Marina Rebeka, Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen & Michael Balke - Elle: French Opera Arias (2020)

"Elle" is Marina Rebeka's new solo album, celebrating the diversity of the female roles in some of the greatest French Opera Arias of the canon. From a sweet recounting of the pleasures of love in Charpentier's Louise, to the steely determination of Juliette in Gounod's last scene, passing through the new-found piety of Thaïs, Carmen's indomitably wild character, Chimène's extreme sadness in Le Cid, and Marguerite's transformation from an innocent girl in love into a woman longing for a man who will not return, these and the many more arias that fill this recording explore the emotional spectrum of the female roles in French Opera.

A perfect modern introduction to French Opera for the new listener as well as a valuable addition to the library of the connoisseur, Elle showcases the extraordinary art of Marina Rebeka, one of the most complete sopranos of our times, with not only a unique vocal prowess and range extension but with an unusually deep interpretative emotion, making each aria come to life in a new way.

Elle is a studio recording featuring the Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen (Switzerland) conducted by Michael Balke, marking Marina Rebeka's fourth solo album.

Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka is one of the leading opera singers of our time and has gained a wide reputation as one of the greatest Verdi, Rossini and Mozart interpreters in the world. Since her international breakthrough at the Salzburg Festival in 2009 under the baton of Riccardo Muti, Rebeka has been a regular guest at the world's most prestigious concert halls and opera houses, such as the Teatro alla Scala (Milan), the Opéra National de Paris, the Metropolitan Opera and Carnegie Hall (New York), the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (London), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Bavarian State Opera (Munich), the Vienna State Opera and the Musikverein (Vienna), and the Zurich Opera House, among others. In the 2017/18 season, she was named the first ever artist in residence by the Münchner Rundfunkorchester. In December 2016, Rebeka was granted the Order of the Three Stars, the highest award of the Republic of Latvia, for her cultural achievements.

Marina Rebeka, soprano
Sinfonieorchester St. Gallen
Michael Balke, conductor

TRACKLIST

1. Marina Rebeka - Louise, Act 3: Depuis le jour où je me suis donnée
2. Marina Rebeka - Hérodiade, Act 1: Celui dont la parole… Il est doux, il est bon
3. Marina Rebeka - Le Cid, Act 3: De cet affreux combat… Pleurez, pleurez mes yeux
4. Marina Rebeka - Faust, Act 2: Les grands seigneurs… Ah! Je ris de me voir si belle
5. Marina Rebeka - Carmen, Act 1: Quand je vous aimerai?… L'amour est un oiseau rebelle
6. Marina Rebeka - Les pêcheurs de perles, Act 2: Me voilà seule dans la nuit… Comme autrefois
7. Marina Rebeka - Manon, Act 2: Allons! Il le faut!… Adieu, notre petite table
8. Marina Rebeka - Roméo et Juliette, Act 1: Ah! Je veux vivre
9. Marina Rebeka - Thaïs, Act 2: Ah, je suis seule… Dis-moi que je suis belle
10. Marina Rebeka - Faust, Act 3: Elles ne sont plus là… Il ne revient pas
11. Marina Rebeka - Thaïs, Act 3: O messager de Dieu
12. Marina Rebeka - L'enfant prodigue: L’année, envain chasse l’année… Azaël! Azaël!
13. Marina Rebeka - Roméo et Juliette, Act 4: Dieu! Quel frisson… Amour ranime mon courage