Les Contraltos

"Her voice had contralto inflexions, tender and deep": there we have an excellent summing-up of this voice that has been traditional for at least a century and a half. One thinks of Kathleen Ferrier in Brahms and Mahler, of Erda in .The Ring.. The quotation (by the French novelist Roger Martin du Gard) is taken from the 'Petit Robert' dictionary, which defines the word 'contralto' intself as "the lowest female voice".

The contraltos Sara Mingardo, Maire-Nicole Lemieux, Nathalie Stutzmann, Sonia Prina, Delphine Galou interpret repertoire from Vivaldi to Schumann.

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Handel: affetti barocchi

Born in the former Yugoslavia, Marijana Mijanovi´c brings a genuine contralto tone to her choices, which she delivers with a flexible voice and a good articulation of text. She has plenty of vocal personality of her own, though she’s less good at defining the character and situation specific to each piece. But the skill is there to negotiate the Handelian line and the vivid coloratura her predecessor evoked in such works as Rodelinda, Radamisto, Giulio Cesare, Siroe and Orlando, even if she’s inclined to chug her way through the runs rather than making them sound easy. 

Sergio Ciomei and the Basel Chamber Orchestra provide sprightly support, adding in a handful of orchestral items from the same scores. A warm acoustic reflects a wide range of sound though there’s too much resonance. George Hall, BBC Music Magazine

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Handel: Arie italiane per basso

“D'Arcangelo articulates rapid-fire coloratura efficiently throughout…” --BBC Music Magazine, December 2009

This is the solo debut of one of the most exciting bass-baritones of today. Expertly advised by Baroque expert, Francesco Lora, D'Arcangelo fashions his debut album into a panoramic sweep of Italian Handel arias for bass-baritone. Mixing well-known and rare, lyric with highly virtuosic, D'Arcangelo's phenomenal Handel shows the versatility and wide range of Handel’s compositions for bass-baritone and the vocal capacity of the singer to master this programme. Undeniably appealing to all voice and Baroque music lovers, this album will excite music lovers well beyond.

"Brando" has enough of his namesake's smouldering good looks to make his mark with this debut solo anthology of Handel arias. Set to the period arrangements of Modo Antiquo, it's imposing stuff, with arias from Agrippina, Orlando and Rodelinda, a pair from Ariodante switching between wretched grief and exultant joy, and elsewhere a selection of hissing snakes, evil, darkness and terror, all wielded with an elegant grace occasionally bordering on the humorously knowing.
--Record Review / Andy Gill, Independent (London) / 25. September 2009

 This disc by an excellent bass-baritone is welcome, as it shows the fine music that Handel wrote for the male voice, broadening our appreciation of the extent and range of his operatic achievement . . . The singer has both sensitivity and technique, conveying the anguish of the lamentations while also realising the coloratura demands of the music without difficulty. Sensitive accompaniment from period ensemble Modo Antiquo. --Record Review / Colman Morrissey, Irish Times / 08. January 2010

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Best Of

The Leipzig-born Simone Kermes is one of the most sought after sopranos internationally for dramatic coloratura roles. Her remarkable vocal range predestines her particularly for the virtuoso works of baroque masters such as Handel and Vivaldi but also for Mozart's, Haydn`s and Beethoven`s sopranos and concert arias. Simone Kermes was born in Leipzig and studied under Helga Forner at the "Felix-Mendelssohn Bartholdy" University of Music and Theatre in her home town.

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Lamenti

“This all-star cast includes the ravishing Natalie Dessay as Monteverdi's forsaken nymph, Véronique Gens, a proud, desolate Ariadne, and Joyce DiDonato, who sings Octavia's farewell with extraordinary dramatic passion. Much of the interest of this disc lies in its subtleties, Emmanuelle Haïm highlighting telling details...” --BBC Music Magazine, November 2008 *****

“Haim’s meteoric rise has been well charted by the press. It’s easy to understand the excitement - her enthusiasm is infectious, her conducting demeanour distinctive, and her knowledge intense.” --Gramophone Magazine

Le Concert Astrée, Emmanuelle Haim

Emmanuelle Haim follows her 2006 recording of Monteverdi’s Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda with an unusual and inventive programme on the theme of the Lamento, the literary and dramatic form that found its seventeenth-century musical archetype in Monteverdi’s celebrated Lamento d’Arianna.

