido! de Beethoven que les Wesendonck-Lieder de Wagner, en passant par quelques tubes de l’opéra romantique italien, comme le Pace, pace, mio Dio de La forza del destino ou le Ave Maria, piena di grazia d’Otello (Verdi). L’extrait de Medea de Cherubini ferait presque office de curiosité ! Tout au long de ce récital, peut-être plus satisfaisant que le premier, Sir Mark Elder – très attentif – lui tisse des soutiens orchestraux d’une grande finesse, qui permettent à son soprano large de rayonner (Wagner) … dont on sent pourtant qu’il a besoin de la scène, du public, pour dispenser tous ses sortilèges, un peu comme Leonie Rysanek autrefois.