Donizetti, Offenbach &... - Alliage Quintet - Audio CD (Arrives in 50 days)

Everyone knows tenor arias. Everyone knows saxophones. But tenor arias with four saxophones and piano? That is where the adventure of behlcanto begins – the new album by Daniel Behle and the Alliage Quintet. The idea is as unusual as it is charming: instead of a full opera orchestra, four saxophones and a piano take center stage. Sometimes they glow with silky warmth like strings, sometimes they sparkle with the brilliance of brass. Around them, Daniel Behle – one of today’s most versatile tenors – sings beloved arias that every opera lover carries in their heart, here shining in completely new colors. The program is a true “who’s who” of the tenor repertoire: Offenbach’s witty “Kleinzack Aria” (sung in German), Bizet’s enchanting Je crois entendre encore, Gounod’s poetic Salut! demeure chaste et pure, Donizetti’s legendary Ah! mes amis with its dazzling high notes – and Puccini’s Nessun dorma (here sung in German as Keiner schlafe), which retains all of its spine-tingling magic in this unique setting. Alongside come Italian showpieces such as Rossini’s La danza, romantic highlights from Verdi, Ponchielli and Halévy, and – as a grand finale – the evergreen ’O sole mio, here presented in a very special “Hamburg” version. A special treat is the rediscovery of a canzone from L’Ombra dell’Anima by Luigi Passatelli (1887–1925) – a little culinary-musical surprise full of mystery. The Alliage Quintet also shines on its own: with Rossini’s spirited Tancredi Overture they prove that four saxophones and a piano can sound like a full orchestra – only cheekier. behlcanto is an album for everyone who loves opera but is curious to experience it in a fresh way. It is great tenor artistry without dusty attitudes, carried by joy, humor, and the delight of turning tradition upside down.

Label: Prospero | Origin: Holland