| Lancette Arts Journal Founded in 2000 |
Music - CD Reviews From our Archives |
December 2003 |
[Azulão, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, pianist James Parker, Cello Ensemble, CBC Records, MVCD 1164, 76:14 minutes]
By Alidë Kohlhaas
If you did not get a chance to hear Isabel Bayrakdarian sing Teresa in the recent Metropolitan Opera production of Hector Berlioz's opera, Benvenuto Cellini, you may not quite understand why I am about to rhapsodize about her. I hope what I have to say will inspire you to get Azulão, her latest CD produced by CBC Records. It is one of those rare treasures of music that completely overpowers one's senses with the beauty of the voice, and the haunting melodies that whisper Spain and Latin America' in one's ear. Canada can count itself lucky to have become the home of Bayrakdarian, a soprano whose voice just grows to ever greater heights with every new performance.
Her voice is like silk touching your ear; it is smooth, delicate and yet deeply expressive. You sense an inner fire that needs no showiness. It engulfs you and draws you toward the warmth of the music that is, in true Latin sense, full of passion, yet infinitely tender.
One is amazed that at the start of the 1990s this singer was busily engaged studying biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto, and obtained her degree. Singing then was just something she liked to do. Consequently, her rise as a soprano on the international stage since her first full professional appearance in 1997 has been a rapid one. The recognition is well deserved for not only does Bayrakdarian sing well, she also has an . . .
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