Composer: Thomas Adès, Claude Achille Debussy, Clémont Philibert Léo Delibes, George Frideric Handel, Francis Poulenc, Igor Stravinsky, Ambroise Thomas, Edgard Varèse, Jörg Widmann, Udo Zimmermann
Performer: Sarah Aristidou, Daniel Barenboim, Christian Rivet, Emmanuel Pahud, Chor der Klangverwaltung
Orchestra: Orchester des Wandels
Conductor: Thomas Guggeis
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Alpha
Catalogue: ALPHA781
Release: 2021
Size: 634 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Varèse: Un grand sommeil noir
02. Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: X. Fac ut portem
03. Delibes: Lakmé, Act III: “Sous le ciel étoilé”
04. anon.: Näckens Polska
05. Thomas: Hamlet : “Le voilà, je crois l’entendre”
06. Widmann: Labyrinth V, for Soprano a capella
07. Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande, Act III Scene 3: “Mes longs cheveux”
08. Delibes: Lakmé, Act II: Chanson de la fille des parias (Air des clochettes)
09. Stravinsky: The Nightingale: Song of the nightingale
10. Adès: The Tempest, Act I Scene 5: Ariel’s song
11. Handel: Il triomfo del tempo e del disinganno, HWV 46a: “Tu del ciel ministro eletto”
12. Zimmermann: Die weiße rose: “Einmal noch einmal”
13. Poulenc: Stabat Mater, FP 148: XII. Quando Corpus
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, 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 packaging of the physical version 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 2021 as part of an installation presenting the entire programme.