{"title":"Anna Prohaska","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnna Prohaska\u003c\/strong\u003e (b. 1983) - soprano.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"maria-mater-meretrix-3760014197390","title":"Maria Mater Meretrix \/ Prohaska, Kopatchinskaja, Camerata Bern","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoprano Anna Prohaska and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja are both well known for their taste for eclecticism, experimentation and adventure. As they are also are friends, it was only to be expected that one day they would devise and record a programme together, and here it is: Maria Mater Meretrix … What is the relationship between Hildegard von Bingen and Gustav Holst, Antonio Caldara and Lili Boulanger? The two musicians and their partners in Camerata Bern explore the image of woman through ten centuries of music: the figure of the Virgin Mary – among other works, the triptych Magnificat - Ave Maria - Stabat Mater (1967\/68) by Frank Martin, an unclassifiable composer whom both artists venerate – but also Mary Magdalene, in pieces by Caldara and Kurtág. The Saint, the Mother, the Whore … The expression of two women musicians of today, a journey full of meaning and a sensory exploration featuring solos, duets, quartets and works for large orchestra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHere’s a fun proposition. A program comprising works depicting either the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene through time, conceived of and executed with flair by the soprano Anna Prohaska and violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja. Both are thoughtful, entirely game musicians, and their passion for the concept and material is evident. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTaking as their theme the archetypes of saint, mother, and whore, Prohaska and Kopatchinskaja traverse many periods and styles in their exploration of the two Marys: Holst, Eisler, von Bingen, Kurtág, and Haydn are just some of the composers jostling for your attention. Undoubtedly the risk for some listeners will be an experience that verges on the musical patchwork, and for some \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaria Mater Meretrix\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is easily dismissed as just another concept album. For this reviewer, the particular alchemy of Prohaska and Kopatchinskaja override any such reservations, and some of the works gathered here are given truly revelatory readings. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTake Kurtág’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKafka Fragments\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e for one, selections of which are threaded through the track list. They pack a punch despite – or is it because of? – their lengths (the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBerceuse\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e lasts all of 59 seconds) and leave you wanting more: more of the composer’s spectral, exquisitely simple settings of Kafka’s diaries and letters, and more of the musicians’ seemingly inherent way with the music\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe spine of the recording is Frank Martin’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaria-Triptychon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e, which is similarly taken apart and studded throughout the album. This is another move that won’t agree with some listeners, and the contrast between a selection and its preceding or succeeding piece is sometimes a little too jarring to be entirely fruitful. However, there’s no faulting the commitment of the performers – Prohaska bends and wields her darkly-coloured, rich soprano with feline ease, and Kopatchinskaja matches her with her own glowing, sinuous phrasing. Together they bring to life an emotional world alternating between moments of extreme desperation and rapture, reaching such a pitch of intensity that the more tranquil offerings on the album actually serve as much needed and effective moments of respite. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHildegard von Bingen’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eO Rubor Sanguinis\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is one such example, drawing the listener into a richly imagistic world of great beauty. The closing “Per il mar del pianto mio” is another such example, taken from a Caldara oratorio that deals directly with Mary Magdalene –\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaddalena ai piedi di Cristo\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e. Prohaska is simply gorgeous here, unfurling seemingly endless long lines of deeply felt sorrow and hard-won faith. Her unstinting dramatic instincts have never seemed so in tune with her musical gifts, and she brings something like Eisler’s sly, cabaret-tinged “Lied der Kupplerin” to bold, brilliant life. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDirecting the sensitive and dramatically attuned Camerata Bern, Kopatchinskaja thrills in electrifying selections from Haydn’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeven Last Words\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e and the God-Music movement of George Crumb’s spine-tingling \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBlack Angels\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e string quartet. The violinist’s own improvisatory \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFelino\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a playful nod to the prominent role of cats in Marian imagery. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis recording comes highly recommended.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e-- Limelight\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Alpha","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012523217130,"sku":"3760014197390","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4190924-2968346.jpg?v=1778260989"},{"product_id":"orphee-et-euridice","title":"Orphee et Euridice","description":"Gluck's Orphee et Euridice is a masterpiece of the operatic canon, inspired by one of the most mysterious and cruel stories in Greek mythology. The gods allow Orpheus to descend into the underworld to revive his beloved wife Eurydice, but on condition that he must not look at her while returning. This production from Florence re-imagines this myth as a story for our times. It explores each character anew, highlighting the music and text as a more sophisticated psychological thriller than previously imagined, creating a moving and transformative narrative with which we can all identify.","brand":"Dynamic","offers":[{"title":"DVD","offer_id":46012576989418,"sku":"8007144380731","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4420761-3383649.jpg?v=1778194843"},{"product_id":"orphee-et-euridice-1","title":"Orphee et Euridice","description":"Gluck's Orphee et Euridice is a masterpiece of the operatic canon, inspired by one of the most mysterious and cruel stories in Greek mythology. 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It explores each character anew, highlighting the music and text as a more sophisticated psychological thriller than previously imagined, creating a moving and transformative narrative with which we can all identify.","brand":"Dynamic","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46012611231978,"sku":"8007144580735","price":27.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4420762-3384978.jpg?v=1778211532"},{"product_id":"handel-saul","title":"Handel: Saul \/ Boesch, Arditti, Prohaska, Moulds, Frieburg Baroque Orchestra","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“Claus Guth, who had already staged the \u003cem\u003eMessiah\u003c\/em\u003e at the Theater an der Wien in 2009, is exactly the right person to present the oratorio \u003cem\u003eSaul\u003c\/em\u003e, which dates from this period of upheaval in 1739...This could not go wrong with this highly sensitive director, who always listens precisely to the music. That it would work out so well in such a brilliant way, however, is one of the surprises that make you happy. In Vienna, where Handel is still one of the exotics of music history, there was breathtaking music theatre at its best.\" -\u003cem\u003eNeue Musikzeitung\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e“Handel vividly, today, as a mirror of the metamorphoses of power.” -\u003cem\u003eKurier\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e “Florian Boesch as Saul is a vocal and acting elemental force, simply an ideal cast.” -\u003cem\u003eKurier\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"UNITEL Edition","offers":[{"title":"Blu-Ray","offer_id":46012774056170,"sku":"814337017361","price":22.48,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/814337017361.jpg?v=1778268153"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/collections\/1280px-Anna_prohaska_1954__28cropped_29.jpg?v=1778270254","url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/anna-prohaska.oembed","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}