Nicole Car – The Kiss (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:22:51 minutes | 844 MB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: HDTracks | Digital Booklet | © ABC Classics
Brilliant young Australian soprano Nicole Car unveils her debut album: The Kiss.
Nicole is one of the brightest stars on the international opera scene. In October 2015 she made a sensational debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden to unanimous critical acclaim, singing Micaëla in Carmen; in December 2015 she returned to Covent Garden in the lead role in Eugene Onegin opposite Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Nicole has been known to Australian audiences for several years through her major roles for Opera Australia; she has already won the 2013 Neue Stimmen competition (Germany) and received nominations in the International Opera Awards and Australia’s Helpmann Awards.
The Kiss surveys the arias that have made Nicole’s name: 19th-century gems, both well known and unjustly neglected, that showcase the outstanding beauty, unforced lyricism and compelling passion of her voice. At the heart of the disc stands the ‘Letter Scene’ from Eugene Onegin – Nicole’s performances of which have astounded audiences across the world. Her passion for Russian repertoire continues with music by Rimsky-Korsakov.
A gorgeous and rarely recorded lullaby by Smetana from the opera Hubička (The Kiss) gives the album its name, and the themes of intimacy and love that feature throughout the recording. From Rusalka asking the silver moon to shine on her beloved prince, so far away, to Amelia in Simon Boccanegra eagerly awaiting her lover’s arrival; from Servilia lamenting her fate, torn between love and duty, to Gounod’s Marguerite trembling with excitement as she sees herself in new-found jewels – this is an album of beguiling, passionate gems sung by one of the finest voices of today.
Tracklist:
CHARLES GOUNOD 1818–1893
1 Jewel Song: O Dieu! que de bijoux!…Ah, je ris de me voir si belle 4’47
(O God, so many jewels!…Ah, I laugh to see myself looking so beautiful)
from Faust
GIUSEPPE VERDI 1813–1901
2 Tacea la notte placida (The night was still and calm) 5’04
from Il trovatore
GIACOMO PUCCINI 1858–1924
3 Mi chiamano Mimì (They call me Mimi) 4’51
from La bohème
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV 1844–1908
4 Tsveti moi! (My flowers!) 4’20
from Servilia
GIUSEPPE VERDI
5 Come in quest’ora bruna (In this moment before dawn) 4’29
from Simon Boccanegra
PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY 1840–1893
6 Polonaise, Act III 4’55
7 Introduction, Act I 2’27
8 Tatyana’s Letter Scene: Puskai pogibnu ya (Even though it kill me) 12’38
from Eugene Onegin
PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY
9 Pochudilis mne budto golosa (I thought I heard voices) 3’28
from Oprichnik (The Guardsman)
FRANCESCO CILEA 1866–1950
10 Intermezzo, Act II 2’43
11 Io son l’umile ancella (I am the humble servant) 3’02
from Adriana Lecouvreur
GEORGES BIZET 1838–1875
12 Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante (I say that nothing can frighten me) 5’26
from Carmen
BEDŘICH SMETANA 1824–1884
13 Overture 5’49
14 Vendulka’s Lullaby: Hajej, můj andílku (Hush-a-bye, my angel) 4’01
from Hubička (The Kiss)
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK 1841–1904
15 Song to the Moon: Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém (O moon, deep in the heavens) 6’30
from Rusalka
JULES MASSENET 1842–1912
16 Ah! je suis seule, seule enfin…Dis-moi que je suis belle 7’07
(Ah! I am alone, alone at last…Tell me that I am beautiful)
from Thaïs
Personnel:
Nicole Car, soprano
Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Andrea Molino, conductor
Download: