ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV · YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN VERDI ORCHESTRE MÉTROPOLITAIN DE MONTRÉAL ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV · YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN VERDI ORCHESTRE MÉTROPOLITAIN DE MONTRÉAL 2 GIUSEPPE VERDI (1813–1901) ATTILA SCENA ED ARIA (Attila, Uldino) I VESPRI SICILIANI PRELUDIO ED ARIA (Procida) A Uldino! Uldin! – Mio re! 1:49 O O patria, o cara patria 3:15 B Mentre gonfiarsi l’anima 3:08 P O tu, Palermo 5:06 C Raccapriccio! … Oltre quel limite t’attendo, o spettro! 2:53 LUISA MILLER SCENA ED ARIA (Walter, Wurm) DON CARLO INTRODUZIONE E SCENA (Filippo II) Q Che mai narrasti! 1:36 D Ella giammai m’amò! 5:41 R Il mio sangue, la vita darei 3:48 E Dormirò sol nel manto mio regal 5:15 with Geoffroy Salvas Wurm NABUCCO RECITATIVO E CAVATINA (Zaccaria, coro, Ismaele) MACBETH SCENA (Banco) F Sperate, o figli! 1:27 S Studia il passo, o mio figlio 1:12 G D’Egitto là sui lidi 7:14 T Come dal ciel precipita 3:26 SIMON BOCCANEGRA ARIA (Fiesco, coro) ERNANI FINALE I, PART 1 (Silva, coro) H A te l’estremo addio, palagio altero 1:49 U Che mai vegg’io! 1:05 I Il lacerato spirito 4:10 V Infelice! E tuo credevi 2:58 W Infin che un brando vindice 2:59 OBERTO, CONTE DI SAN BONIFACIO SCENA ED ARIA (Oberto, coro) J Ei tarda ancor! 1:07 EXCLUSIVE DIGITAL TRACK: K L’orror del tradimento 3:14 DON CARLOS INTRODUCTION ET SCÈNE (Philippe II) L Ma tu, superbo giovane 2:20 X Elle ne m’aime pas! 5:23 Y Je dormirai dans mon manteau royal 5:01 NABUCCO RECITATIVO E PREGHIERA (Zaccaria) M Vieni, o Levita! 2:37 ILDAR ABDRAZAKOV bass N Tu sul labbro de’ veggenti 3:02 ROLANDO VILLAZÓN tenor (1, 3, 7) CHŒUR & ORCHESTRE MÉTROPOLITAIN DE MONTRÉAL YANNICK NÉZET-SÉGUIN 3 these roles is that, as a bass, you can grow with them”, he during a series of Ernani performances at La Scala. And in A says to explain his choice at this particular juncture in his the recording sessions he could rely on tried-and-true col- FATEFUL career. “For example, you can already sing Verdi’s first leagues: Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Orchestre Métro- opera, Oberto, as a young man. That won’t work with a role politain de Montréal, with whom he had already recorded ENCOUNTER like Zaccaria, where you have to be more mature. So there’s a duet album with Rolando Villazón. “A conductor has to a Verdi bass role to suit every age.” His voice and Verdi’s know the singers’ voices and potential like the back of his music form, it would seem, an almost ideal combination. hand. He has to breathe with us, to shape a line together “With Verdi it’s always a matter “In Verdi the challenge often lies in the emotional inten- so that a singer can display his potential. When there’s a of feelings and the soul, of conflicts sity, in the psychological delineation of character. In tech- sense of trust, when the chemistry between the pit and the and people in confrontation.” nical terms he wrote very comfortably for the bass register, stage is right, first-class results can come of it. And that’s or at least for me.” This goes some way to explain his per- precisely what I experience with Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He sonal feel-good sensation. “When I sing Verdi, I feel like always makes sure that I feel comfortable as a singer.” hen Ildar Abdrazakov talks about That Abdrazakov became an opera singer at all was the the proverbial fish in water.” Much the same happened between Abdrazakov and Verdi, the composer so dear to his result of a coincidence: “At the age of 12 I went to the opera Verdi’s bass roles are kings, priests, fathers. Often Riccardo Muti: “I learned a lot from him about Giuseppe heart, you can hardly fail to notice for the first time, and I didn’t like it at all. Somehow the art they’re aged power-hungry men such as Silva in Ernani, or Verdi and the style of his music. He worked with Antonino his admiration for the music. form didn’t interest me back then. It didn’t kindle any feel- evil intriguers like Count Walter in Luisa Miller. Yet Abdraza- Votto, who in turn had worked with Arturo Toscanini, who “There’s a special noblesse to the ings in me.” At conservatory he much preferred to sing kov is not particularly bothered by the fact that he usually knew Verdi personally. So I’m following in a line of tradi- bass roles in particular”, he adds Frank Sinatra songs. Then one day his brother, likewise an has to depict creeps on stage: “As a bass you get used to tion here.” Now, with this album, Ildar Abdrazakov is writ- to explain his passion. “As a singer, I can’t thank Verdi opera singer, brought along a DVD with – what else! – a singing the bad guys, not only in