Following her superb Katya in Katya Kabanova, her Emilia Marty in The Makropulos Case, recorded live at the London Coliseum, and her Butterfly for Chandos Opera in English, we were delighted to have enticed Cheryl Barker into our studios to record some fine examples of her dramatic artistry in music both familiar and fresh.   

The repertoire chosen for the solo disc includes works, actually performed by her on stage, as well as arias Cheryl has always enjoyed listening to.  

‘There were two arias that I was very keen to include one was the scene from The End of the Affair by the brilliant American composer Jake Heggie.  I premiered the role of Sarah in Houston and I think this scene is dramatic and fantastically composed.  I am very proud to have recorded the aria Each Afternoon from the Violins of St Jacques by Malcolm Williamson, a fellow Australian.  It is very atmospheric with its simply vocal line.  I have also included some popular arias and some repertoire performed by Dame Joan Hammond with whom I studied with as a student.’  

‘As an English speaker, performing these arias in English means that I can relay the emotions of the arias in my native language and I think it is interesting to an English speaking audience to hear the arias in their native tongue.  Also, it is important to have an accurate translation of the original text and I think in these arias we have that.’

GREAT OPERATIC ARIAS, VOLUME 21 – CHERYL BARKER

Following her superb performances as Emilia in The Macropulos Case and in the title role of Katya Kabanova and Madam Butterfly for Chandos’ Opera in English label, we are delighted to present a disc of Cheryl Barker singing operatic arias. Ms Barker comments, ‘There were two arias that I was very keen to include. One is from The End of the Affair by the brilliant American composer Jake Heggie, and the other from The Violins of St Jacques by my fellow Australian Malcolm Williamson… as I am an English speaker, performing these arias in English means that I can relay the emotions of the arias in my native language and I think it is interesting to an English speaking audience to hear the arias in their native tongue’. Cheryl Barker will appear in Manon Lescaut in Australia and in The Turn of the Screw at English National Opera in October and November.