Isabel Bayrakdarian – La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland Isabel Bayrakdarian

• Franz Liszt (1811 - 1886): Die drei Zigeuner, S. 320 (arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach):
• 1 Liszt: Die drei Zigeuner, S. 320 (arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 05:54
• Antonín Dvořák (1841 - 1904): Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103:
• 2 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: I. He, Zigeuner, greife in die Saiten ein! (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:04
• 3 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: II. Hochgetürmte Rimaflut (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:23
• 4 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: III. Wisst ihr, wann mein Kindchen (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:33
• 5 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: IV. Lieber Gott, du weißt (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:28
• 6 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: V. Brauner Bursche führt zum Tanze (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:32
• 7 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: VI. Röslein dreie in der Reihe (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:19
• 8 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: VII. Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 02:22
• 9 Dvořák: Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: VIII. Rote Abendwolken (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 01:22
• Cigánské melodie, Op. 55:
• 10 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55 I. Má píseň zas mi láskou zní (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 02:26
• 11 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: II. Aj! Kterak trojhranec můj (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 01:07
• 12 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: III. A les je tichý kolem kol (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 02:39
• 13 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: IV. Když mne stará matka (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 02:00
• 14 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: V. Struna naladěna (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 00:56
• 15 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: VI. Široké rukávy a široké gate (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 01:23
• 16 Dvořák: Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: VII. Dejte klec jestřábu (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) 01:47
• Sebastián Iradier (1809 - 1865): Juanita ó la perla de Aragon (arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach):
• 17 Iradier: Juanita ó la perla de Aragon (arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 03:17
• La Perla de Triana (Serenata andaluza) [arr. for voice and string quartet by Peter Tiefenbach]:
• 18 Iradier: La Perla de Triana (Serenata andaluza) [arr. for voice and string quartet by Peter Tiefenbach] 03:29
• El arreglito (Canción habanera) [arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach]:
• 19 Iradier: El arreglito (Canción habanera) [arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach] 04:06
• George Bizet (1838 - 1975): Carmen, Act I, Scene 4:
• 20 Bizet: Carmen, Act I, Scene 4: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Havanaise) [arr for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach] 03:17
• Joaquín Valverde (1875 - 1918): Clavelitos (Zambra gitana) [arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach]:
• 21 Valverde: Clavelitos (Zambra gitana) [arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach] 01:38
• Henry Gilbert (1868 - 1928): 2 South American Gypsy Songs:
• 22 Gilbert: 2 South American Gypsy Songs: I. La Montonera 02:09
• 23 Gilbert: 2 South American Gypsy Songs: II. La Zambullidora 02:23
• Maurice Yvain (1891 - 1965): Chanson gitane, Act I:
• 24 Yvain: Chanson gitane, Act I: La Zingarella (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 03:59
• Franz Lehár (1870 - 1948): Zigeunerliebe,Act III:
• 25 Lehár: Zigeunerliebe,Act III: Hör’ ich Cymbalklänge (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 04:11
• Emmerich Kálmán (1882 - 1953):
• 26 Kálmán: Die Csárdásfürstin, Act I: Heia, heia, in den Bergen (arr. for voice, viola and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) 02:55
• Victor Herbert (1859 - 1924): The Fortune Teller:
• 27 Herbert: The Fortune Teller: Gypsy Love Song 04:31
• Total Runtime 01:06:10

Info for Isabel Bayrakdarian – La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland

Through Romany Songland, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian takes the listener on a journey through lieder by Brahms, Bizet and Dvorak, operetta by Lehar, Kalman and Herbert, and spicy Spanish songs.

Soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian has travelled far and wide, as an international opera star and an Armenian who was born in Lebanon, immigrated to Canada, and is now settled in southern California. Her life is a journey that informs her new recording, La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland. "The music transcends geography," she says. "It taps into human nature and unites us all. It's about freedom of the spirit, about living life without knowing what tomorrow holds. It's about enjoying every single minute." Isabel embarked on an album of art songs that draw on gypsy melodies Brahms' Zigeunerlieder, Dvorak's Ciganske Melodie, Bizet's Habanera but her journey led to a wealth of recherch gems. The title track by French composer Maurice Yvain commingles with fellow-operetta composers Franz Lehr ('Lied und Csardas' from Zigeunerliebe), Emmerich Kalman ('Heia, heia, in den Bergen' from The Csardas Princess) and Victor Herbert (Gypsy Love Song from The Fortune Teller). Two South American Gypsy Songs by American folk song collector Henry F.B. Gilbert set words by ethnomusicologist Laura Alexandrine Smith, whose authoritative book lends the album its subtitle. Isabel commissioned new arrangements for the songs on this album, with violin, viola, cello, and piano lending a laser beam lucidity to the music.

