Recording six operas in a month may seem like a daunting task. Not for a well-orchestrated ensemble of world-class performers and a Grammy-winning production team. Read on for a look at our operatic sessions with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and more.
Concluding Sessions with Kühn Choir
The production team kicked off this month’s sessions with the final recordings to be featured on an upcoming Navona Records album of sacred choral works performed by the Kühn Choir. Staged in Prague’s Korunní Chapel, the team began with Richard E Brown’s Nunc Dimittus and concluded with Ferdinando DeSena’s Three Psalms for choir, piano, and string quartet.
Jonathan Sheffer and the RSNO
The team shifted focus to Glasgow’s RSNO Centre to attend sessions with the celebrated Royal Scottish National Orchestra, who were gearing up to record Four Ten-Minute Operas by composer and conductor Jonathan Sheffer.
The orchestra, conducted by Sheffer himself, was joined by six British vocalists to bring the production to life.
“Hearing it sung so terrifically and rendered by a superb orchestra at full strength brought these short operas to life in vivid colors,” said Sheffer.
Two Chamber Operas by Lawrence K. Moss
Keeping with the previous session’s operatic theme, the team transitioned into a chamber setting to record two operas, The Brute and La Serva Padrona, by late composer and PARMA artist Lawrence K. Moss.
Slated for release on a posthumous album from Navona Records, Moss’ arrangement of La Serva Padrona was performed by pianist Yoko Hagino, baritone Brian Church, and soprano Aliana de la Guardia.
The Brute, an original work, was performed by the same group with the addition of tenor Omar Najmi, who together with de la Guardia will be in an upcoming Featured Recording Opportunity with PARMA.
Samuel Livingston’s Seasonal Homage
The team wrapped up this month’s productions in Olomouc with the Moravian Philharmonic, who recorded composer Samuel Livingston’s Song for a Rainy Day, an orchestral homage to the rainy summer days that keep us waiting indoors.
