Anna Netrebko, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Tchaikovsky : Iolanta (Live) (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Anna Netrebko, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Tchaikovsky : Iolanta (Live) (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:33:02 minutes | 969 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Deutsche Grammophon (DG)

Following Anna Netrebko’s astounding success in Salzburg’s Il Trovatore production we are pleased to announce a very exciting opera release for the start of 2015, recorded during her U-Live tour in 2012.
Anna Netrebko performs Iolanta, the title role of one of Tchaikovsky’s most passionate, evocative scores and one of opera’s most enigmatic figures making the character her own and dedicating herself to championing this under-appreciated work.

In this live recording, maestro Emmanuel Villaume, with whom Netrebko collaborated on the successful “Souvenirs” album, leads a stellar cast comprising a number of Russia’s biggest opera stars (Markov, Skorokhodov, Kowaljow).

The hand-picked company of supporting artists makes this a significant addition to Netrebko’s discography and an artistically valuable addition to the DG catalogue.

Netrebko is scheduled for eight staged performances of Iolanta at the Metropolitan Opera in New York in January-February 2015, as well as a four-city U-Live produced European tour of concert performances and a Royal Albert Hall date later in the season.

An opera that can be most moving — not least when, as here, it is given such wonderful advocacy . . . Netrebko has never been better than here, where her head and heart are so self-evidently engaged. Her opening ariosa establishes the glorious complexion of her voice — a creamy, dark coloration extending unblemished throughout the range. It is her inwardness, of shared confidences, that are as affecting as the eventual full-throated rapture of the piece. She clearly adores it and feels deep communion with it — the sound, the poetry, of her native language, the ache of Tchaikovsky’s music. Emmanuel Villaume and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra both embrace and illuminate it with distinction . . . The refinement of Villaume’s conducting is a constant source of delight: it nuances and tempers even the most wholehearted flights of fancy . . . Vaudemont is sung with lusty relish by Sergey Skorokhodov, one of those fabulous heroic Russian tenors with a sensationally full-flooded top which you just know is what Tchaikovsky had in his mind’s ear when he wrote roles like this . . [Netrebko & Skorokhodov]: these two voices locked in their musical embrace is quite something — as is the over-spilling orchestral release in their wake. We are truly in this moment in the presence of Tchaikovsky’s greatness. –Edward Seckerson, Gramophone

. . . [“Iolanta”] has an atmosphere all its own, and though not a great deal happens the heroine is treasurable and there is much gorgeous writing . . . [this recording] starts well, the rather constipated wind intro melting into Schubertian strings that fix the score’s sweet yearning. Netrebko starts beautifully too, low down with the softest grain to the voice, and this intimate mode works well . . . The other singers are pretty good . . . Sergey Skorokhodov’s beautifully smooth, masculine tenor Vaudémont full of romantic ardour . . . –Robin Thicknesse, Opera Now

. . . [Netrebko] has never been better than here, where her head and heart are so self-evidently engaged. Her opening ariosa establishes the glorious complexion of her voice — a creamy, dark coloration extending unblemished throughout the range. It is her inwardness, of shared confidences, that are as affecting as the eventual full-throated rapture of the piece. She clearly adores it and feels deep communion with it — the sound, the poetry, of her native language, the ache of Tchaikovsky’s music. Emmanuel Villaume and the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra both embrace and illuminate it with distinction . . . The refinement of Villaume’s conducting is a constant source of delight: it nuances and tempers even the most wholehearted flights of fancy. The scene in which Iolanta and the Burgundian knight Count Vaudémont fall in love and most especially the moment Vaudémont at last realises that Iolanta is blind is marked by a penetrating passage for strings invoking his shock and silence. Netrebko’s response to this is extraordinarily touching . . . Vaudémont is sung with lusty relish by Sergey Skorokhodov, one of those fabulous heroic Russian tenors with a sensationally full-flooded top which you just know is what Tchaikovsky had in his mind’s ear when he wrote roles like this . . . “What is light?” asks Iolanta. “Creation’s first-born” replies Vaudémont. The thrill of these two voices locked in their musical embrace is quite something — as is the overspilling orchestral release in their wake. We are truly in this moment in the presence of Tchaikovsky’s greatness. Every voice has been carefully selected to ensure that there are no weak links here. Vitalij Kowaljow as King René has his moment in a thematically significant ariosa while the preening and rather shallow Robert . . . is sung with selfish ardour by Alexey Markov. There’s also a splendid contribution from Lucas Meachem as the Moorish physician Ibn-Hakia . . . as ever with Tchaikovsky the surface uplift betokens a deeper eloquence which all but the totally jaded will embrace. –Edward Seckerson, Gramophone online

