Pictures of America (CD) – Natalie Dessay

Composers: Various
Artists: Natalie Dessay, Paris Mozart Orchestra
Conductor: Claire Gibault
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Sony Classical
CD Release Date: December 2, 2016

Natalie Dessay’s first album for Sony Classical is not a classical album, but a journey through American music and art.

“I was delighted to once again work with Claire Gibault, who now leads her own chamber orchestra, the Paris Mozart Orchestra, more than twenty years after she first accompanied my Mozart performance at the start of my career as a classical singer.

“It all started with a couple of Edward Hopper paintings that inspired the beautiful stories of poet Claude Esteban, which Graciane Finzi in turn illustrated with her delicate and inventive music. Claire asked me to tell the story of these ‘melologues.’ For my part, I selected ten other paintings that inspired me to choose a range of songs from what’s known as the Great American Songbook.

“I then worked to develop a new voice – a deeper and more intimate sound that would whisper into the listener’s ear. It was a voice I had to learn to control, like a small, secretive wild animal. Enjoy your journey through music and paintings with these ‘Pictures of America.’” – Natalie Dessay

“The arrangements of these familiar songs are imaginative and unexpected, including fanciful instrumental interludes that take full advantage of the string textures.... When [Dessay] combines sound and meaning, the results are chic and memorable.” – Critic’s Choice

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