Krossover - opera revisited by Tania Kross

Tania Kross

Krossover - opera revisited

Format: SACD hybrid
Label: Challenge Classics
UPC: 0608917262827
Catnr: CC 72628
Release date: 29 October 2013

1 SACD hybrid

Label
Challenge Classics

UPC
0608917262827

Catalogue number
CC 72628

Release date
29 October 2013

"(...) there is so much that lives up to the expectations and I hope Tania Kross will continue exploring the possibilities for crossover in the future."

Music Web International, 01-6-2014

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

Press

About the album

“New music for a new audience, melodies that people could relate to” this was Tania Kross’ goal when she started her new project Krossover. In this project she takes classical music back to the larger audience.The compositions are not what you expect from an opera album. Instead of taking existing, famous opera works, Tania asked the composers of today’s popular music to write the music for the project. The result is breathtaking, classical music which touches you from the start!

Once upon a time the music that we now label as ‘classical’ was the popular music of the day. It was only in the second half of the 20th century that the so called contemporary music became so abstract that the connection with the general public got lost along the way. During her career Tania experienced that audiences still love a beautiful melody. She started looking for an idea that would bring classical music back to where it belongs: the people. “Wouldn’t it be great to create a cultural environment in which going to the opera would be as natural as going to see the new James Bond movie?”, she thought. That was the moment she decided to ask Huub van der Lubbe, Spinvis, Ruben Hein, Robert Jan Stips, Lucky Fonz III, Marinus de Goederen, Martijn van Agt, Martin Fondse, Martijn Konijnenburg en Odilo Girod. As a producer she asked Reyn Ouwehand, a producer who worked with popular Dutch bands like Kane. Bob Zimmerman proved to be the perfect arranger to translate these pop songs to the language of the symphony orchestra.

Klassieke muziek verenigd met populaire muziek in een bijzonder project
Dit album toont het resultaat van het project Krossover, en bevat operamuziek die is gecomponeerd door populaire artiesten.

Voordat ze aan haar project Krossover begon, vroeg Tania Kross zich af hoe ze het hart van deze generatie kan raken met klassieke muziek. Vroeger was de muziek die we nu ‘klassiek’ noemen de populaire muziek van zijn tijd. De klassieke muziek is in de tweede helft van de 20e eeuw echter zo abstract geworden, dat de connectie met het publiek grotendeels verloren is gegaan.

Tijdens haar carrière als mezzosopraan kwam Tania Kross erachter dat het publiek de mooie melodieën uit beroemde opera’s nog steeds waardeert. Ze begon te zoeken naar een manier om klassieke muziek weer bekend te maken bij een breed publiek.

In het project Krossover wordt de populaire muziek verenigd met de klassieke muziek. Tania Kross vroeg populaire artiesten als Huub van der Lubbe, Spinvis, Ruben Hein, Lucky Fonz III en Odilo Girod om nieuwe aria’s te schrijven voor de personages in onder andere Carmen en Porgy and Bess. De nieuwe melodieën zijn adembenemend en weten het publiek meteen te raken!

De muziek werd geproduceerd in samenwerking met Reyn Ouwehand, en bewerkt door Bob Zimmerman. Tijdens de opname werd gebruik gemaakt van ‘High Quality Musical Surround Mastering’ door Bert van der Wolf. Alle aria’s worden gezongen door de beroemde operazangeres Tania Kross, die in 2013 de Radio 4 Prijs heeft gewonnen. Ze wordt begeleid door het Nederlands Symfonieorkest onder leiding van Jurjen Hempel.

Die Mezzosopranistin Tania Kross wurde 1976 in Curaçao auf den Niederländischen Antillen geboren. In der Spielzeit 2004/05 gab sie Liederabende in Amsterdam, Paris, Salzburg, Wien, Athen, Birmingham, Köln und der Carnegie Hall in New York und wurde zur Newcomerin des Jahres. An der Nederlandse Opera gab sie ihr Debüt als Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana unter der Leitung von Carlo Rizzi und sang die Titelrolle in Carmen beim Glyndebourne Festival 2009. Tania Kross beherrscht ein breites Repertoire und überzeugt mit ihrer Vielseitigkeit zwischen Barock und Moderne.

