NEW CD - "Invitation au Voyage"
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“The biography in the booklet accompanying this disc has the singer winning a competition as long ago as 2005, so Greek baritone Giorgos Kanaris has been on the scene for quite some time. His voice, strong and firm in the lower register, does not lose its character when the music rises above the stave. On the contrary, the listener will note a slight feeling of strain that is both pleasing and appropriate, with no shouting; this is intended as a compliment! He projects a fine, secure musical line, tuning is pretty much impeccable, and he is refreshingly free of vocal mannerisms. All of this adds up to an extremely pleasant experience.
I assume Kanaris’s mother tongue is Greek, a language I do not speak at all. I am only too aware, however, how challenging it is to sing in French. Kanaris has clearly devoted time to mastering those difficult vowels, and only a few defeat him.
Kanaris seems very much at home in the gentler songs – the preceding Sérénade florentine, for example; and even more so the following Extase, a lovely interpretation of a particularly lovely song. The lovely major key opening of the following Chanson triste brings a smile. Here, Kanaris is able to open up and express himself as he would in Verdi, say; this is ardent, beautiful singing full of passion“
I assume Kanaris’s mother tongue is Greek, a language I do not speak at all. I am only too aware, however, how challenging it is to sing in French. Kanaris has clearly devoted time to mastering those difficult vowels, and only a few defeat him.
Kanaris seems very much at home in the gentler songs – the preceding Sérénade florentine, for example; and even more so the following Extase, a lovely interpretation of a particularly lovely song. The lovely major key opening of the following Chanson triste brings a smile. Here, Kanaris is able to open up and express himself as he would in Verdi, say; this is ardent, beautiful singing full of passion“
“Born in Greece, educated in Germany, Giorgos Kanaris here gives a lovely homage to french songs.
If he certainly retains his accent, one is nonetheless convinced, thanks to the dramatic expressivity with which he interprets these pieces, that he understands the explicit as well as the implicit sense of them. And that more than in the previously released Beethoven-Schubert cd. Besides, the booklet furnishes all of the sung texts. Even though only seven of these romances take the role of Don Quixote, in a La Mancha revisited simultaneously by Ibert and Ravel, one will easily persuade purists that a certain related exoticism is at work in all of these compositions. For the rest, the other legs of this flowered tour have us journey together in the company of Debussy and Duparc with great poets, among which we find the likes of Charles d´Orléans, Baudelaire, Verlaine.
We must not forget the fluid piano, at once tender and energetic, of Thomas Wise, who assures this appealing pilgrimage it´s ebb and flow.”
If he certainly retains his accent, one is nonetheless convinced, thanks to the dramatic expressivity with which he interprets these pieces, that he understands the explicit as well as the implicit sense of them. And that more than in the previously released Beethoven-Schubert cd. Besides, the booklet furnishes all of the sung texts. Even though only seven of these romances take the role of Don Quixote, in a La Mancha revisited simultaneously by Ibert and Ravel, one will easily persuade purists that a certain related exoticism is at work in all of these compositions. For the rest, the other legs of this flowered tour have us journey together in the company of Debussy and Duparc with great poets, among which we find the likes of Charles d´Orléans, Baudelaire, Verlaine.
We must not forget the fluid piano, at once tender and energetic, of Thomas Wise, who assures this appealing pilgrimage it´s ebb and flow.”
CD - "Sehnsuchtslieder/Songs of Yearning"
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“Since 2009 is baritone Giorgos Kanaris member of the ensemble at the Opera Bonn. Together with the conductor and pianist Thomas Wise the greek singer addresses himself repeatedly to the Lied repertoire. Lately has been released his CD under the title „Songs of Yearning -Sehnsuchtslieder”, with Shubert’s Songs “Schwanengesang” and Beethoven’s cycle “An die ferne Geliebte”. In this album Giorgos Kanaris exhibits once again, next to his opera activity, also his strong talent in singing Lied.”
“…a successful performance of the “Songs of Yearning”, in which Giorgos Kanaris from the beginning has been characterized by a lovely sonorous timbre, captivating presence and a nice comprehensibility of the text. Especially the interpretation of the emotionally different songs of Schubert succeeds Kanaris with impressive presentation and big technical sovereignty. He demonstrated voice leading in “Der Atlas”. His appropriate gloomy and intriguing performed “Doppelgänger” made goose skin.”
Glückes genug - R. Strauss
Mondnacht - Schumann
Largo Al Factotum - G. Rossini