Yo soy Maria Marie-Josée Lord sopranoa Simon Leclerc, Musical Direction & Arrangements ACD2 2663 • Following the huge success of her eponymous first disc 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 nine 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 n° 5 by Villa-Lobos, in original arrangements by Simon Leclerc, also the musical director of this recording project. • For several years now, whether singing arias by Verdi and Puccini and songs by Lama and Vigneault in her show Bouillon, or Spanish and Portuguese songs in Voyage latin, Marie-Josée Lord's performances have never failed to be a hit; her audiences always enjoy and love her performances, and her shows are always sold out. • Lord's success as Marie-Jeanne in the rock opera Starmania at the Opéra de Montréal in 2008 established her as an opera singer with popular appeal.   Ever since, she has worked to bridge the gap between classical and popular music.   This new disc, Yo soy Maria, provides striking evidence of her success in achieving what she has so often said she aims to do: to infuse opera into every project, and always to respect classical technique.   1. Mi Buenos Aires querido [ Alfredo La Pera / Carlos Gardel ]     4:07   2. Bésame mucho [ Consuelo Velásquez ]     4:32   3. La foule Que nadie sepa mi sufrir [ Michel Rivegauche • Enrique Diezo / Angel Cabrai ]     3:20   4. Aranjuez, mon amour [ Guy Bontempelli / Joaquin Rodrigo ]     6:12   5. Kyrie-Misa Criolla [ Ariet Ramírez ]     3:36   6. Duas Lágrimas de Orvalho [ Anon. / Pedro Rodrigues ]     4:07   7. Bachianas Brasileiras n° 5 [ Ruth V. Corrêa / Heitor Villa-Lobos ]     5:15   8. Hijo de la luna [ José Maria Cano ]     5:39   9. La Flor de La canela [ Chabuca Granda ]     3:29 10. Granada [ Agustín Lara ]     3:05 11. Yo soy María [ Horacio Ferrer Ástor Piazzolla ]     3:15 ATMA Classique is distributed in Australia by Rockian Trading PO Box 44, Briar Hill, Vic, 3088, Australia Telephone +61 (0)3 9432 4149 ~ Facsimile +61 (0)3 9444 6879