Crossover Media

Home > Projects

Projects

Artist: Julia Lezhneva

Projects per page:

Julia Lezhneva:

Carl Heinrich Graun - Opera Arias

Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva unearths incredible undiscovered arias from Carl Heinrich Graun in her new album, Carl Heinrich Graun: Opera Arias, released on Decca Classics on 14 April. The album features 11 world premiere recordings, as well as the closing piece "Mi paventi il figlio indegno," which initially inspired Julia to delve further into the works of Graun.

A musician of considerable accomplishment as Royal Kapellmeister to the Prussian king Frederick the Great, Graun was an important German composer of Italian baroque opera, but is almost unknown today. It was when preparing for a concert at Frederick's Sanssouci palace in Potsdam that Lezhneva first came into contact with an aria by Graun, "Mi paventi" from Britannico (1751).

Julia Lezhneva:

Handel

Handel, the new album from Russian coloratura soprano Julia Lezhneva, is a vibrant showcase of George Frideric Handel's Italian compositions, works known for their vocal virtuosity, sense of drama and melodic beauty. Released on November 6, 2015, Handel offers a selection of both sacred and secular arias for the soprano voice. Lezhneva is joined by leading period-instrument ensemble Il Giardino Armonico under the direction of Giovanni Antonini. This is Lezhneva's second album for Decca, following 2013's Alleluia.

Three centuries ago, countless aspiring and established artists from all fields made a creative pilgrimage to Italy seeking to bask in, and draw inspiration from the post-Renaissance glories of the refined cultural climate. One of them was the young German composer Handel, who settled in Rome in 1707. With the support of influential patrons of the arts, Handel, still in his early twenties, was very productive and wrote a wide range of commissioned works for the church, the concert hall and private salon audiences.