Canciones españolas, Danielle Talamantes and Henry Dehlinger's latest recording of Spanish songs by Enrique Granados, Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Turina, receives critical acclaim in a sensational review from Laurence Vittes in the May 2015 issue of Gramophone Magazine, the world’s authority on classical music since 1923.
“Young American soprano Danielle Talamantes’s seductive recital of Spanish songs and arias stands out from the crowd for Henry Dehlinger’s exquisite piano-playing...and the gorgeous MSR Classics recording,” Mr. Vittes declares. “Talamantes shines radiantly as if the composer had been writing specifically for her voice, and Dehlinger’s vibrantly colorful palette instantaneously matches her emotions without ever obscuring her vocal beauty.”
Mr. Vittes singles out Manuel de Falla’s Nana from Siete canciones populares españolas as “one of those audiophile experiences in which every sound is captured in detail so naturally placed within its acoustic environment – in this case Vienna Presbyterian Church in Virginia near Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts – that it can serve as a touchstone for capturing musical excellence.”
About Gramophone
Based in London, Gramophone is the world's most trusted classical music reviews magazine thanks to its panel of expert critics who review the most important and interesting new releases in each issue. Subscribers can also access Gramophone's unique and vast reviews database and digital archive collated from over 91 years of superb classical music commentary. It was founded in 1923 by the Scottish author Compton Mackenzie and acquired by Haymarket in 1999. In 2013, the Mark Allen Group became the publisher. The magazine presents the Gramophone Awards each year to the classical recordings which it considers the finest in a variety of categories. Apart from the annual Gramophone Awards, each month features a dozen recordings as Gramophone Editor's Choice. [ www.gramophone.co.uk ]
About MSR Classics
MSR Classics is a division of MSR Music, founded in 1997 as Musicians Showcase Recordings by Robert LaPorta, a 26-year veteran of the music industry. Mr. LaPorta served as Director of Classics at Angel Records and the EMI-Virgin Classics label group. He was also Marketing and Production Manager with London-Decca Records, Deutsche Grammophon and Philips Classics of the PolyGram label group. Mr. LaPorta is a voting member of The Recording Academy, organizer of the GRAMMY Awards, and former member of the GRAMMY Classical Committee. [ www.msrcd.com ]
About Danielle Talamantes
"Talamantes shines radiantly..." is Gramophone's latest praise of soprano Danielle Talamantes. Since making her Carnegie Hall debut in 2007, she has enjoyed an internationally celebrated career, appearing as soprano soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Choralis, Nashville Symphony, National Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Trujillo Symphony Orchestra of Peru, and The United States Army Band. After debuting as Violetta in La traviatta, one San Francisco reviewer declared, “It’s not often that a fortunate opera-goer witnesses the birth of a star!” Talamantes went on to join the Metropolitan Opera roster in 2011. She made her debut as Mimi in Puccini's La bohème with the Capital City Symphony in 2013, and returned to the Met as Frasquita in Bizet's Carmen in the 2014-15 season. After her Lincoln Center Alice Tully debut as soprano soloist in Bob Chilcott’s global premier of Requiem in 2014, New York Concert Review praised her performance as, "exquisitely controlled and crystalline in its clarity...as if an angel were ascending into the heavens." [ www.DanielleTalamantes.com ]
About Henry Dehlinger
Hailed by Gramophone for his “exquisite piano-playing” and “vibrantly colorful palette,” pianist Henry Dehlinger is widely acclaimed for his interpretation of Spanish classical music. He is admired as "an experienced and versatile soloist" by ConcertoNet.com, while MusicWeb International praises his "delicious piano playing," and Audiophile Audition applauds his "adroit and sparkling" performances. He has appeared on leading stages from the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center to the White House in Washington, D.C. Born in San Francisco, he quickly earned a reputation as a prodigious talent. By the age of ten, he was performing with major orchestras under conductors such as Riccardo Chailly and Edo de Waart, and operatic legends such as Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballé and Georgio Tozzi. His critically acclaimed recordings on the MSR Classics label are available on Amazon, ArkivMusic, CD Baby, and iTunes. [ www.HenryDehlinger.com/about ]