Verdi, but in other operas ing his own chapter in the history of Verdi singing. Wenough for having written such wonderful music spe- Verdi opera. “It was Attila in a La Scala production with too, such as Mefistofele. The Devil is always a bass – or a cifically for my vocal register.” This Russian bass has Samuel Ramey in the title role and Riccardo Muti at the baritone! But some Verdi bass roles stand out from the Bjørn Woll long numbered among the premier singers of his voice conductor’s desk”, he recalls of this fateful encounter. usual villains and schemers”, he adds with a smile. “Zac- Translation: J. Bradford Robinson type, lauded by the press for his “impressive sound” and “From the moment I saw it, a new life began for me – really! caria in Nabucco, for example, has a very noble character. “beautiful legato” no less than his “inexhaustible I fell in love with opera that very instant.” In 2011 he himself This variety is what I very much appreciate in Verdi.” finesse”. And one figure has played an important role sang the title role in Attila with Riccardo Muti wielding the Abdrazakov has already sung most of the roles on this in this sterling career, over and over again: Giuseppe baton and, as fate would have it, Samuel Ramey in the role album on stage. At present the great international opera Verdi. Hardly had Abdrazakov turned 21 than he sang of Pope Leo the Great. houses are especially keen to book him as Attila and Padre Guardiano in La forza del destino under Valery When it came time to record his first solo album for FilippobII. The only operas he hasn’t sung live are Simon Gergiev. A short while later he could be heard as Mac- Deutsche Grammophon, Abdrazakov chose arias from Boccanegra and Nabucco. Still, it was precisely these roles beth under Riccardo Muti. Verdi’s early and middle periods. “The nice thing about that he studied intensively with a seasoned vocal coach 4 mittleren Verdi-Opern entschieden. »Das Schöne an die- Fast alle Rollen des Albums hat Ildar Abdrazakov EINE sen Rollen ist, dass man als Bass an ihnen wachsen kann«, bereits auf der Bühne verkörpert. Besonders oft wird er SCHICKSALHAFTE erklärt er die Auswahl zu diesem speziellen Zeitpunkt in derzeit als Attila und Filippo II von den großen internatio- seiner Karriere. »Verdis erste Oper Oberto kann man zum nalen Opernhäusern gebucht. Nur Simon Boccanegra und BEGEGNUNG Beispiel schon als junger Mann singen. Das geht mit einer Nabucco hat er noch nicht live gesungen, aber gerade an Partie wie Zaccaria nicht, da muss man als Sänger schon diesen Stücken hat er während einer Reihe von Ernani- gereifter sein. Für jedes Lebensalter eines Basses gibt es Aufführungen an der Scala intensiv mit einem der dortigen »Bei Verdi geht es immer um Gefühle, also die passende Verdi-Rolle.« Die Stimme von Ildar versierten Gesangscoaches gearbeitet. Und bei der Auf- um die Seele und um Konflikte, Abdrazakov und die Musik von Giuseppe Verdi bilden, so nahme konnte er sich dann auf altbewährte Weggefährten die Konfrontation zwischen Menschen.« scheint es, eine nahezu ideale Kombination. »Die Heraus- verlassen: Yannick Nézet-Séguin und das Orchestre Métro- forderung liegt bei Verdi oft in der emotionalen Intensität, politain de Montréal, mit denen er bereits ein Duett-Album der psychologischen Charakterzeichnung seiner Rollen- mit Rolando Villazón aufgenommen hat. »Ein Dirigent enn Ildar Abdrazakov über diesen Dass Ildar Abdrazakov überhaupt Opernsänger wurde, porträts. Technisch gesehen hat er für die Bass-Stimme muss über Stimmen und die Möglichkeiten von Sängern für ihn so wichtigen Opernkompo- ist indes einem Zufall zu verdanken: »Mit zwölf Jahren komfortabel komponiert, zumindest für mich«, erklärt er Bescheid wissen. Er muss mit uns atmen, muss mit uns nisten spricht, ist seine Bewunde- ging ich zum ersten Mal in die Oper – und mochte es gar dieses ganz persönliche Wohlfühlmoment. »Wenn ich gemeinsam eine Linie gestalten, damit ein Sänger auch rung für dessen Schaffen kaum zu nicht. Irgendwie hat mich diese Kunstform damals nicht Verdi singe, fühle ich mich wie der sprichwörtliche Fisch seine Möglichkeiten zeigen kann. Wenn dieses Vertrauen überhören. »Gerade die Bass- interessiert, hat keine Gefühle in mir geweckt.« Viel lieber im Wasser.« da ist, wenn die Abstimmung zwischen Graben und Bühne Partien haben eine besondere sang er am Konservatorium Songs von Frank Sinatra – bis Verdis Bass-Partien, das sind Könige, Priester, Väter. stimmt, können erstklassige Ergebnisse herauskommen. Noblesse«, erläutert er seine Leidenschaft. »Als Sänger sein Bruder, der ebenfalls Opernsänger ist, eine DVD mit Oft auch alte, machtgierige Männer wie Silva aus Ernani Genau das erlebe ich mit Yannick Nézet-Séguin.