[ Alpha Classics / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 12 November 2021
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The French-Cypriot soprano Sarah Aristidou joins Alpha and here presents her very first album. Twice named 'Best Newcomer' by Opernwelt for two contemporary creations, she is a favourite interpreter of Jörg Widmann who has already written two works for her, and has sung under the direction of Daniel Barenboim, Sir Simon Rattle and François-Xavier Roth.
Barenboim opened the doors of Berlin to her and the Orchester des Wandels (Orchestra of Change), a group of musicians from several German orchestras, including the Staatskapelle Berlin, who have set themselves the objective of practising their art in a way that protects the planet: limiting the carbon footprint in all their activities, including this album.
The disc packaging is plastic-free and printed with organic ink. Alpha also supports the reforestation programme in Madagascar initiated by the orchestra.
In addition to the encounter between the young singer and the unique orchestra, this project is also the result of Sarah's passion for Iceland (the land of Aether par excellence?). Along with the director and photographer Weronika Izdebska, she has created a film exalting the natural world which will be shown in Berlin in November 2022 as part of an installation presenting the entire programme."
BBC Music AWARD NOMINATION 2023 - NEWCOMER
"Can you capture the ineffable? Sarah Aristidou's remarkable debut disc Æther explores things within and beyond. She is duly shrouded in mist for the booklet pictures, but there is nothing the least bit wispy about either her formidable coloratura singing or the exceptional programming here." BBC Music
"Guggeis proves a fine conductor over the album's wide stylistic range…Playing and choral singing are consistently beautiful, and the instrumental contributions from Barenboim, Rivet and Emmanuel Pahud are excellent, as one might expect." Gramophone
Edgard Varèse - Un grand sommeil noir
Francis Poulenc - Stabat mater, FP 148: Fac ut portem
Leo Délibes - Lakmé : Act III 'Sous le ciel étoilé'
Anonymous - Näckens Polska (Traditional Swedish folksong, arranged by Christian Rivet
Ambroise Thomas - Hamlet : Le voilà, je crois l'entendre
Jörg Widmann - Labyrinth V, for soprano a capella
Claude Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande : Act III Scene 3 'Mes longs cheveux'
Leo Délibes - Lakmé : Act II Chanson de la fille des parias (Air des clochettes)
Igor Stravinsky - The Nightingale: Song of the nightingale
Thomas Adès - The Tempest : Act I Scene 5 Ariel's song
George Frideric Handel - Il triomfo del tempo e del disinganno, HWV 46a: Tu del ciel ministro eletto
Udo Zimmermann - Die weiße rose: Einmal noch einmal
Francis Poulenc - Stabat mater, FP 148: Quando Corpus