Deutsche Grammophon and Cleveland Orchestra Releases Wagner Recording, 7/27

Deutsche Grammophon continues its successful relationship with the acclaimed Cleveland Orchestra and its chief conductor Franz Welser-Möst with this thrilling all-Wagner album. Recorded live in Cleveland, this recording showcases one of America's premier orchestras in Wagner's romantic and virtuosic music, available July 27, 2010.

The orchestra delivers powerful performances of the Lohengrin Preludes (Act I and Act III), The Ride of the Valkyries, the Rienzi and Die Meistersinger von Nürmburg Overtures, and the orchestral version of opera's non plus ultra of love's power to transfigure, the Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. The centerpiece of the concert features soprano Measha Brueggergosman performing Wagner's Wesendonck Lieder. 

Deutsche Grammophon and the Cleveland Orchestra have long had an association, and with Franz Welser-Möst the two companies have previously collaborated on a recording of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (also featuring Brueggergosman). The collaboration will continue in the future as well with further Deutsche Grammophon recordings featuring Welser-Möst in addition to Pierre Boulez (Mahler and Ravel, both scheduled for this fall) and Decca will collaborate with Cleveland on recordings of Mozart with Mitsuko Uchida.

Born in 1977 in Fredericton, New Brunswick, soprano Measha Brueggergosman is the daughter of an employee of the Canadian Broadcasting Company and grew up listening to classical music on CBC radio. When her remarkable sense of pitch and fearlessness as a performer were recognized by her first-grade teacher, her parents were encouraged to sign her up for both piano and singing lessons. At the age of fifteen she decided in favor of a singing career and subsequently studied at the University of Toronto with soprano Mary Morrison and after graduation continued her musical education with soprano and Lieder expert Edith Wiens in Germany. She later also worked with such distinguished musicians as Margaret Baker-Genovesi, Christoph Eschenbach, Brigitte Fassbaender, Margo Garrett, Håkan Hagegård, Jessye Norman, Rudolf Piernay, Thomas Quasthoff and Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Ms. Brueggergosman will release her own recital, Night and Dreams, this fall on Deutsche Grammophon.

For more information, please visit the website at www.deutschegrammophon.com/measha-wagner.