Elīna Garanča - Revive (2016)

Elina Garanca at the most dramatic edge of Bel Canto moving into the big Diva repertoire: REVIVE is the summit of El nas career to date.

The Latvian mezzo-soprano, a world-class performer at the peak of her form, explores the emotional storms and destinys force, raging in the lives of operas strong women. She channels her experience and insights into a collection of arias drawn from the great Romantic repertoire, complete with captivating rarities and genuine showstoppers.

REVIVE casts light on powerful women to reveal their vulnerabilities and weaknesses; its a celebration of female strength, honor, sacrifice, dangerous passion and obsession.

All these women are, I think, about exploring an inner world, about people finding themselves in a weak moment, for whatever reason unhappy love, betrayal, losing power, saying goodbye to loved ones. In my everyday life, Im everything: I can be jealous, I can be angry, I can be funny, I can be sad. Life is like a big colorful book. So the women on this album belong to a big colorful book. - Elina

The album includes music from Verdis Don Carlo, Leoncavallos La Boheme, Massenets Herodiade, Mascagnis Cavalleria rusticana, and Saint-Saens Henri VIII, as well as celebrated set-pieces from Cileas Adriana Lecouvreur, Saint-Saens Samson et Dalila, Massenets Werther, Berliozs Les Troyens, and Mussorgskys Boris Godunov, among others.

This is repertoire playing to the incredible technique and flexibility of Elinas voice, showcasing the crystal clarity and purity of earlier recordings, with her mind-blowing musicianship and very personal interpretations that distinguish her as a world class artist, also hinting at the more dramatic roles:

I started with Baroque, Mozart and bel canto repertoire, with a little bit more dramatic stuff, too. I have never done Verdi on the stage or really done verismo opera, so theres something new for me. Now, I feel it is really time to explore further, so the repertoire that is coming now is a new Elina with new, exciting challenges. Im very happy that I can embrace it. It feels right at this moment to move on and reach other mountains! - Elina

The recording process with Roberto Abbado and the outstanding Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana allowed Elina to dig deep into dramatic roles destined to become part of her future work, notably Mascagnis Santuzza and Verdis Princess Eboli, two powerful roles she is preparing to perform for the first time onstage, at the Paris Opera (Cavalleria rusticana in November/December 2016, Don Carlo in 2017).

Tracklist:
01. Cavalleria rusticana: Voi lo sapete, o mamma
02. Adriana Lecouvreur: Acerba voluttà, dolce tortura … O vagabonda stella d'Oriente
03. Les Troyens, H. 133: Ah! Ah! Je vais mourir … Adieu, fière cité
04. Don Carlo: Nel giardin del bello
05. Samson et Dalila, Op. 47, R. 288: Samson, recherchant ma présence … Amour, viens aider ma faiblesse
06. Boris Godunov: Skučno, Marine … Kak tomitel'no i vyalo
07. Adriana Lecouvreur: Ecco, respiro appena … Io son l'umile ancella
08. Hérodiade: Venge-moi d'une suprême offense! … Ne me refuse pas
09. Mignon: Connais-tu le pays
10. La forza del destino: Rataplan, rataplan, rataplan
11. La Gioconda, Op. 9: Ho il cuor gonfio di lagrime … Stella del marinar!
12. Werther: Va! Laisse couler mes larmes
13. La bohème: È destin, debbo andarmene … Marcello mio
14. Henry VIII, R. 291: Reine! Je serai reine!