Notes and Editorial Reviews
POULENC
Complete Songs, Vol. 1
•
Lorna Anderson
1
, Felicity Lott
2
, Lisa Milne
3
(sop); Robert Murray
4
(ten); Christopher Maltman
5
, Jonathan Lemalu
6
(bar); Malcolm Martineau (p)
•
SIGNUM SIGCD247
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(69:38
Text and Translation)
4
Cocardes.
3
Metamorphoses.
5
Chansons gaillardes.
1
A Sa Guitare.
6
Epitaphe sur un texte de Malherbe.
1
3 poèmes de Louise de Vilmorin.
4
Bleuet.
3
Dernier poème.
5
Rosemonde.
3
Fiançailles pour rire.
4
Parisiana.
2
La Courte paille
Once again the British have come to the rescue. It is not every day that attention is lavished on Francis Poulenc, one of the major song writers of the 20th century. Volume 1 of a new complete edition of the songs is now available and has been entrusted to a number of singers (Vol. 2 is already on the Signum website). On the whole, the release is praiseworthy as the singers have all worked like dogs on their French accents, to the extent that one might accuse them of going too far, but it’s good to note that it is possible for non-French singers to get to the heart of this music. There is no attempt at a chronological presentation, going from
Cocardes
(1919) to
La Courte paille
(1960), but I’m not certain I detect any logic to the current presentation other than to cover a wide spectrum. It is the men who come off best on this CD, with Christopher Maltman following closely Pierre Bernac’s instructions (
Francis Poulenc: The Man & His Songs
) yet bringing his own contribution to the
Chansons gaillardes
. Robert Murray’s very English tenor works better in
Cocardes
than in
Bleuet
. Jonathan Lemalu’s sole contribution is the
Epitaphe
, which has the requisite gravity but is somewhat wooly in tone. Felicity Lott’s diminished resources work well in
La Courte paille
, better than in the Decca complete set dating from 1998 where she is too self-consciously coy. Both Lorna Anderson and Lisa Milne suffer from the inability to project soft high notes, Anderson particularly trying in the
Trois poèmes de Vilmorin
. Despite this carping, I look forward to future releases, as Malcolm Martineau’s accompaniments offer undiluted pleasure.
For the record, other complete sets include the aforementioned Decca entrusted to Lott, François Le Roux, Gilles Cachemaille, and the androgynous Catherine Dubosc, all accompanied by Pascal Rogé (though one song is missing); the EMI set under Dalton Baldwin with the inevitable Gérard Souzay (past his best), Nicolai Gedda, Michel Sénéchal, William Parker, and the impeccable Elly Ameling; and a somewhat different selection on EMI’s complete Poulenc tribute, featuring some of the material from the Baldwin set, but also contributions from Jessye Norman, Pierre Bernac, José van Dam, Mady Mesplé, Gabriel Bacquier, etc.
FANFARE: Joel Kasow
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Works on This Recording
1.
Cocardes by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Robert Murray (Tenor),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1919; France
2.
Métamorphoses (3) by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Lisa Milne (Soprano),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; France
3.
Chansons (8) gaillardes by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Christopher Maltman (Baritone),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
4.
A sa guitare by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Lorna Anderson (Soprano),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1935; France
5.
Épitaphe by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Jonathan Lemalu (Bass Baritone),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1930; France
6.
Poèmes (3) de Louise de Vilmorin by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Lorna Anderson (Soprano),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1937; France
7.
Bleuet by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Robert Murray (Tenor),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1939; France
8.
Dernier poème by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Lisa Milne (Soprano),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1956; France
9.
Rosemonde by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Christopher Maltman (Baritone),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1954; France
10.
Fiançailles pour rire by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Lisa Milne (Soprano),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1939; France
11.
Parisiana by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Robert Murray (Tenor),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1954; France
12.
La courte paille by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Felicity Lott (Soprano),
Malcolm Martineau (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1960; France
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