Take note of this name: Julie Roset

In case it wasn't clear from the title of this review: take note of the name Julie Roset, a young French soprano of only 29 years old who has already done many things in the world of opera (for example, winning the 2023 Operalia edition) and has participated in shows directed by some of the best conductors of the moment.Her debut in Catalonia has been possible thanks to this season's edition of the Lied Festival Life Victoria – which concludes its journey on May 26 with a recital by Simon Keenlyside and Malcolm Martineau – and within the modernist complex of the Hospital de Sant Pau. Alongside the pianistic wisdom of Susan Manoff (extraordinary in La fille aux cheveux de lin by Debussy and in Le banc songeur by Han), the French singer offered a recital that was pure filigree, especially for introducing us to pieces by composers little or not at all showcased among us, such as Charles Koechlin, Manuel Rosenthal, Louis Beydts, Mel Bonis, and, above all, the exquisite Isabelle Aboulker. To these names were added works by much more famous musicians in the style of Poulenc, Enescu, Lili Boulanger, and the already mentioned Han and Debussy.The French mélodie (equivalent to the German Lied) requires a pure singing style, with impeccable phrasing and, above all, chromatic iridescences to adorn each phrase, each word, each syllable, and each letter in order to give expressive emphasis and precise colors to what is being interpreted. In her outrageously young age, Julie Roset demonstrates mastery of all these tools, essential for a successful performance.Roset, moreover, stands out as a communicative, expressive, and even theatrical artist in pieces like the fun La princesse aux petits pois by Alboulker, a composer who makes it very difficult with the staccato notes, and the high notes of Je t’aime, or in the intervallic leaps of L’inconstante. A true discovery is the music of this artist, the only living one (she was born in 1938) among the composers for a difficult and demanding program for the performer, but very well received by the attending audience.It will be necessary to follow Roset's career, to listen to her in larger venues, in operatic performances and with varied repertoires. I would not be at all surprised if we heard from her, a lot and very well. Her presentation in Barcelona could not have been better crafted.