Schwanengesang Nathalie Stutzmann

Nathalie Stutzmann’s credentials as a Bach singer are well established, as genuine and unmistakable a contralto voice as we’ve heard in his music on record. Now she presents a programme of hand-picked movements (mainly) from the cantata depository as singer-director – a combination of tasks by which, on this evidence, she appears distinctly unfazed.

Contralto & conductor Nathalie Stutzmann is an exciting new signing, having left Deutsche Grammophon/Universal to join the Erato roster. Considered to be one of the most outstanding musical personalities of our time, she has parallel careers as both a contralto and an orchestra conductor. She sings regularly with the world’s greatest conductors and orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker under Sir Simon Rattle, Vienna Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, the LSO and Rotterdam Philharmonic under Yannick Nézet-Séguin. She currently is in residence with the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP).

Nathalie Stutzmann is regarded as one of the most remarkable musical personalities of our time and one of a few genuine contralto voices.

Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann shines a light on the deep-voiced female singers of the Baroque era, often overshadowed by the extravagant talents and reputations of castrato singers like Farinelli and Caffarelli. Her programme of Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Bononcini, Caldara and Gasparini displays the variety of operatic roles – both female and male – assumed by contraltos like Vittoria Tesi and Anna Marchesini. “We must remember that the opera composers of the early 18th century saw the female contralto and the male castrato as vocally interchangeable,” says Stutzmann, “and that the voice most closely resembling a castrato is not the countertenor – produced using a falsetto technique – but the contralto, which is a natural voice.” Stutzmann both sings and conducts Orfeo 55, the instrumental ensemble she founded a decade ago

The contralto Nathalie Stutzmann was not yet 30 years of age when she made this extraordinarily dramatic recording of arias from Handels Italian operas. It showcases her impressive depth of tone, a voice of tremendous indeed, in these days, almost unrivalled projection that inevitably brings to mind the great contraltos of yore from Clara Butt to Marian Anderson. Stutzmann was, and remains, however, an entirely modern artist, who has continued to innovate in her choice of repertoire and musical partners.

As one of the finest pianists of his era and an improviser of genius, Ludwig van Beethoven's preferred vehicle for musical exploration was the piano. With his five piano concertos composed between 1788 and 1809, he not only achieved a brilliant conclusion to the Classical piano concerto, but also established a new model for the Romantic era: a sort of symphony with obbligato piano which was to remain a reference point well into the twentieth century. After the first two concertos, which still closely follow the models of Haydn and Mozart, Concerto No. 3 marks a profound stylistic change. In the piano part, Beethoven pushes the instrument to it's limits, leading commentators to remark that he was writing for the piano of the future.

Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann shines a light on the deep-voiced female singers of the Baroque era, often overshadowed by the extravagant talents and reputations of castrato singers like Farinelli and Caffarelli. Her programme of Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Bononcini, Caldara and Gasparini displays the variety of operatic roles – both female and male – assumed by contraltos like Vittoria Tesi and Anna Marchesini. “We must remember that the opera composers of the early 18th century saw the female contralto and the male castrato as vocally interchangeable,” says Stutzmann, “and that the voice most closely resembling a castrato is not the countertenor – produced using a falsetto technique – but the contralto, which is a natural voice.” Stutzmann both sings and conducts Orfeo 55, the instrumental ensemble she founded a decade ago.

Warner Classics and Erato presents Nathalie Stutzmann's album debut conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Beginning her studies with legendary Finnish teacher Jorma Panula, Stutzmann was later mentored by renowned conductors, Sir Simon Rattle the late Seiji Ozawa. This recording includes Dvorak's 'From the New World', becoming ingrained in the American musical landscape and the lesser known 'American Suite' which although was written around the same time is the New World symphony, was only premiered 6 years after his death.

Warner Classics and Erato presents Nathalie Stutzmann's album debut conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. Beginning her studies with legendary Finnish teacher Jorma Panula, Stutzmann was later mentored by renowned conductors, Sir Simon Rattle the late Seiji Ozawa. This recording includes Dvorak's 'From the New World', becoming ingrained in the American musical landscape and the lesser known 'American Suite' which although was written around the same time is the New World symphony, was only premiered 6 years after his death.