Notes and Editorial Reviews
Albums that make up this set:
Debussy: Mélodies / Sandrine Piau
Soprano Sandrine Piau seems to go from strength to strength with each new recording. Her first solo disc of Mozart arias was widely praised, and this recent release of Debussy songs proves to be just as delightful. Although she does not possess a big voice, Piau's astounding purity and evenness of tone, excellent diction, and thoughtful phrasing suits this intimate music perfectly. Her partner, Jos van Immerseel,
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cleverly chooses to play a vintage Erard piano from 1897, providing a lighter, crisper background and, in his expert use of this unique instrument's special mechanics, adding "authentic" stylistic/interpretive insight to the salon sound to which Debussy himself would have been accustomed. Together, they make a fantastic duo--seamless in their interpretation and often breathtaking in execution (the swirling "Papillons", for one)--and offer many compelling reasons to return again and again to this recital of songs that span Debussy's career.
From the opening early song, "Apparition", we immediately hear that Piau loves this music, as she milks the intensely expressive line with vigor and nails the improbable high-C with ease. In "C'est l'extase", the first song of the Ariettes oubliées, note how she gently caresses the words, virtually giving each syllable meaning. And just listen to the exuberant abandon she lends to the "Paysages belges: Chevaux de bois", giving us the wide-eyed excitement of a merry-go-round as viewed through the eyes of a child.
Purists weary of vocal breathiness to convey breathlessness or longeurs (à la Renee Fleming) may find Piau to be guilty of this mannerism at times, but her intent seems so guileless that she deserves to be forgiven for indulging in some of these well-worn effects. For the most part, her "acting" is thoroughly convincing, and who wants to hear Debussy without at least some indication of mood? Either way, her way with these lovely mélodies infuses each one with the character and individuality necessary to convey their differences, something only a few of today's Debussy interpreters have achieved with success.
–Michael Liebowitz, ClassicsToday.com
L'heure exquise - Hahn, Enesco, Chausson, Debussy / Marie-Nicole Lemieux
Times are great for fans of mezzos and contraltos, especially ones who perform song recitals as well as opera and oratorio roles. And among today's several young stars, Quebec-born Marie-Nicole Lemieux has the versatility, technique, artistic instincts, and of course, the
voice to ensure a long and illustrious career. Most impressively here, she shows how a sizable instrument can adapt perfectly to impart the most subtle nuance, gentle lyricism, and simmering sensuality inherent in these late-19th/early-20th century French mélodies. And when she does open up, there's never a sign of the fleshy, throaty quality or tendency to scoop that many less technically assured mezzos exhibit. And her diction is marvelously unaffected, as natural as sung French can be. Her operatic flair comes into play in several songs, most notably Georges Enesco's playful, humorous, and characterful "Changeons propos..." (Let's change the subject, that's enough singing of love) and Reynaldo Hahn's "Fêtes galantes".
The majority of the songs belong to Hahn, the majority of the texts to Paul Verlaine, although Victor Hugo, Alphonse Daudet, Clément Marot, and even Robert Louis Stevenson make appearances. Enesco's Sept Chansons de Clément Marot Op. 15 are alone worth hearing in Lemieux's stylish, confident performances. She's not just singing pretty music; like all great singers she's inside it, and she gives the impression that it's inside her, that she owns and understands it.
The Hahn songs are among the finest in the repertoire, highlighted by the disc's title work, "L'heure exquise", which Lemieux delivers with truly exquisite control and just the right amount of understatement at its climactic moment. But Hahn's Debussy-like "Offrande" and surprisingly Brahmsian "Puisque j'ai mis ma lèvre" are equally compelling, as are the oft-performed Debussy Fêtes galantes. If there's a weak point, it's Hahn's Cinq petites chansons (five little songs) set to poems by Robert Louis Stevenson, whose English parlor-song demeanor doesn't really fit the mood and sophistication of the rest of the program. No matter. This is a first-rate recital by a truly extraordinary singer. Accompanist Daniel Blumenthal is a perfect partner, as you never notice a note or dynamic or aspect of phrasing out of sync with Lemieux. Solo singing rarely if ever gets better than this, and the quality of the recording matches the high standard of the performances. [10/26/2005]
– David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com
Mélodies - Chabrier, Debussy, Duparc, Hahn, Ravel, Saint-Saëns/ Stéphane Degout
Now this is very profound, what rhythm is,” wrote Virginia Woolf to a friend. “A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind … and as it breaks and tumbles, it makes words to fit it.” Stéphane Degout’s handsome and heroic voice, in happy alliance with rhythm, word, and finally melodic line, brings one back, full circle, to the visual/emotional source she speaks of. Just as Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s recent recordings of Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky romances (Ondine) raised the genre’s performance to a new standard of excellence, so Dégout, in this recital, has raised an already high standard of excellence in regard to the French
mélodie.
