The ground had been well prepared. From the arrival of Aigul Akhmetshina, announced as the “lyrical sensation” of the moment in the new production of Carmen of the Met, Decca had released the visual of the upcoming album several months later. It is a fact that this young 28-year-old mezzo, originally from Bashkiria in the Urals, who, since her discovery by the London opera world at the age of 21, has made her career in the West, has a rather exceptional voice. What distinguishes her is the roundness and power of the medium-low and medium registers. Even more so than in Carmenthese qualities explode in track 5, Charlotte’s air, called “Air des lettres”, Werther. It is really very impressive and the singer is promised a rich future, because, with such means, many repertoires reach out to her. She is also a musically scrupulous singer (the four extracts from Carmen), even if its French pronunciation betrays its origins. With this program that adds Bellini (Capulet and Montague) and Rossini (The Cenerentola And Barber of Seville), we are not fooled: the portrait is eloquent and impressive.
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