Cui:
I have Touched a Flower
Dargom?zhsky:
Young Boy and Girl
I Still Love Him
Glinka:
Fire in my Veins
To the Zither
Do not Tempt me
Tell me Why
Rachmaninov:
Sing not, O lovely one (Ne poi, krasavitsa, pri mne), Op. 4 No. 4
Lilacs, Op. 21 No. 5
The Soldier's Wife, Op. 8, No. 4
At night in my garden, Op. 38 No. 1
Daisies, Op. 38 No. 3
I await you, Op.14 No. 1
Rimsky Korsakov:
Eastern Song:
Enslaved by the rose, the nightingale Op. 2 No. 2
Of What in the Quiet Night
Early Spring, Op. 43, No. 4
Tchaikovsky:
Lullaby, Op. 16 No. 1
If only I had known, Op.47, No.1
Zab?t tak skoro (So soon forgotten)
Sred' shumnogo bala (Amid the din of the ball), Op. 38 No. 3
Was I not a blade of grass?, Op. 47 No. 7
Vlasov:
The Fountain of Bakhchisarai

Elena Kelessidi is one of opera’s most touching and fiery artists and the most international Greek soprano of today. Here she makes her recital debut with this heartfelt programme of songs from a country whose language is natural to her.

Born in Kazakhstan of Greek parentage, Kelessidi sprang to International attention in 1996 when she made a highly auspicious stage debut at London's Royal Opera House as Violetta in La traviata and was hailed as an important new discovery by the British musical press. She has returned to sing with the Royal Opera every year since and graced every important world opera house including Paris, the Met, Berlin and Vienna. Her signature roles apart from Violetta are Mimi in La Boheme and Liu in Turandot.

Elena’s programme runs the gamut of Russian song, from Glinka and Rimsky-Korsakov, some familiar songs from Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov through to some real discoveries from Cui, Darghomyzhsky and the 20th century composer Vladmir Vlasov.

Elena’s pianist is the ever-superb Malcolm Martineau, also appearing this month on ONYX in Susan Graham’s recital, with previous ONYX releases from Amanda Roocroft and Barbara Bonney and a forthcoming recital from the outstanding Austrian bass-baritone Florian Boesch.