This recording is a manifesto: modernism, culture, temporality, style, improvisation are all concepts with which Joël Grare plays, like a juggler. At a time of globalisation, of standardisation of cultures, this disc lets us hear the vision of the world of one man, at one given time. The Paris-Istambul-Shanghaï Ensemble (Chinese violin, theorbo, bass and percussions) forms the musical base of this invitation to travel. The guests, such as Claire Lefilliâtre, contribute their personnality by taking up the learned or popular themes. This "group", somewhere between a chamber music ensemble and a traditional one, plays standards like Jazzmen. Their standards? Magnificent themes stemming from Spain, Turkey, China, ancient music...Analysing these melodies well beyond their borders, thoroughly enjoying them to interpret them better, improvising, composing, whether or not in the style of their country or their period, following his mood, the taste of tea, the moment; welcome to the world of Joël Grare.

One often reads that Vincent d'Indy was an influential teacher who left a mark in the careers of composers as diverse as Albert Roussel, Erik Satie, Isaac Albéniz, Joseph Canteloube, Darius Milhaud, and Arthur Honegger, to name just a few. Yet his own music has not thrived as well as his students' works, and recordings have been rather spotty for a composer of his reputation. To remedy this, Chandos has initiated a series of d'Indy's orchestral works, and this first volume features three scarce offerings -- Jour d'été à la montagne, Op. 61; La Forêt enchantée, Op. 8; and Souvenirs, Op. 62 -- in sympathetic performances by Rumon Gamba and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. D'Indy's style was in part an outgrowth of Wagnerism, as channeled through César Franck, so the music in these tone poems has a rich, Romantic feeling that clearly derives from those sources. It's possible, too, to hear a little of Debussy's influence in Jour d'été à la montagne and Souvenirs, and the fairy tale appeal of La Forêt enchantée seems traceable to Weber and Berlioz, so there's a lot more to d'Indy's stylistic range than is usually supposed. But to hear in them only these influences is to miss much of d'Indy's originality, especially his impressionistic orchestration and his atmospheric use of melody and unusual harmonies. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra delivers these scores with radiant warmth and shimmering colors, and Gamba inspires the ensemble to play with delicacy and tenderness, emphasizing the magical qualities of these picturesque works. The sound of these recordings is a bit hazy and soft-edged, and the performances have a dreamy ambience due to resonant acoustics and the comparative lack of sharp attacks.© TiVo

Chief conductor of Les Siècles symphony orchestra, François-Xavier Roth has been revisiting French music from the beginning of the 20th century for several years now, taking care to honour both the original instruments and to find melodies that favour even greater clarity of timbre and attack. After his incredible recordings of Debussy, Ravel and Stravinsky’s first work (special mention to the superb complete version of L’Oiseau de feu), everyone naturally expected the conductor to perform Pelléas et Mélisande, the opera he conducted at the very beginning of his career which is particularly close to his heart.This new version of Debussy’s masterpiece was recorded on the 20th and 21st of March 2021 at the Opéra de Lille. As one might expect, the orchestra, which is present throughout the score (it conveys emotion and feeling in the style of Wagner and Mussorgsky) is given pride of place by François-Xavier Roth, who transforms this strange opera into some sort of secular oratorio.As for the singers, it’s a real treat to hear French voices in the two main roles. Vannina Santoni’s portrayal of Mélisande is refreshing, and she makes the character less naïve than previous interpretations have done. She asserts herself in the forest scene at the beginning of the piece and later, in the final scene, she confidently declares to Pelléas "I only lie to your brother!". Pelléas is personified by a tenor voice and not by a light baritone as intended by Debussy (in fact, he sounds much like Eric Tappy in Armin Jordan’s beautiful version of Erato). Thanks to Julien Behr’s stellar performance, the character comes across as fragile and overwhelmed by his ill-fated destiny. Alexandre Duhamel’s touching portrayal of Golaud reveals a gritty character who is undeniably relatable, despite being consumed by an ardent jealousy that ultimately causes him to murder his younger brother and, indirectly, Mélisande. Jean Teitgen is a less dogmatic Arkel than usual. Literally and figuratively blind, it’s as though he has no understanding of what’s happening within the castle and is unable to escape the confines of his own, outdated idealism. Marie-Ange Todorovitch does a good job playing the difficult and often overlooked role of Geneviève, whose appearances, though infrequent, are pivotal.Finally, it should be noted that François-Xavier Roth uses the definitive and complete version of the opera, which includes the few bars that fell victim to censorship in 1902. As such, viewers can rediscover the confronting dialogue between Golaud and his son Yniold, whom he uses to spy on Mélisande when she’s in her bedroom. “What about the bed? Are they close to the bed?” asks Golaud in the height of his jealousy. Thanks to its poetic dimension and fantastic cast, this new version easily rivals those by Désormière, Inghelbrecht, Ansermet, Armin Jordan, Karajan and Abbado. © François Hudry/Qobuz

