David Bižić (soloist), Anne-Catherine Gillet (soloist), Artavazd Sargsyan (soloist), Héloïse Mas (soloist), John Irvin (soloist), Ève-Maud Hubeaux (soloist), Yorck Felix Speer (soloist), Patrick Bolleire (soloist)
Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, Hungarian National Choir, Gergely Madaras
César Franck considered Les Béatitudes, for soloists, choir and orchestra, to be his greatest work. It was perhaps Johann Sebastian Bach's St. Matthew Passion that prompted him to begin a work in 1869 that too would be dominated by the voice of Christ. Franck worked on Les Béatitudes for ten years and created an original and deeply personal renewal of the oratorio form in 19th-century France. This is no simple musical depiction of a subject taken from the Gospel: Franck, a firm believer in the precepts of the Beatitudes, was here inspired to write a bold and personal work, driven by the ideal of justice that its music unforgettable portrays.
- Franck, C: Les Béatitudes, M53
February 2024
The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège are superb, while the Hungarian National Choir adroitly reflects the shif ting moods. Plaudits go to conductor Gergely Madaras for marshalling the vast forces to create a vivid performance that is a clear first choice in this marvellous work.
February 2024
It’s a fervent performance, and conductor Gergely Madaras does his best to wring some drama from the score. But I’m not sure that drama is what the composer was after here.
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