Nadine Sierra & Sondra Radvanovsky Headline New CD/DVD Releases

By Francisco Salazar

This week, two of the great divas of the opera world release albums.

But there are also some exciting albums of new works and a new documentary by one of the most important lieder singers of our generation. Here is a look at the new releases!

The Understanding of All Things

Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer, performer, and writer Kate Soper releases “The Understanding of All Things,” a portrait album featuring frequent Wet Ink Ensemble collaborator Sam Pluta. New Focus Recordings releases the album which features Soper performing as vocalist, pianist, and electronics composer in three of her works.

Made for Opera

Deutsche Grammophon releases Nadine Sierra’s second album which focuses on Donizetti’s Lucia, Verdi’s Violetta, and Gounod’s Juliette. Sierra dedicates her album to the great women in opera and reflects the hardship, sacrifice, perseverance, and pure devotion that it takes to be ‘made for opera.’

The Three Queens (Donizetti)

PENTATONE releases the Lyric Opera of Chicago’s performance of The Three Queens. The program brings together the finales of Gaetano Donizetti’s Tudor trilogy performed by Sondra Radvanovsky and led by Donizetti specialist Riccardo Frizza.

In a statement, Rdvanovsky noted, “The Three Queens project has been a very special highlight of my career. It is very rare when something comes together so quickly and easily. I sang all three Donizetti ‘Tudor Queens’ operas in one season at The Metropolitan Opera during their 2015/2016 season: a first for the Met, and a feat only ever attempted anywhere by a handful of other sopranos.”

She added, “The challenge of doing the last scenes from each of the operas was twofold: how do you make it exciting for the audience and, quite frankly, could I manage to sing that much technically difficult music in one evening?! The project involved an incredible team of people, including renowned couturier Rubin Singer, whose extraordinary gowns represented a modern take on Tudor fashion.”

Winter Journey 

Marquee TV releases the new performance-documentary “Winter Journey,” a 90-minute film, shot on location in the Swiss Alps by filmmaker John Bridcut. The film follows baritone Benjamin Appl and pianist James Baillieu as they re-imagine Franz Schubert’s haunting and timeless song cycle Winterreise.

The film can be seen on Marquee TV for subscribers in the U.S.

DreamLover

Albena Petrovic’s new album explores new avenues for the expressive possibilities of the saxophone and showcases the talents of Baritone sax player Joan Mari Frasquier, the Kebyart Ensemble, soprano Cynthia Knoch, and pianist Romain Nosbaum.

A Room of Mirrors

 French Baroque ensemble I Gemelli releases the first album on its new imprint: Gemelli Factory. Entitled “A Room of Mirrors,” the recording features Swiss tenor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro and his period instrument ensemble I Gemelli with American tenor Zachary Wilder in 17th century duets for tenors.

The new album shows Gonzalez Toro and Wilder focus on works by Castelani, Turini, Marini, Falconieri, Frescobaldi, Castello, Castaldi, Gregori, D’India, Notari and Sabbatini.

Categories

DVD and CD ReleasesNews