Cuban-born American soprano Lisette Oropesa is a newcomer to the world of opera singers, releasing an album devoted to the French operas of Rossini and Donizetti. Unusually, she was thrust into the public eye when a member of the audience sang an excerpt from La Traviata with her during a recital at the Verdi Festival in Parma, Italy, in 2021. The video immediately went viral around the world.The young singer has become a real star since her debut at the MET in New York, where she played Susanna in The marriage of Figaro at the age of 22, and then went on to receive great success at the Paris Opera in Abduction from the Seraglio (Konstanze), Rigoletto (Gilda) and The Barber of Seville (Rosina). She dedicates this brilliant recital with the Dresden Philharmonic Orchestra (conducted by Corrado Rovaris) to the ‘Grande Boutique’, the nickname given by Verdi to the Paris Opera.There are excerpts from Rossini's Siège de Corinthe, Guillaume Tell and Comte Ory alongside Donizetti’s Les Martyrs, Lucia di Lammermoor and La Fille du regiment. The latter concludes the album with his famous Salut à la France, which was patriotically performed on bank holiday evenings on the 14th of July in many French opera houses. At the Metropolitan Opera in New York on 28th December 1940 – the start of the German occupation – this aria was sung by Lily Pons and followed by La Marseillaise (the French national anthem) sung by soloists and chorus. © François Hudry/Qobuz

French band Tryö, a reggae-inspired group consisting of guitarists and singers Manu Eveno, Cyril Celestin and Christophe Mali, and percussionist Daniel Bravo, formed in 1995 and honed their sound at music festivals before recording a trio of albums (and a collaboration with the circus troupe Les Arroses that appeared on DVD in 2002). This set, Grain de Sable, was the group’s third album when it was released in 2003. © Steve Leggett /TiVo

You’ve got to be a little provocative to travel to Bologna, home to one of the most beautiful operas in the world, to record excerpts of famous Italian operas in French! This challenge didn’t faze Franco-Swiss tenor Benjamin Bernheim (whose incredible voice does justice to everything he sings) nor his accomplice, composer and conductor Frédéric Chaslin.From Donizetti to Puccini, more than a century of Italian lyrical music is on display on the famous Boulevard des Italiens in Paris, with the Opéra-Comique on one side and the Opéra Garnier on the other. This Italian presence serves as a reminder that the French capital was at the heart of opera throughout the 19th century.With the help of the Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française, Benjamin Bernheim has concocted a captivating programme, mixing famous works with lesser-known gems, such as excerpts from Donizetti’s Dom Sébastien, Verdi’s Jerusalem, Cherubini’s Ali Baba and Mascagni’s Amica, alongside Don Carlos, Madame Butterfly and Tosca. However, it’s Benjamin Bernheim’s stunning vocals that really shine, with his perfect diction and bright tone giving each piece a beautiful warmth. The two duets that feature baritone Florian Semprey are incredible, as is the warm and enthusiastic conducting of Frédéric Chaslin. © François Hudry/Qobuz