Immer wieder wurde Tania Kross gebeten, Arien aus Carmen zu singen und immer wieder stellte sie fest, dass jedes Publikum mit schönen und eingängigen Melodien zu begeistern ist. Sie stellte sich die Frage, warum zeitgenössische Musik so oft scheinbar nur für den Intellekt und weniger für das Bauchgefühl geschrieben wird. Sie überzeugte Komponisten wie Huub van de Lubbe, Spinvis, Ruben Hein, Robert Jan Stips, Lucky Fonz III, Marinus de Goederen, Martijn van Agt, Martin Fondse, Martijn Konijnenburg en Odilo Girod die Geschichten von Porgy and Bess, Carmen oder anderen weiterzudenken und neue Arien für diese Figuren zu schreiben. Arien, die in herrlichen Melodien schwelgen.

Tania Kross präsentiert diese Stücke in farbenreichen Orchestrationen von Bob Zimmerman. Jurjen Hempel dirigiert das Netherlands Symphony Orchestra.

Artist(s)

Tania Kross

Mezzo-soprano Tania Kross was born in Curaçao. She graduated with honors her Bachelor's and Master's degree at the Utrecht Conservatory. Already during her studies she won several competitions including first prize of the Foundation for Young Music Talent Netherlands, the Rosa Ponselle International Competition for Vocal Arts in New York and Cristina Deutekom Competition. After her studies she was a member of the Opera Studio in Amsterdam and was they are elected by the Concertgebouw "Rising Star". She gave a recital in the Small Hall of the Concertgebouw and toured along the various concert halls of the world, including in Paris, Salzburg, Vienna, Athens, Birmingham, Cologne and Carnegie Hall in New York. At the prestigious BBC Singer of the World Contest 2003 in Cardiff Tania acted as a representative of the Netherlands.
Tania Kross is fast career and is distinguished by its enthusiasm and engaging personality on stage. In the Staatsoper Stuttgart, the opera house in Riga and at the Festival Glyndeborne it is a welcome Carmen. About her Carmen inGlyndeborne conducted by Stephan Denève she said: "It's fun to find one with the hair or Carmen Shirley Bassey, the figure of Barbara Windsor, the strut or Tina Turner and the freneticism of a go-go dancer paid by the wiggle. Her voice - smoky but with a glinting edge - is distinctive but cultured too "(The Times, 2008).. At other stages could be seen Tania regularly So she made her debut at La Monnaie in Brussels as Tolomeo in Giuglio Cesare GFHandel conducted. René Jacobs. then she returned as Baba the Turk in The Rake's Progress by Igor Stravinsky conductor Lawrence Renes. they took the role of Bersi accounted for in Andrea Chenier by U. Giordano at the Bregenz Festival, conducted by Ulf Schirmer. During the Staatsoper in Hanover and Hamburg she sang Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia of G.Rossini, Hansel in Hansel und Gretel E.Humperdinck, Sesto in Giuglio Cesare and Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro by WA Mozart. Tania Kross is seen regularly on Dutch opera stages. They debuted at the Nationwide Tour Opera as Flora in Verdi's La Traviata and also sang the role of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly and Baba the Turk in The Rake's Progress by I. Stravinsky. The Dutch Opera, she sang as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana, conducted by Carlo Rizzi, Messagiera, Melanto and Fortuna in Monteverdi Cycle and Mahler, Queen and Sheherazade in Marco Polo Tan Dun. During the Saturday Matinee at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam made Tania Kross her debut in "Daphne" by Richard Strauss, led Edo de Waart. At the Royal Concertgebouw she debuted with the third 'miss' by Anton Bruckner, conducted by Philippe Herreweghe. Moreover, she sang at the gala concert in honor of the 120th anniversary of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Mariss Jansons. Tania worked with directors like David McVicar, Pierre Audi, Ursel and Karl-Ernst Herrmann, Robert Lepage and Keith Warner. It already has a number of CDs to her name as an artist with Universal Music. example, her first CD, "Corazon", awarded the Edison Music Prize. They also recently made a children's CD commissioned by the Concertgebouw for education "Sing with us". Besides her career, put Tania is also committed to various organizations for youth, culture and education. So it is Ambassador of Music Counts!, music education for all school children, and she is member Date of Reading and Writing Foundation. She strives to classical music as close as possible to get (new) publiekte. She also produces her big dream, Katibu di Shon / Slave and Master, a Papiamentu opera (libretto Carel de Haseth, music Randal) which will go. premiered in May 2013 in Amsterdam

