Spend an evening in 19th century Paris at a salon concert discovering the seldom-heard music of Pauline Viardot and her admirers with this passionate and intimate program! Laure de Marcellus, mezzo soprano, in duo with Alberto Urroz will present music from their album Pauline Inspired, an homage to this fascinating woman. Viardot was a 19th century prima donna and composer whose artistic and musical personality inspired the greatest artists of her time, including de Musset, Gounod, Tourgueniev, and Chopin, and who left too-often unsung melodic treasures of her own. The program features her own compositions alongside music dedicated to her by Fauré, Gounod, Chapí and Saint-Saëns. This is the duo’s first appearance in San Francisco with this program which they premiered to rave reviews in Spain in July and September 2021.
Praised for her “important, very powerful voice, of clear timbre within its mezzo chiaroscuro” and “magnificent, elegant rendition, expressive without exaggerating the gesture”, Laure de Marcellus shines in this repertoire, delicately and expertly accompanied by Alberto Urroz, a pianist with impeccable technique and rare authenticity.
‘’Laure de Marcellus and pianist Alberto Urroz gave performances of the seldom-heard music of Pauline Viardot García that were both exhilarating and intimate.”
“Laure de Marcellus and Alberto Urroz, two wonderful musicians, transported me with their music … with great emotional intensity and technical competency at the highest level.’’
Come and discover Pauline Viardot, an exceptional woman, her sensibility, exemplified by the passionate and delicate songs she composed, and her magnetism, revealed by the eclectic melodies she inspired to all those geniuses who admired her so fervently. This program, performed by mezzo soprano Laure de Marcellus and pianist Alberto Urroz, will be released on CD in the spring of 2022 by Centaur Records.