Release Info
Although the pieces performed here by the internationally acclaimed, Canadian-based soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian are sung entirely in Armenian, these songs cast a powerful spell long before their literal meaning has been gleaned. Bayrakdarian born in Lebanon, the daughter of Armenian parents explores the extraordinary legacy of Gomidas Vardabet, a well-traveled, turn-of-the-nineteenth-century composer who made it his life' s work to seek out, transcribe and re-interpret the ancient liturgy, songs, lullabies, hymns and folk dances of his homeland. His work would have been remarkable under any circumstances, but it has become all the more significant in light of the Armenian genocide of 1915, which left him emotionally devastated and put an end to his life as a composer. Bayrakdarian performed Gomidas' s music as part of the score to Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan s 2002 Ararat, a multi-layered drama about contemporary filmmakers attempting to dramatize and come to terms with the events of 1915. However, mainstream moviegoers will more readily recognize her voice from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Composer Howard Shore invited Bayrakdarian to sing on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack after hearing one of her recordings. She s even more renowned among opera fans the world over, especially for her performances, on stage and on record, as Cleopatra in Handel s Giulio Cesare and in such Mozart works as Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. Her voice, says Time, combines lyricism with remarkable dramatic instincts. Bayrakdarian made her Metropolitan Opera debut in William Bolcom s A View from the Bridge. Sings Gomidas contains love songs, devotional songs, evocations of nature, children s songs, and lamentations, and comic songs. It was recorded at the Aram Khachaturian Philharmonic Hall in Yerevan, Armenia with the Chamber Players of the Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra. All the songs were arranged and orchestrated by scholar and pianist Serouj Kradjian, her concert partner and husband. Egoyan contributes eloquent liner notes to the album package, illustrating the importance of Bayrakdarian s undertaking to music lovers everywhere: The strength of any culture resides in its ability to preserve, cherish, reinvent and grow.
Releases from Isabel Bayrakdarian
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Rhapsody in Blue
by Béla Fleck
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Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade in E Major, Op. 35 by Leopold Stokowski (2024 Remastered, London 1964)
by Leopold Stokowski & London Symphony Orchestra & Erich Gruenberg
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Mozart: The 5 Violin Concertos by Arthur Grumiaux (2024 Remastered)
by Arthur Grumiaux & Sir Colin Davis & London Symphony Orchestra
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José Calvário, The London Symphony Orchestra _ Saudades, Vol. III
by Jose Calvario & London Symphony Orchestra
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Brahms: 16 Hungarian Dances, Variations on a Theme by Haydn by Antal Doráti (2024 Remastered)
by Antal Dorati & London Symphony Orchestra
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January 4, 2024: Quadrantid Meteor Shower
by Sleeping At Last
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As We Speak
by Béla Fleck & Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain & Rakesh Chaurasia
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Johannes Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Op.77 · Aram Khachaturian: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Minor
by Henryk Szeryng & Leonid Kogan & Pierre Monteux & London Symphony Orchestra
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Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 14: Sir Malcolm Sargent
by London Symphony Orchestra & Royal Choral Society & Sir Malcolm Sargent
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Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 10: Carlo Zecchi, Piero Coppola
by London Philharmonic Orchestra & London Symphony Orchestra & Carlo Zecchi & Piero Coppola
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Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 5: Albert Coates
by National Symphony Orchestra & London Symphony Orchestra & Albert Coates
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Conductor's Gallery, Vol. 4: Sir Henry Wood, Willem Mengelberg, Albert Coates
by Louis Zimmermann & Ferdinand Helman & Queens Hall Orchestra & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra & London Symphony Orchestra & Henry Wood & Willem Mengelberg & Albert Coates