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The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra

The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra is based in Enschede, in the province of Overijssel. Performing at an international level, as evidenced by its highly acclaimed CDs and invitations for international tours, the orchestra is firmly rooted in society.
Jan Willem de Vriend has been its artistic director and chief conductor since 2006. He will be succeeded by Ed Spanjaard in 2017. Under De Vriend’s leadership, the orchestra has expanded its repertoire to cover music from four centuries. Its use of period instruments in the Classical repertoire gives the orchestra a distinctive and highly individual character.
The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra performs amongst others in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Enschede, Zwolle and Deventer. In addition, it has made successful tours of the United States, Spain and England and it often works with the Dutch National Touring Opera Company. In its home town Enschede, the orchestra builds on a symphonic tradition of more than 80 years, and it is known as one of the most modern and entrepreneurial orchestras in the Netherlands.
The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra created a number of ensembles, such as a chamber orchestra, the Baroque Academy of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra (BANSO) and various chamber music ensembles. The orchestra’s commitment to expanding its social relevance is also reflected in the large number of projects in which education is a key element.
The orchestra has worked with distinguished conductors, such as its former chief conductor Jaap van Zweden, Vasily Petrenko, Edo de Waart, Claus Peter Flor and Tan Dun. It also has accompanied many celebrated soloists, including Gidon Kremer, Ronald Brautigam, Natalia Gutman, Charlotte Margiono, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Thomas Zehetmair.

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Jurjen Hempel (conductor)

Composer(s)

Martin Fondse

Reyn Ouwehand

Reyn Ouwehand’s (born 2 August 1973, Katwijk aan Zee) musical career started at the age of 15 with an assignment from London. He started his own company Prevue Productions at the age of 21. He built his own studio and started working as a producer, studio musician and composer. He works for: Kane, Ellen ten Damme, Sita, Birgit, Madigan, Silkstone and Wyatt. Nowadays Reyn is an established producer, versatile multi-instrumentalist and skilled arranger, who has worked with big national and international artists. Since recently, you can see Reyn as a performer again. He loves to perform solo, bringing a full backline and sample gear and just jam on his own. His performances can be seen online on You Tube. In 2011, Reyn opened the...

Reyn Ouwehand’s (born 2 August 1973, Katwijk aan Zee) musical career started at the age of 15 with an assignment from London. He started his own company Prevue Productions at the age of 21. He built his own studio and started working as a producer, studio musician and composer.
He works for: Kane, Ellen ten Damme, Sita, Birgit, Madigan, Silkstone and Wyatt.
Nowadays Reyn is an established producer, versatile multi-instrumentalist and skilled arranger, who has worked with big national and international artists.
Since recently, you can see Reyn as a performer again. He loves to perform solo, bringing a full backline and sample gear and just jam on his own. His performances can be seen online on You Tube. In 2011, Reyn opened the doors of his dream studio: a beautiful church near Amsterdam, with sleeping and relaxing facilities. The studio is built completely according to his own wishes, and is filled with his huge collection of obscure keyboards, analogue synthesizers, vintage drum kits, guitars and toy piano’s

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Odilo Girod

Odilo Girod was the frontman of the innovative indie band Coparck, a band that called it quits in 2010 after having reached the peak of their artistic powers. Subsequently Girod, also a successful graphic designer, embarked on a solo project called Chop Wood. Having worked with producer Reyn Ouwehand before he was asked to join the Krossover-team for his ability to create dreamlike multi-layered songs. He’s the one who let’s Carmen live in a parallel universe version of Bizet’s famous opera.

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Ruben Hein

A couple of years ago Ruben Hein emerged on the Dutch pop-meets-jazz scene as a virtuoso piano player, seductive singer and an original, inventive song-writer. During his jazz education at he conservatory he more or less by accident discovered his vocal abilities. On his debut album Loose Fit(2010) he excels in groovy, jazzy soul tunes drenched in the heritage of Bill Withers. On Revisited(2012) he played instrumental, strictly jazz versions of the Loose Fit repertoire, proving he would never forsake his jazz roots. Hein got so enthralled with this project that he composed two arias for Krossover.

