Julia 306

Introducing American soprano Nadine Sierra with her debut album, There’s A Place for Us. The album is not only a showcase of her stunning, MET-seasoned vocalism but also a reflection of America’s history as a refuge for all. In this spirit, the album features music by Leonard Bernstein and émigrés Igor Stravinsky and Osvaldo Golijov, as well as songs from Heitor Villa-Lobos in homage to Sierra’s Portuguese roots. Offering her sumptuous voice in a range of genres from Brazilian art music to American opera and art song, Sierra reminds us that all music and all people have a place in America.

Despite the fact that there are multiple recordings of Shostakovich's deeply moving Symphony No. 14, this rather old but remastered recording is unique in the quality of performance: Bernard Haitink conducts his Concertgebouw Orchestra and elected to use non-Slavic singers Julia Varady and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau who in turn sing the poems in their original languages rather than the Russian translations used in the original premiere. The effect is staggeringly beautiful and if one must choose a single recording of this symphony, this would be the one that captures the essence of Shostakovich's vision.