3 Poemes de Paul Fort; 6 Poesies de Jean Cocteau; 3 Chansons de la petite sirene; 6 Poemes d'Apollinaire; Chanson de Ronsard; 2 Chansons du "Miarka ou la fille a l'Ourse"; 4 Poemes; Nature morte; 3 Psaumes; 2 Romances sentimentales

Arthur Honegger's song oeuvre can be divided into two distinct periods. The first comprises his apprenticeship years from 1914 - the date of publication of the first of the 4 Poèmes H. 7 - to 1924. On the eve of the Second World War, he returned to art song, and Eleni-Lydia Stamellou sings two further groups of songs that were originally conceived as film accompaniments.

In the 4 Poems there is a Debussyan turn to harmony that reflects the symbolist character of the text. The title song of the album, "Petite Chapelle", differs more clearly from Debussy's model with its overtly spiritual character. Honegger conceived his 3 Poèmes de Paul Fort in the autumn of 1916, where the relationship between music and text is more directly illustrated, as in the distant hunting horns that accompany the hunter lost in the forest. Nature morte from February 1917 stands on its own as a musical still life, a brief sketch of a bowl of peaches and white grapes. No less epigrammatic, but musically more daring, as befits the text, are Honegger's settings of the Six Poèmes d'Apollinaire, which he composed between August 1915 and March 1917. But despite Apollinaire's influence on the composers of "Les Six" - Honegger included - Jean Cocteau was far more instrumental in determining their aesthetic goals. And although it was Apollinaire who coined the term surréalisme in response to the premiere of Satie's ballet Parade in 1917, this new, mischievous spirit is also palpable in Honegger's skillful Cocteau settings. Honegger pays sincere homage to one of the most famous French poets of the Renaissance with the Chanson de Ronsard from February 1924. The three Chansons de La Petite Sirène from 1926 are characterized by rising whole-tone harmonies in the opening song, and the even shorter accompanying songs retain a Satie-like inscrutability.

At this time, Honegger continued to devote himself to vocal music (operas, operettas and oratorios), but refrained from singing. in 1937, however, he was given the opportunity to write two short songs for his soundtrack to Jean Choux's sound film remake of Louis Mercanton's 1920 silent film Miarka, la fille à l'ourse. Eleni Lydia Stamellou's concert concludes with two further songs written for the cinema, the Romances sentimentales for Un seul amour, a story by Balzac, which Pierre Blanchar adapted very freely for the screen. The settings of the Three Psalms, which Honegger composed in the winter of 1940/41 in occupied Paris, form a genre all of their own. The sound of the organ accompanies the Bachian flow of sound to Psalm 34 and the misty F minor chords to Psalm 140, even if the vocal part itself is reminiscent of Honegger's songwriting of the 1920s.

Further information:
- Recorded April-December 2024 in St. Petersburg, Russia - The English booklet contains liner notes by Peter Quantrill and profiles of the musicians

- Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) was a Swiss composer associated with the French music movement Les Six. Known for his eclectic style, he blended elements of French Impressionism, German Romanticism and modernist techniques. Honegger is best known for his orchestral works such as "Pacific 231" and "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher", but his vocal compositions show a more intimate and lyrical side to his work.

- Honegger's songs reflect his deep sensitivity for poetry and text and set works by important French poets such as Paul Fort and Jean Cocteau to music. His melodies for voice and piano are characterized by rich harmonic textures and expressive phrasing, demonstrating sophistication and emotional depth. In contrast to his orchestral pieces, which can be complex and rhythmic, his songs focus on clarity and directness, allowing the poetry to shine through.

- The Greek soprano Eleni Lydia Stamellou won the Ferruccio Tagliavini Competition in Austria, whose jury president was Dame Joan Sutherland. She then attended master classes with Teresa Berganza, Edda Moser and Christa Ludwig. She has sung in opera productions with MusicAeterna under the direction of Teodor Currentzis. She specializes in Renaissance / Baroque and contemporary music. She has sung in productions by Berio and Hersant.