Presto Recording of the Week
26th July 2024

Gramophone Magazine
September 2024
Editor's Choice

Aigul Akhmetshina (mezzo), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniele Rustioni; with Freddie De Tommaso (tenor), Elisabeth Boudreault (soprano), Kezia Bienek (mezzo)

Bizet: Carmen, Act I. Habanera. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle & Seguidilla. Près des remparts de Séville
Bizet: Carmen, Act III. Trio. Mêlons! Coupons! & Carreau! Pique!... La mort!
Massenet: Werther, Act III. Werther! Werther! Qui m'aurait dit la place... & Va! Laisse couler mes larmes
Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Act I. Ascolta! Se Romeo t'uccise un figlio & La tremenda ultrice spada
Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Act II. Deh! Tu, bell'anima
Rossini: La Cenerentola, Act II. Aria. Nacqui all'affanno & Non più mesta
Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia, Act I. No. 5a, Cavatina. Una voce poco fa & No. 5b, Cabaletta. Io sono docile
trad.: The Nightingale (Orch. Rachimov). trad.: The Nightingale (Orch. Rachimov)

Aigul Akhmetshina is the fiery young mezzo taking the opera world by storm. In her debut album Aigul, the illustrious young opera singer Aigul Akhmetshina finds her voice in the role of Carmen and traces a path through her own remarkable journey. Her story is one of determination and perseverance against the odds, starting in a rural village in the mountains of Bashkortostan. She left home aged 14 to pursue her singing career. Despite facing rejection from a conservatory in Moscow, where she was told she lacked the right voice and appearance, at the age of 27 Aigul has already etched her name in history. She has become the youngest artist ever to take on the title role of Bizet’s Carmen at both the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera, both of whom have created new productions around her. Performing the role all over the world, Aigul feels an affinity with the character.

"She has a superb voice, no question, warm and even in tone, admirably agile, with a full, effortless top, and a tangy lower register...It all adds up to a fine recital, and a most auspicious debut." - Gramophone Magazine, September 2024