Cecile Chaminade: Saisons d'Amour

Cecile Chaminade was a legend in her own lifetime. However, after the First World War, her music, which breathes the fragrance of Parisian salons as well as the lightness of the fin de siecle, was no longer in demand and disappeared from concert stages. Katharina Kammerloher and Johann Blanchard have compiled an enchanting selection of melodies from Chaminade's extensive oeuvre. It quickly becomes apparent just why audiences of the time were so captivated by Chaminade's music. <p.Two fantastic musicians have come together for this recording: Chosen by Barenboim for the Berlin State Opera, the mezzo-soprano Katharina Kammerloher puts her enormous vocal potential to great effect, whilst pianist Johann Blanchard has advanced to become one of the few Chaminade experts with his recordings of solo and chamber music works. These carefully selected gems, written between 1886 and 1910, are about "seasons of love" and span almost Chaminade's entire compositional career. From the tender urges of first love to wild passion in "L'ete", from the fear for the fiance in "La fiancee du soldat" to wistful retrospection in "Jadis!" - Kammerloher and Blanchard have a fine sense for each individual mood that Chaminade imparts on these lyrical poems. For three songs, the duo are accompanied by Jiyoon Lee, first concertmaster of Staatskapelle Berlin, who adds a magical nuance to this colourful programme with her Stradivarius violin. With its striking naturalness, this finely balanced recording takes us back to a time of innocence and deeply moving beauty.

Cecile Chaminade (1857-1944)

• Plaintes d'Amour; Avril s'eveille; Fragilite; Serenata; Absence; Serenade Sevillane; La plus jolie; Souhait; Madrigal; Mon coeur chant; L'Ete; Madeleine; Chanson naive; La Fiancee du soldat; Roulis des greves; Le beau chanteur; Berceuse; Avenir; Jadis; Voeu supreme; Infini; Portrait

October 2023