A couple of years ago Ruben Hein emerged on the Dutch pop-meets-jazz scene as a virtuoso piano player, seductive singer and an original, inventive song-writer. During his jazz education at he conservatory he more or less by accident discovered his vocal abilities. On his debut album Loose Fit(2010) he excels in groovy, jazzy soul tunes drenched in the heritage of Bill Withers. On Revisited(2012) he played instrumental, strictly jazz versions of the Loose Fit repertoire, proving he would never forsake his jazz roots. Hein got so enthralled with this project that he composed two arias for Krossover.

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Lucky Fonz III

Otto Wichers a.k.a. Lucky Fonz III is one of the most colourful artists on the Dutch scene today. Charming, affable, intelligent and charismatic are the adjectives which are complementary to his skills as singer-songwriter. His almost naïve approach of things – both in Dutch as English songs – makes him stand out from his peers. Ik wachtte (I waited) is his take on Verdi’s La Traviata.

Otto Wichers a.k.a. Lucky Fonz III is one of the most colourful artists on the Dutch scene today. Charming, affable, intelligent and charismatic are the adjectives which are complementary to his skills as singer-songwriter. His almost naïve approach of things – both in Dutch as English songs – makes him stand out from his peers. Ik wachtte (I waited) is his take on Verdi’s La Traviata.

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Martijn Konijnenburg

In 2008 Martijn (Tinus) Konijnenburg and his band Leaf scored a monster hit with Wonderwoman (Why’s my life so boring), a song that got the most airplay on the popular 3FM radio station.Wonderwoman was one of the three singles taken from their debut album Life’s a Beach (2007) Artistic and personal disagreements forced the highly successful group to disband in 2009. Tania Kross recruited Konijnenburg for his ability to write songs that appeal to a large audience – just like the arias that were written by the likes of Puccini, Verdi and Bizet.

In 2008 Martijn (Tinus) Konijnenburg and his band Leaf scored a monster hit with Wonderwoman (Why’s my life so boring), a song that got the most airplay on the popular 3FM radio station.Wonderwoman was one of the three singles taken from their debut album Life’s a Beach (2007) Artistic and personal disagreements forced the highly successful group to disband in 2009. Tania Kross recruited Konijnenburg for his ability to write songs that appeal to a large audience – just like the arias that were written by the likes of Puccini, Verdi and Bizet.

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Robert Jan Stips

Undoubtedly the ‘éminence grise’ of this select group of composers, Robert Jan Stips has been in the avant-garde of Holland’s progressive rock scene for over 40 years now. He started out with the heavily Soft Machine influenced band Supersister and later played with Dutch greats varying from mega rock act Golden Earring to the brilliant comedian Freek de Jonge. In 1992 he, as a member of The Nits, co-composed a classical piece for the Radio Symphony Orchestra. For this Opera Revisited-project he imagined a scene with Porgy and Bess in heaven – a treat which would even have surprised George Gershwin.

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Martijn van Agt

One might say that Martijn van Agt is the odd man out in the list of Tania Kross’s hand-picked composers. He is Holland’s most-wanted guitarslinger, both in the studio and on stage. Live, Dutch rock divas such as Anouk and Ilse DeLange cannot do without him and Van Agt has played on too many albums to mention. More than a decade ago, using the pseudonym Madigan he released a highly acclaimed album that unfortunately didn’t sell very well. Underrated but not discouraged he wrote Go Slow for the Krossover-project – one of the many gems of the album.

One might say that Martijn van Agt is the odd man out in the list of Tania Kross’s hand-picked composers. He is Holland’s most-wanted guitarslinger, both in the studio and on stage. Live, Dutch rock divas such as Anouk and Ilse DeLange cannot do without him and Van Agt has played on too many albums to mention. More than a decade ago, using the pseudonym Madigan he released a highly acclaimed album that unfortunately didn’t sell very well. Underrated but not discouraged he wrote Go Slow for the Krossover-project – one of the many gems of the album.

