Yo soy Maria Marie-Jossee Lord

• 1 Mi Buenos Aires querido (arr. S. Leclerc) 04:10
• 2 Besame mucho (arr. S. Leclerc) 04:36
• 3 La foule - Que nadie sepa mi sufrir - Amor de mis amores (arr. S. Leclerc) 03:25
• 4 Aranjuez mon amour (arr. S. Leclerc) 06:15
• 5 Misa Criolla Kyrie 03:39
• 6 Duas lagrimas de orvalho (arr. S. Leclerc) 04:13
• 7 Bachianas brasileiras No. 5 (arr. S. Leclerc) 05:20
• 8 Hijo de la Luna (arr. S. Leclerc) 05:43
• 9 La flor de la canela (arr. S. Leclerc) 03:35
• 10 Granada (arr. S. Leclerc) 03:10
• 11 Maria de Buenos Aires Yo soy Maria (arr. S. Leclerc) 03:16
• Total Runtime 47:22

Info for Yo soy Maria

Following the huge success of her eponymous first album with the Orchestre Métropolitain — which won a Félix at the ADISQ 2011 — Marie-Josée Lord now presents Yo soy Maria, an extraordinary musical journey from the sidewalks of Buenos Aires (Astor Piazzolla), through the gardens of Aranjuez in Spain (Joaquín Rodrigo), and on to the Avenidas of Portugal.

Accompanied by an ensemble of ten musicians, and VivaVoce Vocal Ensemble, Marie-Josée Lord sings some of the most beautiful songs in the Latin repertoire: Bésame mucho, Granada, and La flor de la canela. She also shows the depth of her range with more lyrical pieces, such as the Kyrie of Ariel Ramirez’s Misa criolla and Bacchianas Brasileiras no 5 by Villa-Lobos, in original arrangements by Simon Leclerc, also the musical director of this recording project.

'Yo soy Maria is the follow-up album to the JUNO-nominated, stunning debut, self-titled Marie-Josée Lord. As such, it may display just a touch of the sophomore slump. Lord is a popular artist. She makes that very clear at every appearance, including the recent, standing room only and filled with standing ovations, Toronto debut at Koerner Hall. She rejects the label of opera diva in her pre-concert intro and later interjections from the stage. Whatever her protestations (which the audience clearly loved), SHE IS A DIVA. That is mostly by virtue of her incredible voice, the sharp-as-a-blade, soft-as-velvet dramatic soprano that absolutely amazes not just with its power and range, but most of all, the precise control so apparent in the quiet moments. If you were to combine the voices of Jessye Norman and Renée Fleming, with a dash of Maureen Forrester, you just might create something akin to Lord’s apparatus, but it is very much an original voice, not imitating or emulating anyone else.

Lord embraces music of all provenance, from operatic arias to popular songs and renders it all her own. On her new album, the eyebrow-raising chestnuts such as Besame mucho sound interesting all of a sudden. Kyrie from Misa Criolla is a tour de force, but the Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 does not reach the sublime heights achieved by Bidu Sayao or Arleen Auger. Overall, I still get the impression that Lord is most comfortable in French, her native tongue. Despite that, in concert she was a credible Violetta and incredibly moving Rusalka. Something tells me a third album is afoot. It will, of course, be a bestseller, just like the other two. She is, after all, a popular artist with a fantastic voice.' (Robert Tomas, thewholenote)

Marie-Josee Lord, soprano
Antoine Bareil, violin 1
Myriam Pelletier violin 2
Ligia Paquin, viola
Laurence Leclerc, cello
Eric Lagacé, double bass
David Jacques, guitar
Richard Beaudet, soprano saxophones, flute
Jean-François, piano
Groulx Chantal, percussion
VivaVoce Vocal Ensemble
Simon Leclerc, conductor

Marie-Josée Lord
In 2005, Marie-Josée Lord was the recipient of the Prix d’Excellence de la Culture, awarded by la Fondation de l’Opéra de Québec, and was selected to represent Canada at the Cardiff Singer of World Competition. She won the Public Prize at the Canadian Lyric Fund Competition, and received the Raoul-Jobin Prize in 1998. Her first solo CD, which was recorded with the Metropolitan Orchestra and under the Giuseppe Pietraroia’s baton, allowed Marie-Josée Lord to win a Félix in the category Album of the Year, in 2011— Classic Vocal. Released on the ATMA Classic in November 2010, the album had a great success with over 30 000 copies sold to date. Nominated also in 2012, for the Junos Prize in the category Album of the Year.

Madame Lord made her professional debut in the autumn of 2003, singing Liù in the Turandot Opera (Puccini) at l’Opéra de Québec. In February 2004, Montreal music lovers were seduced by her performance as Mimi in Puccini’s La Bohème at l’Opéra de Montréal, where she also performed Laoula in l’Étoile (Chabrier) in October 2005.

In September 2006, Marie-Josée Lord opened Montreal’s Opera season with the title role as Suor Angelica (Puccini). Recently, she was also heard as Marie-Jeanne in the World Premiere of the Operatic version of the celebrated musical Starmania (Plamondon/Berger) at l’Opéra de Québec in May 2008, and at l’Opéra de Montréal in March 2009. In the early fall of 2009, she brilliantly held the role of Nedda (I Paggliacci) at l’Opéra de Montréal. By the spring time of 2012, Marie-Josée Lord carried out the role of Meg Page in Falstaff (Verdi) at l’Opéra de Québec. Her irresistible charisma, generosity and passion for lyrical art make her an outstanding guest for many TV and radio programs, such as: “Tout le monde en parle”, “Studio 12”, “En Direct de l’Univers”, etc. On October 28th 2012, Madame Lord made her debut in Toronto, performing at the prestigious Koerner Hall Royal Conservatory.

Booklet for Yo soy Maria