PICTURES OF AMERICA
Natalie DESSAY
Claire GIBAULT
PARIS MOZART ORCHESTRA
performed with simultaneous projections of paintings
by Edward Hopper
2016-2017 Théâtre du Châtelet (Paris) - L’Arsenal (Metz) - Palais des Congrès (Le Mans)
Gare du Midi (Biarritz) - Summer Festival (Ramatuelle)
2017-2019 On tour in France, Europe and Asia
© Simonof
Fowler
CD of Pictures
America released by Sony Classical | December 2016
www.parismozartorchestra.com
Presentation
Press excerpts
Pictures of America is a musical programme
devised by star soprano Natalie Dessay and her
friends, conductor Claire Gibault and composer
Graciane Finzi. Illustrated on stage by projected
paintings of Edward Hopper, half of the concert
features popular American Jazz and Broadway
songs arranged by renown jazzmen Baptiste
Trotignon, Patrice Caratini, Pierre Boussaguet
and Cyrille Lehn. In another part of the concert,
the
Paris
Mozart
Orchestra
perform
Scénographies d’Edward Hopper for narrator and
string ensemble (2013) by French composer
Graciane Finzi with Natalie Dessay as narrator
followed by Barber’s Adagio for strings. After
many years performing on some of the world’s
most prestigious opera stages, Natalie Dessay has
become increasingly famous for her outstanding
performances of American musicals, recently
winning general acclaim for her performance in
Sondheim’s Passion at the Théâtre du Châtelet in
Paris. As for French conductor Claire Gibault, her
career has led her to become an enthusiastic
supporter of contemporary music as well as
conduct many performances of West Side Story in
a number of prestigious venues such as the
Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Lyon National Opera
and Rome Opera.
“Natalie Dessay tackles the Great
American Songbook on Pictures of
America […] Her cool, flutey voice
is beautifully repointed to bring
out the wry ironies of such classics
as Send in the Clowns and
even There’s No Business Like
Show Business […] The arrangements, for strings (Claire
Gibault’s excellent Paris Mozart Orchestra) are fun too. […] It’s
all very sensuous.” The Times
“The challenge lies in adapting the precision of a classical
ensemble to the rhythmic and harmonious freedoms of jazz
music. And that happens in the most amazing way [...]”
Libération
“Pictures of America, a pageant of music, poetry and image [...]
The theatrical intent is carried by very clever visual effects that
seem to lay bare the very soul of the paintings […] A poignant
Barber Adagio for strings […] A very moving I’m a Fool to want
you by Frank Sinatra […] A very refined result.” Le Monde
“The voice, of course, is ravishing. With On a clear day, we’re
not far from perfection. Natalie Dessay here shows the breadth
of her multi-faceted talent – in turn emotional, youthful and
witty, dramatic, jazzy, tender, loving and show-woman. An
exceptionnal singer in all respects.” Telerama
”Subtle inter-relationship between music and painting [...] The
colour and movement in the painting augments the beauty of
the musical phrase. At one with her soloist, conductor Claire
Gibault shines - bringing brilliance and clarity to Graciane Finzi’s
composition.” ResMusica
“The Paris Mozart Orchestra under Claire Gibault immerses the
listener in a modern musical melancholy. Pictures of America is
an ambitious “game of mirrors” that works wonderfully thanks
to increasingly compelling videos of Edward Hoper’s paintings.”
Ouest France
Natalie Dessay soprano, narrator
A consummate and many-faceted artist, soprano Natalie Dessay has enjoyed a long and exceptional career, constantly
diversifying and renewing her repertoire – from dazzling coloratura to tragic lyric roles, from the fireworks of Mozart’s Magic
Flute and Suppé’s Daughter of the Regiment to the most heart-rending and fragile melodies françaises. In 1992 she made her
debut at L’Opéra Bastille singing the role of Olympia in Offenbach’s Tales of Hoffmann. Since then she has appeared regularly
on many of the world’s leading opera stages, among them L’Opéra National de Paris, Royal Opera House Covent Garden,
Metropolitan Opera New York, Theater an der Wien & Staatsoper Vienna and La Scala Milan, winning universal international
acclaim for her performances in Lakmé (Delibes), Ariane auf Naxos & Arabella (Strauss), Orpheus in the Underworld
(Offenbach), The Nightingale (Stravinsky), Alcina (Handel), Manon (Massenet), Péleas et Mélisande (Debussy), Lucia di
Lammermoor (Donizetti) and Il Somnambula (Bellini). Natalie Dessay is a regular collaborator with Michel Legrand and
together they have performed all over the world. In 2015 she revealed new depths of dramatic and rhetorical insight,
marking her debut as a narrator in performances of Howard Barker’s monologue Und at the Théâtre Olympia in Tours and in
Paris at the Théâtre de l’Athénée. The project was very successful and it is currently touring in France. Natalie Dessay is the
only French female artist to be awarded the honorary rank of Kammersängerin by the Vienna Staatsoper.
Contact
Paris Mozart Orchestra | Anaïs Smart General Manager
[email protected] | +33 6 43 24 61 79
www.parismozartorchestra.com