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Cover: Karita Mattila – Helsinki Recital

Karita Mattila

Helsinki Recital

Duparc · Saariaho · Rachmaninov · Dvorák
Karita Mattila, soprano
Martin Katz, piano
+ Bonus CD (Lieder By German and Finnish composers)

ODV 4004 · DVD Video · September 2010

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"A spectacular souvenir of Karita Mattila\

Track listing

45 tracks · 134:38

Listen to samples on selected tracks.

DVD

  2. 1 Titles 0:49

Henri Duparc

  1. 2 L'Invitation au voyage 4:26
  2. 3 Romance de Mignon 4:07
  3. 4 Au pays où se fait la guerre 5:27
  4. 5 Chanson triste 3:26
  5. 6 Phydilé 5:38

Kaija Saariaho

  1. Quatre instants (2002)
  2. 7 I. Attente 5:07
  3. 8 II. Douleur 6:06
  4. 9 III. Parfum de l'instant 3:47
  5. 10 IV. Résonances 6:40

Sergei Rachmaninov

  1. 11 Ne poi, krasavitsa, Op. 4/4 4:36
  2. 12 Sumerki, Op. 21/3 2:04
  3. 13 Otrïvok iz A. Myusse, Op. 21/6 2:00
  4. 14 Muza, Op. 34/1 4:07
  5. 15 Kakoje st?astje, Op. 34/12 2:02

Antonín Dvorák

  1. Cigánské melodie (Gipsy Songs), Op. 55
  2. 16 Má píseň zas mi láskou zní 2:41
  3. 17 Aj! Kterak trojhranec můj 1:11
  4. 18 A les je tichý kolem kol 3:06
  5. 19 Struna naladěna 1:16
  6. 20 ?iroké rukávy a ?iroké gatě 1:27
  7. 21 Kdy? mne stará matka 2:40
  8. 22 Dejte klec jestřábu 1:56

Victor Young

  1. 23 Golden Earrings (from the motion picture; 1947) 4:34

Traditional

  1. 24 Minun kultani kaunis on (Ah, How Fair My Sweetheart Is) 1:23
  3. 25 Final credits 1:05

Bonus CD: German and Finnish Lieder

Ludwig van Beethoven

  1. 1 Ich liebe Dich, WoO 123 2:08
  2. 2 Neue Liebe, neues Leben, Op. 75/2 3:15
  3. 3 Wonne der Wehmut, Op. 83/1 2:45

Franz Schubert

  1. 4 Die Forelle, D.550 2:15
  2. 5 Heidenröslein, D.257 1:46
  3. 6 Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D.774 3:50
  4. 7 An die Musik, D.547 2:59
  5. 8 Seligkeit, D.433 1:44

Johannes Brahms

  1. 9 Schwesterlein, WoO 33 3:37
  2. 10 Von ewiger Liebe, Op. 43/1 4:57

Jean Sibelius

  1. 11 Kaiutar, Op. 72/4 3:30
  2. 12 Lastu lainehilla, Op. 17/7 1:12
  3. 13 Souda, souda, sinisorsa 1:20
  4. 14 Våren flyktar hastigt (Spring is flying), Op. 13/4 1:36
  5. 15 Men min fågel märks dock icke, Op. 36/2 2:32
  6. 16 Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte (The Tryst), Op. 37/5 3:04

Toivo Kuula

  1. 17 Kesäyö kirkkomaalla (Summer Night in the Churchyard) 2:55
  2. 18 Sinipiika (The Forest Maid) 2:52

Erkki Melartin

  1. 19 Mirjamin laulu I (Miriam's Song I) 1:47
  2. 20 Mirjamin laulu I (Miriam's Song I) 2:53

About this recording

This DVD release features Karita Mattila in a rare Lieder Recital, which the Finnish star soprano gave to a compatriot audience at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki in October 2006. As a free bonus, an additional CD compilation includes a selection of Karita Mattila's 1995-97 studio recordings of German and Finnish Lieder. This release pays tribute to Karita Mattila ("one of the most interesting, exciting sopranos in the world today" - Gramophone) on the occasion of her 50th birthday in 2010.

