Elīna Garanča - Revive (2016) [CD-Rip]

Soprano Elīna Garanča has been known mostly for bel canto roles. With Revive, she seems to inaugurate a new direction in her career with a selection of dramatic, mezzo-soprano range pieces. Cynics might guess that the title refers to that new direction itself, or simply to the collection of rather obscure music that makes up most of the second half of the program. But actually, as Garanča puts it in her own rather breezy notes, the connecting thread is "strong women in moments of weakness; women who nevertheless regain their equilibrium and their inner strength." She makes the dramatic connection: sample the opening "Voi lo sapete, o mamma," from Mascagni's Cavalleria rusticana, which is essentially the heart of the whole program. It's vocally flawless, and it rivets the attention. "Acerba voluttà, dolce tortura," from Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, brings more good news in the form of Garanča's ferocious middle register, deployed here with an uncanny chest-voice buzz. As the program develops it touches on French and Russian music, with a Spanish (or, if you prefer, Valencian) orchestra, the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, to boot. Not everything is uniformly successful: Garanča is compelling in the millennial whoops of "Nel giardin del bello" from Verdi's Don Carlo, but less so in "Rataplan, Rataplan, Rataplan" from La forza del destino. The program is oriented toward high-drama scenes, but where there is a quiet tune, such as in "Connais-tu le pays" from Ambroise Thomas' Mignon, she shines with perfect control. The Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia auditorium in Valencia makes an ideal venue, and the entire release bodes well for those looking forward to hearing Garanča in verismo and related roles. -- James Manheim