Dinara Alieva (soprano)
Czech National Symphony Orchestra/Marcello Rota
rec. No recording date given, CNSO Studio No 1, Prague, Czech Republic
DELOS DE3462 [62.11]
Russian Songs and Arias
Dinara Alieva (soprano)
New Russia State Symphony Orchestra/Dmitry Yablonsky
rec. 28 August-3 September 2011, Studio 5, Russian State TV & Radio Company ‘Kultura’, Moscow, Russia
NAXOS 8.572893 [60:04]
In just a few weeks two releases have arrived of aria collections from
swiftly emerging Azerbaijani soprano Dinara Alieva; both are superbly
performed. Championed by Montserrat Caballé as “a singer who possesses
the gift of heaven” Alieva is a singer of exceptional talent. A
promising future on the world stage is assured.
A graduate of the Baku Music Academy, Azerbaijan, Alieva joined the Bolshoi
Theatre, Moscow as a soloist in 2010. She has appeared in a number of
mainly Russian and European opera houses and concert halls in roles that
have included: Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Violetta (La
Traviata), Tatiana (Eugene Onegin), Giulietta (Les Contes
d'Hoffmann), Mimi and Musetta (La Boheme), Liù (Turandot),
Leonora (Il Trovatore), Michaela (Carmen), Nedda (Pagliacci)
and Marfa (The Tsar’s Bride).
Her debut CD on American Delos samples Verdi, Puccini, Catalani, Cilea
and Leoncavallo; a valuable collection of thirteen, mainly familiar, Romantic
arias. This Italian repertoire especially suits Alieva who displays her
creamy, dusky-hued, fluid, lyric tones to best advantage. How impressively
she demonstrates her feeling for the words. Nevertheless I did soon find
myself wanted additional tonal colour. The first two Verdi arias E
strano!... Sempre libera degg'io and Addio del
passato, both from Traviata, reveal an appealing, almost
effortless coloratura. Puccini’s Vissi d'arte from
Tosca and also Chi il bel sogno di Doretta from La
Rondine are fine examples of Alieva’s ability to generate emotion
including an enchanting tenderness. At the point of hearing O mio
babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi I began to notice this
singer's vibrato which is not unattractive and never intrudes.
A fine example of comfortably achieving the high notes is to be found
in Chi il bel sogno di Doretta from La Rondine. The
splendidly sung Ebben? Ne andró lontana from Catalani’s
La Wally is perfect for demonstrating her vocal power. Other
good examples of her strength of attack can be heard in the Verdi arias
Tacea la notte placida from Trovatore and the title
track Pace, pace mio dio from La forza del destino.
Marcello Rota and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra contribute greatly
with thoughtful and sensitive playing. The sound is warm, clear and well
balanced. The booklet notes are an admirable example of best practice
containing Italian text and English translations. There's also
a most helpful explanation of each aria’s plot context. I have a
minor grumble in that no recording date is provided.
Those requiring Russian repertoire will be especially attracted to Alieva’s
Naxos release: a compilation of ten well-known and less familiar Russian
Songs and Arias. This is well sung, however, I didn’t enjoy
the same level of satisfaction as with her Delos collection. After a while
the rather narrow palette of dark-tinged tone colour becomes wearing and
under pressure something approaching shrillness begins to intrude. Nevertheless,
I found particularly impressive Alieva’s fluid tone and overall
vocal control in both ‘Lisa’s Aria’ from The Queen
of Spades by Tchaikovsky and Ivan Sergeich from The
Tsar's Bride from Rimsky-Korsakov. The high register presents
no problem for this soprano and this is aptly displayed in the high tessitura
of Uzh polnoch blizitsya from The Queen of Spades. She
generates commanding emotional intensity in Kabï znala ya and
Ya li v pole da ne travushka bila? both fine arrangements for
voice and orchestra. The famous ‘Letter Scene’ from Eugene
Onegin is a striking example of strong, fluid singing in an opera
to which Alieva seems eminently suited.
Credit is due to the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra under the baton
of Dmitry Yablonsky for providing unfailing support. The sound is clear,
cool and dry. A warmer setting would have assisted the forwardly positioned
Alieva. We get neither texts nor translations in the booklet but these
can be obtained via the link in the liner notes to the Naxos website.
Michael Cookson
Previous reviews: Robert
J Farr (Italian arias) ; Gorän
Forsling (Russian songs and arias)
Track listings
Delos
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
1. La Traviata: Sempre libera [7.26]
2. La Traviata: Addio del passato [7.10]
Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
3. Tosca: Vissi d'arte [3.25]
4. Gianni Schicchi: O mio babbino caro [2.30]
5. Madama Butterfly: Un bel di vedremo [4.46]
6. La Rondine: Chi il bel sogno di Doretta [2.56]
7. Turandot: Tu che di gel sei cinta [2.56]
Alfredo CATALANI (1854-1893)
8. La Wally: Ebben? Ne andro lontan [3.54]
Francesco CILEA (1866-1950)
9. Adriana Lecouvreur: Io son l'umile ancella [3.36]
Ruggero LEONCAVALLO (1858-1919)
10. I Pagliacci: Qual fiamma avea nel guardo! .... Hui! Stridono
lassu [5.03]
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
11. Il Trovatore: Tacea la notte [5.47]
12. Il Trovatore: D'amor sull'ali rosee [6.08]
13. La forza del destino: Pace, pace mio Dio! [6.06]
Naxos
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
1. 14 Songs, Op. 34, No. 14: Vocalise (version for voice and
orchestra) [7.07]
Pyotr Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
2. The Queen of Spades: Otkuda eti slyozi, ‘Lisa's
Aria’ [4:22]
Nikolai RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908)
3. The Tsar's Bride: V Novgorode [6.07]
4. The Tsar's Bride: Ivan Sergeich, khochesh’ v
sad poydyom? (orchestrated Ivan Sergeyevich) [5.37]
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
5. 6 Songs, Op. 4, No. 4: Ne poy, krasavitsa, pri mne (arranged
Ruben Stepanyan for voice and orchestra) [4:24]
6. Francesca da Rimini: O, nye rïday, moy Paolo, nye nado…,
‘Francesca's Aria’ [2:45]
Pyotr Il'yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
7. The Queen of Spades: Uzh polnoch blizitsya … Akh, istomilas'
ya, ‘Lisa's Aria’ [4:54]
8. 7 Romances, Op. 47, No. 1: Kabï znala ya, kabï vedala (arranged
Odysseus Dimitriadi for voice and orchestra) [5:53]
9. 7 Romances, Op. 47, No. 7: Ya li v pole da ne travushka bila?(version
for voice and orchestra) [6:27]
10. Eugene Onegin: Puskay pogibnu ja, ‘Letter Scene’
[12:27]
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