The live recorded sell-out concerts were hailed by international critics as showcasing "Karita Mattila at her glorious peak... No wonder the Helsinki audience went berserk." (The Daily Telegraph). The program included selected songs by Henri Duparc and Sergei Rachmaninov, in addition to Dvorak's Gipsy Songs and Kaija Saariaho's song cycle Quatre instants, written for Karita Mattila in 2002. This recording features the cycle's national première performance in Finland.

The sound recording of Helsinki Recital was previously released on hybrid SACD in June 2007 (ODE 1100-5) and garnered the highest accolades throughout the international press, including BBC Music Magazine 'Song Choice' and Gramophone 'Editor's Choice'. International Record Review called the recording a "spectacular souvenir of her live shows".

This is the much-awaited first-ever release of Helsinki Recital on DVD and also includes the previously unreleased encores.

This product includes an additional free bonus CD compilation, featuring Karita Mattila and pianist Ilmo Ranta with recordings from 1995–97 of popular Lieder repertoire by Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and Finnish composers Kuula and Melartin.

Features

1 DVD Video (all regions; NTSC Colour 16:9; Dolby Digital 5.0 Surround / PCM Stereo); menu in English/Finnish; booklet with liner notes in English, German, French and Finnish, and the song texts in the original language and in Finnish

  • 1 CD bonus compilation

Press

Wie der Titel schon sagt, feiert hier eine Stadt ihre Heldin. (...) Zwei auf der CD fehlende Encores (...) spiegeln ebenfalls den eklektischen, aber mitreissenden Musikgeschmack der Mattila.
Manuel Brug, Fono Forum, September 2011

This recital, live from Finnish National Opera in 2006, is a thrilling crescendo of the performance art of one of the greatest living sopranos. You can now watch the fine detail of how Karita Mattila gives her physical all in recital as much as on the operatic stage. (...) a real treasure trove of delights!
Hilary Finch, BBC Music Magazine, Christmas 2010, Performance * / Picture & Sound *** / Extras

So viel hemmungslose Selbstentäußerung erlebt man bei keinem anderen Künstler der E-Musik. Das kommt von innen und drängt aus ihr heraus. Ganz deutlich wird das in den für sie komponierten Quatre instants von Kaija Saariaho. Hier wird in vier „Momentaufnahmen" der Liebe Freud und Leid in existentieller Weise besungen, und die Sängerin geht hier an die Grenzen ihrer Ausdrucksmöglichkeiten und ihrer Stimme. Sie wird dabei eins mit der Musik. Diesem Darstellungsprozess kann sich der Hörer nicht entziehen.
Ekkehard Pluta, klassik-heute.com, 26.10.2010, 9 • 9 • 9

The artists

Karita Mattila

Winner of the first 'Singer of the World' competition in Cardiff, Karita Mattila is recognised as much for the beauty and versatility of her lyric voice as for her extraordinary stage ability. Under such conductors as Claudio Abbado, James Levine, Sir Simon Rattle and Esa-Pekka Salonen, she has sang in all the major opera houses and festivals of the world performing repertoire which encompasses Mozart, Strauss, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Puccini, Wagner and Janácek. Her affinity with the dramatic side of opera has produced marvellous results when working with fine stage directors such as Luc Bondy who helped her to achieve a remarkable performance in his highly acclaimed Don Carlos, seen in Paris, London and at the Edinburgh Festival. Likewise, Lev Dodin in his productions of Elektra for the Salzburg Easter Festival and Pique Dame and Salome at the Opera Bastille, Peter Stein for his production of Simon Boccanegra in Salzburg, Robert Carsen in his production of Lohengrin at the Bastille and Jürgen Flimm for his Fidelio in New York.

Full biography

Martin Katz

Martin Katz has been accompanying world-famous singers for nearly 40 years. In addition to his collaboration with Karita Mattila, he has appeared on five continents with singers such as Kiri te Kanawa, Kathleen Battle, José Carreras, Renata Tebaldi, Nicolai Gedda and Monserrat Caballé.

Full biography

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Karita Mattila

Helsinki Recital

Duparc · Saariaho · Rachmaninov · Dvorák · Karita Mattila, soprano · Martin Katz, piano

ODE 1100-5 · CD / SACD · Apr 2007

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Jean Sibelius

Songs

Karita Mattila, soprano · Ilmo Ranta, piano

ODE 856-2 · CD · Oct 1995

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