News - The latest about Diana’s engagements and recordings

 

Diana Damrau is the featured vocalist on a new album release from the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and Kent Nagano, titled Shoka: Japanese Children’s Songs. This recording highlights traditional ‘shoka’ – Japanese children’s songs dating back to the late 19th century – that illustrate various aspects of everyday Japanese life, including wonder, bitterness, and love. The CD also features the talents of the Chœur des enfants de Montréal.

From CBC Music: “The mysterious and enchanting beauty of these songs have won over every subsequent generation since their creation,” explains Nagano, who had the melodies orchestrated by composer Jean-Pascal Beintus. “Given that they are at … the same time complex and profoundly poetic, they have remained relevant and have much to say in our modern world.”

Shoka is now available for purchase via iTunes.

“Nagano could not have picked a better singer or finer interpreter than Diana Damrau . . . She brings the right qualities to these songs, not just vocal beauty but a palpable sense of love and tenderness – one can imagine her singing these to her own children . . . This disc is more than a curiosity, but one every music lover should explore. It ranks among the best Canadian releases of 2014.”

Joseph So – La Scena Musicale