Véronique Gens (soprano), Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Hervé Niquet
In this recital, Véronique Gens and Hervé Niquet bring back to life a neglected aspect of France’s Romantic heritage: songs with orchestral accompaniment. Aside from a few pieces by Debussy and Duparc, and Berlioz’s famous Nuits d’été , orchestral mélodies form a virtually forgotten continent. In collaboration with the specialists of the Palazzetto Bru Zane, Alpha now revisits these musical landscapes, taking us from Brittany (Hahn) to Persia, whose beauties Fauré and Saint-Saëns exalt in very different ways. Mélodies by Chausson, Gounod and Dubois and rarely heard instrumental pieces by Massenet, Fauré and Fernand de La Tombelle round out the journey with their musical reveries.
Theodore Dubois (1837-1924) , Reynaldo Hahn (1875-1947) , Gabriel Faure (1845-1924) , Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) , Jules Massenet (1842-1912) , Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) , Fernand de la Tombelle (1854-1928) , Charles Gounod (1818-1893)
- Theodore Dubois: Chansons de Marjolie; Petits reves d'enfant; Blancheurs d'ailes
+Reynaldo Hahn: Paysage; Mai; D'une prison
+Gabriel Faure: Claire de lune; Les Roses d'Ispahan; Nocturne from Shylock-Suite op. 57; Chanson du pecheur
+Camille Saint-Saens: La Splendeur vide; Aimons-nous
+Jules Massenet: Invocation aus Les Erinnyes; Solitude aus Sapho; Pastorale aus Esclarmonde
+Ernest Chausson: Les Morts aus Chansons de Miarka op. 17
+Fernand de la Tombelle: Reverie
+Charles Gounod: La Fauvette; Clos ta paupiere
Gramophone Magazine
April 2024
Editor's Choice
May 2024
Arranged loosely as a landscape, the repertoire is often impressive and imaginative, avoiding monotonous chunks and flowing between topics and textures, including France’s recurring fascination with the ‘Orient ’...Gens and the Munich Radio Orchestra under Hervé Niquet are strong throughout, with generally thoughtful interpretations and excellent recorded sound quality.
April 2024
Her soprano is in remarkably good shape, supple and elegant, her diction exemplary and her phrasing exquisite, deftly capturing the mood of each song.