Traditionally, the words “French baritone” bring to mind the heady, fragile, sometimes overly sensitive singing of Pierre Bernac, Martial Singher, Gérard Souzay, and Bernard Kruysen. Certainly these distinguished artists exhibit a variety of marvelous assets either collectively or individually, but they have their liabilities, too, and the liabilities are considerable, whether it be in one case an unreliable technique, in another a rather homely instrument, in another a rather limited range. Stéphan Degout has virtually all of their excellent qualities, and almost none of their shortcomings. His technique is generally more solid, the voice itself is more ample, more robust, more beautiful, and his artistry less overt, less self-conscious. One of course feels in his predecessors the strong presence of the performing artist behind the song, but with Degout one is further aware of the human being, the man himself, behind the artist.
The opening
mélodie, La Mer est plus belle que les cathédrales,
has a majesty, breadth, and beauty of tone unmatched by Gérard Souzay’s EMI performance. The song, the poem, the subject matter seem to loom larger than Souzay’s voice or personality. The dynamics are not as clearly defined, due perhaps to technical constraints. Degout’s vocal line is more broadly cast, depending less on consonants and more on quality of tone for effect. It is more declamatory, more lionhearted.
Chabrier’s
L’Îsle hereuse,
with its effusive and wide dramatic range, is a high point of this disc, as Degout has the power to express without affectation the many changes of scene and mood that pass in rapid succession throughout the course of the song. His expansive use of rubato captures the surge of the sea, the breadth of the surrounding landscape, and still skillfully bridges the entire octave of each stanza. His astute accompanist, Hélène Lucas, proves a strong support to his flowing phrases, but one notices that during the introduction and interludes, when the voice is absent, the phrases become mere isolated units, a spelling out of words rather sentences. She does not achieve the radiant tone and rhythmic buoyancy of Pierre Bernac’s accompanist, Francis Poulenc, in their Testament recording. Although Bernac gives an ebullient, sunny performance, and the piece is polished to a high luster, his enthusiasm seems rather self-conscious whereas Degout’s radiates authenticity.
It is very difficult to strike the right tone, or, better to say, a convincing tone, in Debussy’s Villon settings. First of all, the poems’ myriad, often conflicting elements of coyness, sincerity, passion, sarcasm, courtly medieval conceits, and low-life references make it so. Then there are the considerations of Debussy’s stringent musical demands to take into account. Bernac’s version of the “Ballade de Villon à son âme” is passionate and scrupulously constructed, but his wiry timbre and cosseted vocal production do not lend themselves to the florid temperament of the vagabond poet. The words are fussed with a great deal resulting in the dissolution of Debussy’s broad, albeit elusive melodic lines. Martial Singher’s performance (Historic Recordings) is more gracefully phrased, more elegant, formal, and muscular. There is less declamation, less rubato, and generally more pure singing. However the singer seems to stand aloof from the subject and the character, giving a sensation that he is listening to himself, monitoring his albeit superb style, striking his pose. Neither of these earlier artists creates the necessary illusion that style and technique are a given, born of instinct. In contrast, Degout bests the musical and poetic nuances of Bernac, and far exceeds him in vocal opulence. The young baritone also shares Singher’s fine qualities, but, unlike his predecessor, he seems to stand in the absolute center of the song. Degout’s abundant musical gifts, his intelligence and integrity, resurrect, as no other performance I know, the sights seen, the emotions felt, by the wild and vagabond poet of the 15th century. They are as alive and present as the man who sings them.
FANFARE: Raymond Beegle
Après un Rêve / Sandrine Piau
Fauré: Mélodies / Bernard Kruysen (2 CDs; not currently available separately) Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Chansons de Clément Marot (7), Op. 15 by George Enescu
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908; Romania
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 13 Minutes 26 Secs.
Language: French
2.