As a highly sought-after soprano at opera houses and concert halls across the world, the Lebanese-born Canadian-Armenian-American soprano has become as celebrated for her beauty, presence, and style as for her strikingly multidimensional voice. Isabel has toured the globe to appear with the premier orchestras and most prestigious opera companies, performing under the batons of renowned conductors like Seiji Ozawa, James Conlon, David Zinman, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Alan Gilbert to name a few. She was also the featured vocalist on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack from the blockbuster film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and on the soundtrack of Atom Egoyan's Ararat. She sang on the BBC-produced short film Holocaust: A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz, as well as her own Gemini-nominated film Long Journey Home, documenting her first visit to her ancestral homeland, Armenia.

Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano
Mark Fewer, violin
Gryphon Trio

Isabel Bayrakdarian
Canadian star soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is the featured soloist in this recording by the Orchestre symphonique de Laval—its first with current artistic director and principal conductor Alain Trudel. The album is devoted to orchestral works by Ottorino Respighi. Known for her sparkling stage presence and astonishing musicality, Bayrakdarian joins the orchestra for Respighi’s setting of the lyric poem Il tramonto (The Sunset). The five pieces that comprise the suite Gli uccelli (The Birds) pay homage to the composers of the Baroque era who took pleasure in musically illustrating various aspects of life — birdsongs, in this case. Trittico Botticelliano (Botticelli Triptych) consists of three symphonic poems inspired by the three most celebrated canvases of the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli. As a composer and musicologist, Respighi was especially interested in early music, and particularly in Italian Renaissance and Baroque works. Antiche Danze ed Ari per liuto, his orchestral Suite No. 1, was inspired by the music of four Renaissance composers.

Orchestre symphonique de Laval
Founded in 1984, the Orchestre symphonique de Laval (OSL) is one of Laval’s main artistic organization, with a roster of 53 professional musicians. Its musicians are graduates of Quebec’s music conservatories and universities. The general public is at the heart of each of the Orchestre symphonique de Laval’s activities. Indeed, the orchestra’s chief mandate is to offer audiences grand symphonic music and provide a pleasant listening experience, and this mission of closeness with the public is reflected in each of the OSL’s spheres of activity.

The Orchestre symphonique de Laval performs mainly on the territory spanned by Laval, though it is also taking steps to heighten its public profile in neighbouring communities.

The Orchestre symphonique de Laval’s current artistic director, Alain Trudel, is among the most soughtafter conductors in Canada. Previously, the orchestra benefitted from the talents and know-how of seasoned conductors such as Gilbert Patenaude (1985-1987), Paul-André Boivin (1988-1993), Jacques Lacombe (1993-1995) and Jean-François Rivest (1995-2006). The Orchestre symphonique de Laval places a priority emphasis on making classical music accessible to younger audiences by offering a full spectrum of activities. These include school matinees, composition workshops, rehearsals in high schools, and concerts presented by young musicians (Les Préludes).

In 2013, the Conseil Québécois de la musique handed the Orchestra an Opus Prize for the Young audience’s production of the year, for Peter, Babar and the Wolf. The Orchestra continues its development by launching for the 2014-2015 season a new series of concerts in the afternoon, Music, Maestro! This series gives the public a direct and friendly approach to music.

Alain Trudel
Praised by La Presse for his “immense talent as conductor, musician and performer”, Canadian conductor Alain Trudel is Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orchestre symphonique de Laval and Principal Youth and Family Conductor of the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Trudel has previously been Music Director of Orchestra London, Principal Guest Conductor of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and guest musical advisor for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Trudel was the CBC Radio Orchestra conductor 2006–08, taking the orchestra to new heights of artistic quality, as well as public and critical acclaim. He has conducted every major orchestra in Canada as well as orchestras in the UK, USA, Sweden, Russia, Japan, Hong-Kong, Malaysia and Latin America. Trudel made his Opera de Montréal debut in 2009 and conducted the live recording of their 30th anniversary gala. In 2010 he also made his debut at l’Opéra de Quebec conducting their Gala and Die Fledermaus in 2011.

Always committed to upcoming generations of musicians, Trudel was Conductor of the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra and has regularly been invited to conduct the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

First known to the public as “the Jascha Heifetz of the trombone” (Le monde de la musique), Alain Trudel has been a guest soloist with orchestras worldwide including Philharmonique de Radio-France, Hong-Kong Philharmonic, Austrian Radio Orchestra, Festival Musica Strasbourg (France), Klangbogen Festival (Vienna), Akiyoshidai and Hamamatsu festival (Japan). Alain is also a respected composer; the Orchestre symphonique de Laval will play one of his works in 2015-2016. Alain Trudel was the first Canadian to be a Yamaha international artist, and is the recipient of numerous awards including the Virginia Parker, Charles Cros (France), and Heinz Unger prizes. He has been named an Ambassador of Canadian Music by the Canadian Music Centre and received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Booklet for Isabel Bayrakdarian – La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland