Those who had the luck to experience Barbara Hannigan once more as Lulu at the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg in November 2021 know what a versatile and talented artist this woman is. But that she also wants to shine in genuine ballroom dance music is quite a surprise, and what a surprise it is! Waltz, tango, rumba, quick-step, it all passes in review in brilliant arrangements for the Ludwig Orchestra and the Berlage Saxophone Quartet.
From the very first number, the lovely "Moonlight Serenade" by Glenn Miller, Hannigan is all sensuality, of course without denying her coloratura skills as a classical singer. A combination that immediately makes her interpretation something special. In Kurt Weill's tango "Youkali" she plays with her high soprano notes, which elevate the variety piece to a higher artistic level, so to speak, without wanting to be haughty. Enjoying the dance music remains the main thing. In "Fluffy Ruffles" she plays her voice like a tap dancer. In Copacabana by Barry Manilow you find yourself on a beach in Rio, with Lucienne Renaudin Vary playing a fine trumpet solo. The English waltz "Je veux t'aimer" by Robert Stolz offers a brief respite. Then we move from quick-step to rumba to jive, via the evergreen from "My fair lady", "I could have danced all night", which Barbara Hannigan gives a distinctive sound. The slow dance "Salut d'amour" by Edward Elgar provides a nostalgic touch as the final track on the cd.
The Ludwig Orchestra plays like the best big band from the Roaring Twenties. A record full of music that makes you happy and hardly lets you stay in your seat. That is also the intention of Peppie Wiersma, the artistic director of the Ludwig Orchestra: "Our intention for "Dance with me" is that it isn't only an album to draw people to our live performances, but also for people to dance to, with their friends at home."
The cd also confirms that Barbara Hannigan is not only an outsider in the opera world, but above all a musical jack-of-all-trades who is not shy of twentieth-century music. She has already proven this with one of her previous cds Crazy Girl Crazy, a combination of Luciano Berio, Alban Berg and George Gershwin. (Alpha Classics 293 released in 2017). Those who want to experience this live can attend a concert at deSingel on March 17, where she will perform the creation of songs on texts by Emily Dickinson composed for her by John Zorn. A world premiere at deSingel.
WHAT: Dance with me
WHO: Barbara Hannigan [soprano], Lucienne Renaudin Vary [trumpet], Berlage Saxophone Quartet, Ludwig Orchestra
RELEASE: Alpha Classics ALPHA790
ORDER: JPC