The Other Cleopatra (CD) – Isabel Bayrakdarian

Composers: Johann Adolph Hasse, Antonio Vivaldi, Christoph Willibald Gluck
Artists: Isabel Bayrakdarian, Kaunas City Symphony
Conductor: Constantine Orbelian
Number of Discs: 1
Label: Delos Records
CD Release Date: March 20, 2020

Yes, there was another Cleopatra! She was married to Tigranes the Great, King of Armenia, and together they created an Armenia that reached from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean.

The resplendent and regal voice of soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is perfectly suited to the role of Cleopatra. She shines in arias from three rarely heard operas about King Tigranes and his queen, beginning with Il Tigrane by Baroque master Johann Adolph Hasse, famous in his day as one of the foremost composers of opera.

Arias by Vivaldi and Gluck add further excitement to the album. Vivaldi, known primarily for his instrumental music, stands out as an opera composer, while Gluck, in an early opera, already shows his mastery of the form.

Bayrakdarian’s multi-hued voice relates the passion, drama, and fervor of the love story of Tigranes and Cleopatra, and she is supported by the Grammy-nominated team of Constantine Orbelian and his marvelous Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra.

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