Pictures of America: Natalie Dessay

Recorded with the Paris Mozart Orchestra and 2 Jazz Musicians, this is Natalie Dessay's exciting first album release for Sony Classical.

The album is a journey through music (Great American Song Book, Broadway & Jazz) and Edward Hopper's art. The art addition to the album includes a booklet containing 21 reproductions of paintings by Hopper. In addition, the songs have been arranged by the most sought-after and best jazz arrangers including Baptiste Trotignon, Pierre Boussaguet, Patrice Caratini and Cyrille Lehn.

In the deluxe version, the first disc contains eleven songs from the Great American Song Book and the second: 8 compositions by Graciane Finzi (inspired by the Hopper paintings), texts by French poet Claude Esteban, recited by Natalie before Barber's Adagio closes the album.

"I was delighted to once again work with Claire Gibault, who now leads her own chamber orchestra, the Paris Mozart Orchestra, more than twenty years after she first accompanied my Mozart performance at the start of my career as a classical singer. It all started with a couple of Edward Hopper paintings that inspired the beautiful stories of poet Claude Esteban, which Graciane Finzi in turn illustrated with her delicate and inventive music. Claire asked me to tell the story of these "melologues". For my part, I selected ten other paintings that inspired me to choose a range of songs from what's known as the "Great American Songbook". I asked five incredible musicians to arrange them for the Paris Mozart Orchestra, thereby building a bridge between classical music, jazz, and musicals. I then worked to develop a new voice-a deeper and more intimate sound that would whisper into the listener's ear. It was a voice I had to learn to control, like a small, secretive wild animal."