Tracklist:
01. Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Introduction (02:12)
02. Anna Netrebko, Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Moy ptencik, Iolanta, tï ustala? (06:39)
03. Anna Netrebko, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Otcego eto prežde ne znala (02:35)
04. Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Polno, ne nado, rodnaya … Vot tebe lyutiki (02:01)
05. Anna Netrebko, Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Brigitta, eto tï? (01:51)
06. Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Spi, pust’ angelï krïlami navevayut snï (03:12)
07. Monika Bohinec, Jun Ho You, Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Luka Debevec Mayer, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Prizïvnïy rog (09:13)
08. Vitalij Kowaljow, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Gospod’ moy, esli grešen ya (03:17)
09. Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Tvoyo lico besstrastno (03:10)
10. Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Dva mira – plotskiy i dukhovnïy (04:28)
11. Sergey Skorokhodov, Alexey Markov, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Ne toropis’, zdes’ tak temno … Kto možet sravnit’sya (05:15)
12. Sergey Skorokhodov, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Net! Carï lask krasï myatežnoy (03:38)
13. Anna Netrebko, Sergey Skorokhodov, Alexey Markov, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Odnako gde že mï? (06:35)
14. Anna Netrebko, Sergey Skorokhodov, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Vï mne predstali kak viden’e (05:29)
15. Anna Netrebko, Sergey Skorokhodov, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Tvoyo molcan’e neponyatno … Cudnïy pervenec tvoren’ya (08:41)
16. Anna Netrebko, Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Sergey Skorokhodov, Jun Ho You, Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Luka Debevec Mayer, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Iolanta! / Menya zovut podrugi … Tï, osleplennïy mïsl’yu ložnoy (07:25)
17. Anna Netrebko, Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Sergey Skorokhodov, Jun Ho You, Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Luka Debevec Mayer, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Net, nazovi mucen’ya, stradan’ya, bol (04:15)
18. Sergey Skorokhodov, Jun Ho You, Vitalij Kowaljow, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Prosti menya (02:09)
19. Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Sergey Skorokhodov, Jun Ho You, Alexey Markov, Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Luka Debevec Mayer, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Gotfrid, ya vïrucat’ tebya yavilsya (04:50)
20. Anna Netrebko, Lucas Meachem, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume – Gde ya? (02:02)
21. Anna Netrebko, Theresa Plut, Nuska Rojko, Monika Bohinec, Sergey Skorokhodov, Jun Ho You, Alexey Markov, Lucas Meachem, Vitalij Kowaljow, Luka Debevec Mayer, Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, Emmanuel Villaume, Slovenian Chamber Choir – Blagoy, velikiy, neizmennïy (03:56)

Personnel:
Anna Netrebko, Soprano
Theresa Plut, Soprano
Nuska Rojko, Alto
Monika Bohinec, Contralto
Sergey Skorokhodov, Tenor
Jun Ho You, Tenor
Alexey Markov, Baritone
Lucas Meachem, Baritone
Vitalij Kowaljow, Bass
Luka Debevec Mayer, Bass
Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra
Emmanuel Villaume, Conductor
Slovenian Chamber Choir

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