Album of the Week: Marina Viotti

From the get-go, Marina Viotti reveals a lot about herself on the cover of her new album. She’s pictured bare-chested, with a shaved head and is staring right into the camera. In this most recent album from the Franco-Swiss mezzo-soprano, she dives deep into the themes of life and death, light and dark, and hope and regret, all heavy tensions that burden the human experience. Mélankhôlia, In Darkness Through the Light is the project’s title, brought to life with her two trusted partners, Vincent Flückiger (on the lute and electric guitar), and Fred Chappuis (on the guitars and synths).

It’s no surprise that the feeling of melancholy runs through the centre of the record, taking centre stage both in its style and substance. For the first time, Marina Viotti confronts her battle with cancer (Hodgkin’s Lymphoma) on one of her records, which she had kept under wraps from April 2019 to January 2024. The album’s lyrics read like a personal diary, journaling her long fight against the disease, capturing the triumph of light over darkness without getting overly sentimental.

This phase of her life resonates perfectly with the album’s concept, which was originally meant for a concert program. It features songs from the classic English composer John Dowland (a pioneer of lute-and-voice arrangements), contrasting them with contemporary pop and rock tracks from artists like Lana Del Rey, Björk, and Metallica. Viotti’s modern arrangements manage to blend the lute with Moog synths, Mellotrons, and electronic elements, emphasizing the absolute timelessness of the compositions. It gets to the point where it’s hard to tell who feels more modern or more archaic out of Dowland, Björk, U2, or Johnny Cash! There’s a kind of consistency in style, a breathtaking beauty that really reflects the artist’s journey.

We really shouldn’t be surprised that Marina’s career has skyrocketed in recent years. Born into a musical family, she found her confidence as an artist singing in a metal band, after studying literature and marketing. But she just couldn’t leave behind her first love: opera. She honed her craft in Switzerland, performing in opera houses in Lucerne, Zurich, and Lausanne, while also racking up accolades at international competitions. She was a finalist at the 2018 Opéralia competition and won the ‘Best Young Singer’ award at the 2019 International Opera Awards. Marina also refuses to turn her back on metal, dedicated to bridging that gap between metal and classical music. Her unforgettable performance alongside Gojira at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics in July 2024, completely captivated an audience of over 2 billion.