Ailyn Pérez’s debut album on the Opus Arte label, Poème d’un jour, is already being met with critical praise since its April 2 release in the UK. Sinifi, the UK’s premier online classical music retailer, praised Pérez’s “particularly engaging way with the Spanish material.” The review continued,
“She uses her warm, focused sound to give a passionate account of Manuel de Falla’s Siete canciones populares españolas, and is gorgeously hushed in the much-anthologised lullaby ‘Nana’.
In Joaquín Turina’s Poema en forma de canciones she brings a surprising sense of resignation to the climactic floating phrase ‘nunca te perdonaré’ (‘never shall I forgive you’). There’s fiery longing in ‘Al amor’ (To the Beloved) from Fernando Obradors’ Canciones clásicas españolas. Her flamenco-style vocalising…sounds heady and sexy, just as it should.”
Also praising the album was noted composer and blogger Robert Hugill. On his blog he wrote,
“Perez sings with a lovely rich burnished tone, her lyric soprano surprisingly vivid. Her performance in A Chloris is full of poise and perfect simplicity. In L’Heure Exquise the vocal line is so simple, it is almost nothing but Perez floats its beautifully and suggests infinite erotic possibilities. Le Printemps completes the trio with a beautifully impassioned paean to Spring.
In all these, you hear how Perez varies both tone and style for the different items on the disc. More than that, you sense that there is a strong personality under the voice. This means that the recital hangs together beautifully as a whole, and showcases Perez as a performer.
I loved this recital, both for the way the disc captured Ailyn Perez as a performer, for the entrancing way she and Burnside present this varied but intelligently assembled programme and for the sheer delight of the music on the disc and the way the performers clearly love and enjoy the music.. The disc will please those lovers of Perez’s voice, but deserves to attract attention from everyone interested in the wider world of song.”
The hotly anticipated album will be released in the United States on May 28.