Edmonton Sun (Alberta)
April 22, 2005 Friday
FINAL EDITION

A PARTNER TO MAKE MUSIC COME ALIVE

BY JOHN CHARLES, EDMONTON SUN FREELANCE

It seemed like an innocent question.

Toronto soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, who sings tonight and tomorrow
with the Edmonton Symphony, has a new CD of French songs, and with a
rather hunky accompanist whom I didn’t know.

“Have you worked with that pianist before?” I ask on the phone to
Toronto.

“That pianist – (pause) – is my husband,” the singer answers in a
slightly chilly tone. Who knew? Seems Serouj Kradjian is a proud
Armenian-Canadian like our soprano. He’s currently professor of piano
and chamber music in Madrid, so both live there much of the year, and
they’ve been married nearly a year.

At the Winspear Centre, under Yves Abel, Bayrakdarian will sing opera
arias by Mozart, Rossini and others, and the University of Alberta
Madrigal Singers will sing opera choruses. There’ll also be
orchestral opera overtures.

Bayrakdarian is having a richly blossoming international career. She
just won her second Juno Award for an exquisite CD of arias for
Cleopatra by Handel and lesser-known 18th-century composers, an
imaginative disc that provides much beautiful and seldom-heard music.

And her French-language CD, Viardot-Garcia, gives us 23 songs by
Pauline Viardot-Garcia, a major French singer and intellectual who
also composed dozens of songs and two operas.

Italian superstar Cecilia Bartoli was the first modern singer to take
her up, but Bayrakdarian’s recital is much more extensive, and makes
a strong case for the vivacious, playful and haunting songs. Kradjian
makes a splendid case for the elegant and demanding piano parts, and
it’s a beguiling disc.

“It’s wonderful to work with someone who can be a full partner in the
music, and there must be a lot of trust for the music to really come
alive.

“This autumn I’ll sing the role at London’s Royal Opera House with
Sir Colin Davis, which I’m looking forward to very much. And I’m busy
with research and new projects.”

A lot of research was involved in putting together the Cleopatra and
Viardot-Garcia CDs, ferreting out unusual music, determining its
worth. She likes rediscovering neglected music that has real value.

She’s sung many 18th-century operas that have delighted today’s
audiences once they’ve been dusted off and presented with passion.
From: Baghdasarian