Analekta proudly releases Passion — an eagerly awaited new album by Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà. What sweeps us off our feet, casts a spell upon us, and charms us? What befuddles, disconcerts, and bewitches us? What is the cause of so much anguish, but also of even more bliss, joy, and pleasure? What else but passion, an “intense, driving, or overmastering feeling” as states the dictionary, although words often only limply convey its full meaning. Music, on the other hand, seems to entertain intimate ties with passion. Not surprisingly, Angèle Dubeau — a passionate artist if ever there was one — decided to make these strong emotions the theme of her latest CD. The violinist extraordinare and her musicians offer nothing less than a voyage to the heart of these extreme feelings as experienced by eight composers as diverse as passion itself.

A musical journey filled with romance and virtuosity, Passion features an array of well-known works, mixed with a few musical discoveries: excerpts from Bizet’s Carmen; Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess; and Manuel De Falla’s Siete Canciones Populares Españolas bring forth the fiery talent of Dubeau and her all-female ensemble.