Mélodies (20), Volume 1: D'une prison by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1892; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 26 Secs.
Language: French
3.
Chansons grises (7): no 5, L'heure exquise by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1893; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 1 Minutes 58 Secs.
Language: French
4.
Fêtes galantes by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1892; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 1 Minutes 43 Secs.
Language: French
5.
L'Albatros by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1879; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 3 Minutes 23 Secs.
Language: French
6.
Mélodies (4), Op. 13: no 1, Apaisement by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 1 Minutes 58 Secs.
Language: French
7.
Mélodies (20), Volume 1: Offrande by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1891; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 27 Secs.
Language: French
8.
A Chloris by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1916; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 48 Secs.
Language: French
9.
Puisque j'ai mis ma lèvre by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: Romantic
Written: France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 4 Minutes 34 Secs.
Language: French
10.
Mélodies (20), Volume 1: Trois jours de vendange by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1895; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 3 Minutes 21 Secs.
Language: French
11.
Quand la nuit n'est pas étoilée by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano),
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto)
Period: 20th Century
Written: France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 55 Secs.
Language: French
12.
Poèmes (2), Op. 34: no 2, Le chevalier malheur by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto),
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 3 Minutes 57 Secs.
Language: French
13.
Poèmes (2), Op. 34: no 1, La chanson bien douce by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto),
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 47 Secs.
Language: French
14.
Cinq petites chansons by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto),
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 8 Minutes 48 Secs.
Language: French
15.
Fêtes galantes, Set 2: no 1, Les ingénus by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto),
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1904; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 21 Secs.
Language: French
16.
Fêtes galantes, Set 2: no 2, Le faune by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto),
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1904
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 2 Minutes 3 Secs.
Language: French
17.
Fêtes galantes, Set 2: no 3, Colloque sentimental by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Alto),
Daniel Blumenthal (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1904; France
Date of Recording: 05/2005
Venue: Tibor Varga Studio, Sion, Switzerland
Length: 4 Minutes 10 Secs.
Language: French
18.
Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 18 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen (Baritone)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1878
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 5 Minutes 47 Secs.
19.
Songs (2) for voice & piano, Op. 27 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen (Baritone)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1882
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 3 Minutes 24 Secs.
20.
Songs (2) for voice & piano, Op. 46 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1887
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 4 Minutes 10 Secs.
21.
Songs (4) for voice & piano, Op. 51 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1888-1889
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 9 Minutes 23 Secs.
22.
Mélodies (5), Op. 58 "de Venise" by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1891; France
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 11 Minutes 28 Secs.
23.
La bonne chanson, Op. 61 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1892-1894; France
Date of Recording: 02/1973
Venue: Théâtre de Suresnes
Length: 18 Minutes 20 Secs.
24.
Songs (2) for voice & piano, Op. 76 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1897
Date of Recording: 02/1973
Venue: Théâtre de Suresnes
Length: 4 Minutes 0 Secs.
25.
Songs (2) for voice & piano, Op. 83 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 4 Minutes 4 Secs.
26.
Songs (3) for voice & piano, Op. 85 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1902
Date of Recording: 02/1973
Venue: Théâtre de Suresnes
Length: 6 Minutes 33 Secs.
27.
Mirages, Op. 113 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1919; France
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 10 Minutes 38 Secs.
28.
L'horizon chimérique, Op. 118 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Noël Lee (Piano),
Bernard Kruysen ()
Period: Romantic
Written: 1921; France
Date of Recording: 12/1965
Venue: Copenhagen, Denmark
Length: 6 Minutes 34 Secs.
29.
Lieder (8), Op. 10: no 3, Die Nacht by Richard Strauss
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1885; Germany
30.
Lieder (6), Op. 17: no 3, Das Geheimnis by Richard Strauss
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1885-1887; Germany
31.
Lieder (4), Op. 27: no 4, Morgen by Richard Strauss
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1894; Germany
32.
Après un rêve, Op. 7 no 1 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1877; France
33.
Clair de lune, Op. 46 no 2 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1887; France
34.
Les berceaux, Op. 23 no 1 by Gabriel Fauré
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1879; France
35.
Songs (6), Op. 71: no 6, Nachtlied by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1847; Germany
36.
Songs (6), Op. 19a: no 4, Neue Liebe by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: by 1833; Germany
37.