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Huub van der Lubbe

Huub van der Lubbe has been a major player in the Dutch pop scene for more than 30 years now. Although he’s mostly known as the singer, lyricist and composer of De Dijk (The Dike), he’s also a successful solo artist, actor and poet. His songs and poems, mostly in the Dutch language, are famous for the spot-on imagery in which he succeeds in capturing the spirit of Holland and its inhabitants. Being a self-proclaimed ‘anti-kapitalist’, he wrote the aria Voor Geen Geld (I won’t be bribed), the counterpart of the Jewel Song of Genoud’s Faust.

Huub van der Lubbe has been a major player in the Dutch pop scene for more than 30 years now. Although he’s mostly known as the singer, lyricist and composer of De Dijk (The Dike), he’s also a successful solo artist, actor and poet. His songs and poems, mostly in the Dutch language, are famous for the spot-on imagery in which he succeeds in capturing the spirit of Holland and its inhabitants. Being a self-proclaimed ‘anti-kapitalist’, he wrote the aria Voor Geen Geld (I won’t be bribed), the counterpart of the Jewel Song of Genoud’s Faust.

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Spinvis

The fact that Spinvis – pseudonym of Erik de Jong – was allowed to compose a Lied ohne Worte for Krossover, proves once more how rebellious and contrarian this project is. Spinvis’ reputation has been mainly built on his unsurpassed talent for poetic and highly personal and original lyrics. And what did he write? His own version of the so called humming chorus of Madame Butterfly. It’s one of those moments that make you smile with your heart.

The fact that Spinvis – pseudonym of Erik de Jong – was allowed to compose a Lied ohne Worte for Krossover, proves once more how rebellious and contrarian this project is. Spinvis’ reputation has been mainly built on his unsurpassed talent for poetic and highly personal and original lyrics. And what did he write? His own version of the so called humming chorus of Madame Butterfly. It’s one of those moments that make you smile with your heart.

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Press

(...) there is so much that lives up to the expectations and I hope Tania Kross will continue exploring the possibilities for crossover in the future.
Music Web International, 01-6-2014

Radio 4 Award: Tania Kross rewarded for her efforts to bring classical music as close as possible to a new and younger audience
Radio 4, 10-2-2014

Interview Luister
Luister, 03-2-2014

The songwriters, [...] Not the least in their kind, and the result of it, [...] is pretty good.
Trouw, 10-1-2014

She invited contemporary Dutch pop composers to apply classical techniques to classic themes, creating new music with strong melodies rather than modernist stringencies, the results sumptuously arranged and sung with poise, power and precision.
Independent.co.uk , 04-1-2014

149.000
, 29-12-2013

"Tania Kross is a singer with enormous charisma. I love her style and her 'performance'(the term "theater animal 'is to be understood as a warm compliment)"
www.opusklassiek.nl, 19-12-2013

"For this classical music it breathes very much the atmosphere of Broadway. Great merit of this project is that the concept of Popera has a meaning! Opera Revisited is a subtitle with a wink and fingers Krossed"
www.writteninmusic.com, 07-12-2013

Together with the Nederlands Symfonieorkest Kross shines in new arias and duets.
Mania, 06-12-2013

Price CD at AVRO
AVRO, 05-12-2013

"As you can see, I can not get enough of it. The songs gives me, how crazy it may sound, a sort of consolation"
www.operamagazine.nl, 02-12-2013

They sound as warm, easy listening-like, sometimes tendencing to film music repertoire and songs expertly arranged for symphony orchestra.
Leeuwarder Courant, 15-11-2013

"About the project Krossover, where singer Tania Kross works with pop musicians like Lucky Fonz ||| Spinvis and Spinvis is in all respects a remarkable business"
Algemeen Dagblad, 14-11-2013

On this album you can hear special collaborations between the singer and pop musicians like Lucky Fonz, Huub van der Lubbe and Spinvis.
www.nu.nl, 14-11-2013

4-star review **** "The songs were composed for Kross, that were converted in symphonic songs by producer Reyn Ouwehand and arranger Bob Zimmerman, balance between pop and Puccini. Golden Leaves is beautifully fragile and Undyed (with string intro) sounds warm. That also applies for Rebiba: melancholic love music by Lucky Fonz III and texts by Kross herself."
NRC Handelsblad, 09-11-2013

Tania asked the composers of today’s popular music to write the music for the project. The result is breathtaking, classical music which touches you from the start!
Platomania.eu, 30-10-2013

Tania Kross on Itunes
Itunes, 04-4-2013