Isabel Bayrakdarian – La Zingarella: Through Romany Songland (2022) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

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.

Tracklist:
1-01. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Die drei Zigeuner, S. 320 (arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (05:54)
1-02. Isabel Bayrakdarian – 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)
1-03. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: II. Hochgetürmte Rimaflut (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (01:23)
1-04. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: III. Wisst ihr, wann mein Kindchen (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (01:33)
1-05. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: IV. Lieber Gott, du weißt (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (01:28)
1-06. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: V. Brauner Bursche führt zum Tanze (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (01:32)
1-07. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: VI. Röslein dreie in der Reihe (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (01:19)
1-08. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: VII. Kommt dir manchmal in den Sinn (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (02:22)
1-09. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerlieder, Op. 103: VIII. Rote Abendwolken (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (01:22)
1-10. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55 I. Má píseň zas mi láskou zní (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (02:26)
1-11. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: II. Aj! Kterak trojhranec můj (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (01:07)
1-12. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: III. A les je tichý kolem kol (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (02:39)
1-13. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: IV. Když mne stará matka (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (02:00)
1-14. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: V. Struna naladěna (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (00:56)
1-15. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: VI. Široké rukávy a široké gate (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (01:23)
1-16. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Cigánské melodie, Op. 55: VII. Dejte klec jestřábu (arr. for voice, violin and piano by John Greer) (01:47)
1-17. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Juanita ó la perla de Aragon (arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (03:17)
1-18. Isabel Bayrakdarian – La Perla de Triana (Serenata andaluza) [arr. for voice and string quartet by Peter Tiefenbach] (03:29)
1-19. Isabel Bayrakdarian – El arreglito (Canción habanera) [arr. for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach] (04:06)
1-20. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Carmen, Act I, Scene 4: L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Havanaise) [arr for voice, violin and piano by Peter Tiefenbach] (03:17)
1-21. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Clavelitos (Zambra gitana) [arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach] (01:38)
1-22. Isabel Bayrakdarian – 2 South American Gypsy Songs: I. La Montonera (02:09)
1-23. Isabel Bayrakdarian – 2 South American Gypsy Songs: II. La Zambullidora (02:23)
1-24. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Chanson gitane, Act I: La Zingarella (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (03:59)
1-25. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Zigeunerliebe,Act III: Hör’ ich Cymbalklänge (arr. for voice, 2 violins, viola, cello and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (04:11)
1-26. Isabel Bayrakdarian – Die Csárdásfürstin, Act I: Heia, heia, in den Bergen (arr. for voice, viola and piano by Peter Tiefenbach) (02:55)
1-27. Isabel Bayrakdarian – The Fortune Teller: Gypsy Love Song (04:31)