Saariaho: Adriana Mater (complete opera)
$45.00
Low Stock
add to cart
KAIJA SAARIAHO
Saariaho: Adriana Mater (complete opera)
Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Christopher Purves, Nicholas Phan / San Francisco Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Esa-Pekka Salonen
[ Deutsche Grammophon / 2 CD ]
Release Date: Monday 19 May 2025
The world premiere performance of Kaija Saariaho's second opera was recorded at Davies Symphony Hall in June 2023, just days after the composer's untimely death. The New York Times commented: "Saariaho's tenderly comforting music looks at the worst in the world and says: The only way forward is grace."
The opera is an intensely moving work exploring the relationship between a mother and her son in a war-torn country as they navigate the violence that defines their past and present and threatens to claim their future.
"The performances are strong. Fleur Barron, almost continually on stage, carries the title role well. Axelle Fanyo is very competent as the sister Refka, but their voices are rather too similar for convenience and I sometimes had difficulty distinguishing them. Nicholas Phan is tough and angry as Yonas and Christopher Purves takes the thankless role of Tsargo with great conviction. Esa-Pekka Salonen, an old friend of the composer, conducted the premiere in 2006, by all accounts a rather chaotic affair, but is completely on top of the work here. The recording is of a single live concert performance. It was first made available digitally last year but the CD version has only now appeared." Gramophone Award WINNER 2026 - Opera
Grammy Awards - 67th Awards (2025)
