Ombre de mon amant is Anne Sofie von Otter’s first recording of these French Baroque Arias - graceful, temperamental tunes which will delight her fans and thrill Baroque music cognoscenti
Otter’s mastery of diverse musical genres, crystalline diction and exquisite musicality empower her interpretations of French repertoire. Her celebrated Offenbach album and album of rarities of songs by Chaminade are cases in point
Anne Sofie von Otter, every bit a woman of the theatre as she is of song, embodies Charpentier's Médée and Phèdre in Rameau's Hippolyte et Aricie matchlessly, in the grand manner
The Guardian commented: “Her Médée […] was a thing of wonder. Keeping us to the right side of empathy, von Otter dragged us with her into utter monstrosity, unleashing hell with the most exquisite of pianissimos and suggesting vortices of emotion beneath the calm, controlled surface.”
“As the titular anti-heroine of Charpentier's Médée, she plumbs the depths of villainous tragedy with an energetic relish. But it's the pastoral airs by Michel Lambert which provide the greatest pleasure” The Independent, 15th January 2010 ****
“Von Otter has spoken of her love affair with the French Baroque and it is something that she avows in her singing, which can range from anger to the tenderest pensiveness, from lofty seriousness to whimsicality. This a captivating programme, performed with finesse and radiance.” The Telegraph, 5th February 2010 *****
“For readers who have yet to be seduced by French Baroque music, Anne Sofie von Otter's recital with Les Arts Florissants and William Christie may be the start of a grand passion. Charpentier and Rameau's tragic heroines require a depth of experience and complexity of expression beyond young singers... Impeccably accompanied this is a tour de force from opera's Meryl Streep.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2010 ****
“Von Otter sounds utterly wretched in Medea's lament for her lost love; then she intensifies her tone as she summons up demons and monsters...[she] conveys Phaedra's various emotions with consummate ease.” Gramophone Magazine, July 2010
Gramophone Awards 2010