Emmanuelle Haim has taken great care in choosing 9 soloists to perform these demanding works amongst which Véronique Gens sings the Lamento d’Arianna, the tantalising fragment from Monteverdi’s lost opera of 1608; Natalie Dessay is the abandoned nymph in the very different Lamento della ninfa from the Eighth Book of Madrigals. Alongside these familiar works by Monteverdi the programme includes Philippe Jaroussky in Barbara Strozzi’s dramatic monologue L’Eraclito amoroso, probably written for Strozzi herself, Carissimi’s Lamento di Maria Stuarda (with Patrizia Ciofi) and Strozzi’s teacher Cavalli’s Lamento d’Egisto (with Rolando Villazón, who also sings Orfeo’s Lamento). Joyce DiDonato, recently signed to EMI/Virgin Classics as an exclusive artist, adds Ottavia’s heartrending farewell to Rome from Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea.

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Rameau: Le Grand Theatre de l'Amour

“Devieilhe has a clear, flexible voice with easy high notes. She's an agile, expressive and stylish singer, and a generous team-player...The star performance here, however, comes from Kossenko and his orchestra...Delightful from start to finish, with animated contributions from Le Jeune Choeur de Paris, this is a stunning debut disc.” --BBC Music Magazine, May 2014 *****

Devieilhe gets everything right, with excellent support from Les Ambassadeurs.” --Gramophone Magazine, February 2014

“This disc not only demonstrates the versatility of Rameau, but also that of Sabine Devieilhe...It is a bit unfair to talk about highlights, because this disc as a whole is excellent.” --MusicWeb International, 30th January 2014

“I have little but praise for a captivating disc which reveals Rameau in all his varied and colourful finery. Devieilhe has a light and airy voice and an athletic technique with which to do justice to the composer's many technical demands...A winner!” --International Record Review, February 2014

BBC Music Magazine Opera Choice - May 2014

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Bel Canto from Monteverdi to Verdi

“The programme is expressly devised so that Kermes can shed new light on 19th-century vocal writing, applying the stylistic approaches she has developed in music of earlier eras: her trademark blend of dazzling technical accomplishment, vital imagination, care over detail and a willingness to take risks...an unconventional but special addition to any Italian opera collection.” --BBC Music Magazine, February 2014 ****

“What can she bring to this repertoire? As you would expect, she's good at 'the runs' and the high notes. However, she simply doesn't have the weight or dark colour to frighten us...or inspire us...The final Monteverdi item is heavenly, both in itself and in reminding us how strong Kermes is on home turf.” --Gramophone Magazine, February 2014

“spiffing accounts of both of Mozart’s Queen of Night arias. The soprano’s Norma (Casta diva) sounds impossibly girlish, but arias from Rossini’s Semiramide and Maometto Secondo, and Donizetti’s Linda di Chamounix and Betly, are dazzlingly sung. Odabella’s Santo di patria (from Verdi’s Attila) is barnstorming.” --Sunday Times, 24th November 2013

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Great Opera (10-CD Box Set)

The very first operas were performed in Florence in the mid-1590s. Since then, musical styles have blossomed and evolved out of all recognition, yet opera continues to be heavily influenced by the political, social and cultural contexts surrounding its genesis. A collaborative enterprise, an opera brings together the works of composers, librettists, singers and designers alike, generating rich veins of public response and resulting in what is surely the most dramatic of all musical media.

In this collection, we have brought together some of the most-loved operas, ranging from the elegance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni to the raw emotion of Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. The lighthearted japes of Rossini’s Barber of Seville contrast royally with the pomp and spectacle of Verdi’s Aida, whilst the sultry allure of Bizet’s Carmen is the perfect foil to the lachrymose tragedy of Puccini’s La Bohème. This box is sure to entice any listener further into the magical world of opera.

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The Best Of

Elīna Garanča’s personal choice of her greatest tracks, released to coincide with her receiving an Echo Award (6 October) & the publication of her memoirs in December

Ten years ago she made her sensational début at the Salzburg Festival, singing the role of Annio in Mozart’s Clemenza di Tito. Since then Elīna Garanča has become one of the greatest, most sought-after mezzo-sopranos in the world. As an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, she has made four solo albums for the label, and collaborated on many CD and DVD releases.

Now, with the artist’s help, we have brought together favourite tracks from her discography – the Seguidilla and Habanera from Carmen, the Flower Duet from Lakmé (with Anna Netrebko), the Barcarolle from The Tales of Hoffmann and many more, including Annio’s aria from Clemenza di Tito, some of her great bel canto roles and the touching Lullaby (Nana) by de Falla (see tracklist).

The CD booklet includes a newly-commissioned interview with Elina, where she reflects on her career and indicates where she is headed artistically. Her complete discography is also given there.

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