September 09, 2012
Latvia mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča has released her latest solo album entitled Romantique (Deutsche Grammophon, 479 0071), containing arias by Romantic era composers.
Backed by the Filarmonica del Teatro Comunale di Bologna, conducted by Yves Abel, the CD features Garanča performing the works of Donizetti, Tchaikovsky, Gounod, among others. The collection features both well-known works as well as less frequently heard arias.
Garanča has become one of the best known Latvian opera singers, and has performed in Frankfurt, Vienna, London, and, in perhaps her most famous performance, the title role in Bizet’s Carmen at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, also available on DVD from Deutsche Grammophon.
The CD booklet contains an essay about Garanča and the chosen works by Manuel Brug (in English, German and French), as well as all the aria texts with translations.
The CD is currently available to purchase in Germany and Latvia, and will be available in the UK in early October, and in the United States in late October.
For more information on Garanča, visit her website at www.elinagaranca.com, and for more information on this CD release, visit www.deutschegrammophon.com/garanca-romantique.
Track listing:
1. Oh! Mon Fernand - La Favorite - Gaetano Donizetti
2. “Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix” - Samson et Dalila - Camille Saint-Saëns
3. Farewell you native hills and fields - The Maid of Orléans - Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
4. O ma lyre immortelle - Sapho - Charles Gounod
5. “Faites-lui mes aveux” - Faust - Charles Gounod
6. Giulietta! oh! mia Giulietta! - Ah! se tu dormi - Giulietta e Romeo - Nicola Vaccai
7. “D’amour l’ardente flamme” - La Damnation de Faust - Hector Berlioz
8. “De tous cotés - Lorsque je t’ai vu soudain” - Le Roi d’Ys - Edouard Lalo
9. Plus grand, dans son obscurité - La Reine de Saba - Charles Gounod
Egils Kaljo is an American-born Latvian from the New York area who lives in Rīga, Latvia. When not working in the information technology field, he sings in the Latvian Academy of Culture mixed choir Sõla, does occasional translation work, and has been known to sing and play guitar at the Folkklubs Ala Pagrabs in Old Rīga. Kaljo began listening to Latvian music as soon as he was able to put a record on a record player, and still has old Bellacord 78 rpm records lying around somewhere.
