Azulão
Songs by Granados, Guastavino, Rodrigo, Obradors, de Falla, Montsalvatge, Villa-Lobos, and Ovalle
Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano ; James Parker, piano ; Cello Ensemble, Bryan Epperson, leader
CBC Records MVCD 1164 (76 min 14 s)

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Since winning the Met auditions in 1997, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian has become one of the brightest stars on the operatic firmament. Back in December 2000, Bayrakdarian gave an all Spanish concert accompanied by piano and cello ensemble at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto. The CD program is identical to the original live performance, featuring songs by Latin composers, surely some of the most beautiful in the entire repertoire. Bayrakdarian sings with a winning combination of elegance, expressivity and warmth, her flexible voice unfailingly beautiful, her diction exemplary. These songs are mostly about the joys and pains of love; the tempos are languorous, interspersed with an occasional jaunty number for variety. For my money, it is the slow, quiet songs with their expansive cantilenas that show off her opulent tone and seamless legato. Rodrigo's 'Del cabello mas sutil' is particularly lovely, as is the centrepiece of this album, the much recorded Bachianas Brasileiras no. 5 of Villas-Lobos. For me, the standard was set years ago by the great Victoria de los Angeles, whose smile in the voice was irresistible. Without erasing the memory of the great Spanish diva, this new version by Bayrakdarian is very fine. Much credit goes to the sympathetic and sensitive pianism of James Parker, and to the curiously nameless Cello Ensemble, led by COC and Santa Fe Opera principal cello Bryan Epperson. Several pieces were arranged for the occasion with almost uniform success. The CBC engineers have done a superb job. The sound is warm and has real presence, capturing the voice lovingly. And a final praise is reserved for the new artwork on all the CBC discs, a most welcome change. Joseph K. So