Decca Signs Polish Soprano Aleksandra Kurzak

Decca Classics has signed an exclusive recording contract with the young Polish soprano, Aleksandra Kurzak, who, as one of the most exciting young singers on the international opera stage, has been thrilling press and public alike with performances in Europe and the US.

Aleksandra Kurzak's debut recording with Decca - which will be released in Autumn 2011 - will be a showcase of contrasting lyric and coloratura arias. Just recorded with the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana, conducted by its dynamic young Music Director Designate Omer Wellber, the album will focus on roles which she has either performed or is preparing to sing on stage: Susanna in Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, bel canto roles from Rossini's IL Barbiere di Siviglia, Bellini's I Puritani and Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, plus the First Act scena from La Traviata, which showcases Kurzak's effortless agility as well as the full, warm intensity of a Verdi lyric soprano. The disc also acknowledges the soprano's roots with the key soprano aria from Straszny Dwór (The Haunted Manor) - perhaps the greatest Polish opera of the 19th Century.

Aleksandra Kurzak will also feature on the latest Decca album from Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja - to be released in Fall 2011 - in which she sings duets from Puccini's La Bohème and Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de perles.

Aleksandra Kurzak first came to international attention in the 2004-05 season, with debuts at the Met (Olympia) and Royal Opera (Aspasia in Mitridate), followed by notable appearances at the Royal Opera in L'elisir d'amore (Adina) and Don Pasquale (Norina). She rose to international prominence in 2008 when she triumphed in the title role of Rossini's Matilde di Shabran, also at the Royal Opera, opposite Decca tenor star Juan Diego Flórez. As The Guardian critic wrote "Flórez's sparring partner here is Aleksandra Kurzak, his equal in technique and vocal glamour." She returns to Covent Garden on January 18th, singing Rosina (IL Barbiere di Siviglia) with the Royal Opera.

Decca's Paul Moseley said, "It is always a big moment when we welcome a new soprano to Decca, the singers' label. I am convinced that Aleksandra is the new star we were seeking. Her warm, flexible voice records beautifully and above all she is a true musician as well as a phenomenal actress and singer."

Aleksandra Kurzak said, "For me to sign a contract with a record company is a dream come true. And to be the part of the Decca family with such great singers as Pavarotti, Freni, Sutherland, Tebaldi, Bartoli and Fleming is a huge honor and happiness for me. It makes me particularly proud to be the first Polish singer to sign an exclusive contract with such a legendary company."

In the current season Aleksandra Kurzak recently triumphed in her debut as Lucia in the new production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor in Seattle, sings Violetta (La Traviata) in Hamburg, Warsaw and Turin, Adina (L'elisir d'amore) in Valencia and Vienna (Staatsoper), Rosina (IL Barbiere di Siviglia) at Covent Garden and Susanna in the new production of Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro in Madrid. She will also give a recital at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan.

Established over 80 years ago, Decca has long been the label of the world's greatest singers, with a roster of exclusive artists which has included Luciano Pavarotti, Dame Joan Sutherland and Renata Tebaldi, as well as current stars of the opera stage such as Cecilia Bartoli, Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann and Juan Diego Flórez.

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