Schlafloser Augen Leuchte by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
38.
Songs (12), Op. 8: no 8, Andres Maienlied "Hexenlied" by Felix Mendelssohn
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: circa 1828; Germany
39.
Mélodies (4), Op. 8: no 2, Amour d'antan by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1882; France
40.
Mélodies (2), Op. 36: no 2, Dans la forêt du charme et de l'enchantement by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1898; France
41.
Lieder (3), Op. 27: no 1, Les heures by Ernest Chausson
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1896; France
42.
Galgenlieder by Vincent Bouchot
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: 21st Century
Written: France
43.
Montparnasse by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1941-1945; France
44.
Hyde Park by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1945; France
45.
Poèmes (2) d'Aragon by Francis Poulenc
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; France
46.
Folksongs (7), Volume 1: no 1, Salley Gardens by Benjamin Britten
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1943; England
47.
Folksongs (7), Volume 3: no 2, There's none to soothe by Benjamin Britten
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1947; England
48.
Tom Bowling and Other Song Arrangements: no 6, I Wonder as I Wander by Benjamin Britten
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Susan Manoff (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: United Kingdom
49.
Les papillons by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Jos van Immerseel (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1881
Language: French
50.
En sourdine by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Jos van Immerseel (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1882; France
Language: French
51.
Apparition by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Jos van Immerseel (Piano),
Sandrine Piau (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1884; France
Language: French
52.
Romance: Silence ineffable by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Jos van Immerseel (Piano),
Sandrine Piau (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1883; France
Language: French
53.
Regret: Devant le ciel by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Jos van Immerseel (Piano),
Sandrine Piau (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1884; France
Language: French
54.
Ariettes oubliées by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Jos van Immerseel (Piano),
Sandrine Piau (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1885-1888; France
Language: French
55.
Proses lyriques by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Sandrine Piau (Soprano),
Jos van Immerseel (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1892-1893; France
Language: French
56.
Poèmes (3) de Mallarmé by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Jos van Immerseel (Piano),
Sandrine Piau (Soprano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1913; France
Language: French
57.
Mélodies (6): no 4, L'île heureuse by Emmanuel Chabrier
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1890; France
58.
Chanson pour Jeanne by Emmanuel Chabrier
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1886; France
59.
Mélodies (6): no 5, Les cigales by Emmanuel Chabrier
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1890; France
60.
Mélodies (3) de Verlaine by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1891; France
61.
Ballades (3) de François Villon by Claude Debussy
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1910; France
62.
Le galop by Henri Duparc
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1869; France
63.
Lamento by Henri Duparc
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1883; France
64.
Elégie by Henri Duparc
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1874; France
65.
La vie antérieure by Henri Duparc
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1884; France
66.
Mélodies (20), Volume 1: Trois jours de vendange by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1895; France
67.
Mélodies (20), Volume 1: Cimetière de campagne by Reynaldo Hahn
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: by 1895; France
68.
Histoires naturelles by Maurice Ravel
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1906; France
69.
Mélodies persanes (6), Op. 26: no 5, Au cimetière by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1870; France
70.
Mélodies persanes (6), Op. 26: no 6, Tournoiement by Camille Saint-Saëns
Performer:
Stèphane Degout (Baritone),
Helene Lucas (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1870; France
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 2 Customer Reviews )
melodie francaise January 8, 2013
By hans b de Groot (Toronto, ON) See All My Reviews
"lovely recordings and at a very reasonable price. The Marie-Nicole Lemieux performances are especially fine."
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Sensitive singing of a rare repertory December 23, 2012
By Robert Holt (Truro, MA) See All My Reviews
"I confess that I have not yet had time to listen to all of the music in this trove of vocal treasures. But I found the singing of Piau so ravishing that I feel impelled to put down this endorsement. Never have I heard a singer with more total control of a lovely instrument: effortlessly, she draws on an astonishing range of techniques to great artistic effect. In particular, I have never heard anyone so effortlessly perfect in hitting desired pitches at any level of tempo and volume, exactly as the score demands. She is surely my favorite soprano and I hope to hear everything she has recorded. Much of the music was unfamiliar to me, but all of it of high quality and worth getting to know better. That makes this collection of unusual value, comforting though familiarity of repertory may be. The other singers whose work I have sampled so far are very good, though not as consistently thrilling as Piau."
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