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Vitaa

French Music - Released May 5, 2017 | Play Two

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Just me myself & moi-même

Vitaa

Pop - Released May 5, 2017 | Play Two

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Spontini: La vestale

Les Talens Lyriques

Classical - Released May 12, 2023 | Bru Zane

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Gaspare's Spontini's French-language La Vestale is probably the most often heard of his operas, but that is not saying much; the work was sung by Maria Callas in the 1950s, but performances are sparse. Here, it is revived in period style by Les Talens Lyriques and conductor Christophe Rousset, and a very good case is made for further attention. The story is action-packed; Julia, in the absence of her lover, General Licinius, becomes una Vestale, a Vestal Virgin and guards a sacred flame. When Licinius returns to town, the flame goes out, and Julia is sentenced to be buried alive. Licinius rallies his troops, vowing to kidnap Julia, and the flame is reignited later by a lightning strike. Spontini's orchestration of this tale is Beethovenian in its dimensions, and despite the difficulties of natural horns, it is exciting to hear this opera as Napoleon (thought to be the model for Licinius) and Josephine (who backed the opera) heard it. The singers are not Callas-level, but throughout, and especially in the choruses, there is a commitment to the text and its meaning that is rare in any kind of recording. Marina Rebeka, in the role of Julia, is fully involved in the character's plight, and the smoky-voiced Aude Extrémo as La Grande Vestale is worth the price of admission on her own. The singers are aided by clear, spacious studio sound engineering from the early opera specialist label Palazzetto Bru Zane, whose high standards are perhaps even exceeded here. © James Manheim /TiVo
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Marais: Ariane et Bacchus

Le Concert Spirituel

Classical - Released March 24, 2023 | Alpha Classics

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Le Manteau de Pluie (Version Remasterisée)

Jean-Louis Murat

French Music - Released December 20, 2019 | [PIAS] Le Label

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Salve Susato

Utopia Ensemble

Classical - Released September 29, 2023 | Ramée

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So Romantique !

Cyrille Dubois

Classical - Released March 10, 2023 | Alpha Classics

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Meyerbeer: Robert le Diable

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine

Classical - Released September 23, 2022 | Bru Zane

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions Gramophone: Recording of the Month
For his last season at the helm of the Opéra de Bordeaux, Marc Minkowski—always keen to conduct forgotten works which have, in some way, marked the history of music—sets his sights on Robert le Diable, Giacomo Meyerbeer's opera which was a true social phenomenon in 19th century France. The Palazzetto Bru Zane - Centre de musique romantique française has followed suit by officially publishing this concert version, which also features some excellent vocal soloists. Admired by Balzac, Sand and Dumas, this ‘grand opéra à la française’ (great French opera) faded into obscurity after the First World War. Its creator became a sort of pariah – one met with both condescension and mockery. With its ‘seductive and haunting melodies’ (Alexandre Dratwicki), it’s nevertheless a flamboyant work that greatly inspired his contemporaries, such as Verdi, who referred to it in La Traviata. The extraordinary impact of Robert le Diable was such that it was performed a great many times on every continent. A true one-man band, Marc Minkowski has invested himself entirely in this undertaking, learning this vast score practically by heart and conducting it with his usual power and conviction. The international cast is full of surprises thanks to their deep understanding of the work and the protagonists’ fantastic pronunciation. This new release, to the credit of the Bru Zane label, revitalises our knowledge of this work that’s scarcely mentioned in specialised dictionaries. © François Hudry/Qobuz
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Salle des pas perdus

Coralie Clément

French Music - Released October 19, 2001 | Bambi Rose

Salle des Pas Perdus is a soundtrack for a film that doesn't exist, but if it did, Coralie Clément says that the movie could be Jean-Luc Godard's 1959 A Bout de Souffle. And just as in the movie, Clément's debut record deftly moves between high art and pop culture, from classical arrangements to lushly orchestrated pop to bossa nova, all the while making winks toward '60s French pop. Coralie, in fact, sounds like a young Jane Birkin, and even the cover photo on the CD -- a timeless, stunningly beautiful, and melancholy Clément shot on a Paris street through a red filter -- evokes the artwork on records of such French chanteuses as Françoise Hardy. This album is a result of a collaborative effort that recalls the Serge Gainsbourg/Jane Birkin relationship: Each of the album's tunes was written and arranged by noted composer/writer/performer Benjamin Biolay, Coralie's brother. His themes range from the illusory nature of love ("La Mer Opale," a wistful love song about the moon and the sea, Biolay's trumpet accompanying his sister's almost-whispered vocals as waves wash in the background; theatrical, maybe even kitschy, but utterly lovely), samba ("Samba de Mon Coeur Qui Bat," a swank, loungy bossa nova that echoes Astrud Gilberto), and lighthearted debauchery ("Le Jazz et le Gin"). It is somehow all cohesive, each of the songs a self-contained vignette that pieces together the larger theme of the album. Fans of '60s French pop will feel that they've unearthed a buried jewel in this record.© Kim Reick Kunoff /TiVo
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Lully: Armide

Les Talens Lyriques

Classical - Released March 24, 2017 | Aparté

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 4F de Télérama - Gramophone Editor's Choice
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Anima

Baptiste Trotignon

Classical - Released January 14, 2022 | Alpha Classics

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An eminent ambassador of the "French Touch" in jazz and winner of many awards (Django-Reinhardt, Victoires du Jazz, Django d’Or, SACEM jazz awards), Baptiste Trotignon has been composing for symphony orchestras and classical musicians for several years. The music on this album is not "symphonic jazz", says Trotignon, "but you can hear the sounds of the Afro-American musical language, whether in the harmonies or in the very motoric rhythms that are always in motion (dances, toccatas, grooves)". There are three pieces on the programme: Anima, the most ambitious work he has written to date, not only in terms of length but also in terms of orchestration, density "and a much stronger desire to make the orchestra sing"; Hiatus et turbulences, his very first piece with orchestra; and finally L’air de rien, a lighter piece which ends with a tango, and on which he himself plays the piano and adds improvised sections. © Alpha Classics
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Et nous voilà !

Nicolas Peyrac

French Music - Released October 14, 2013 | Wagram Music

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Cadmus & Hermione

Vincent Dumestre

Classical - Released May 1, 2021 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Jean-Baptiste Lully's Cadmus & Hermione of 1673 was arguably the first true French opera, telling a tragic story (Lully and his librettist Philippe Quinault called it a tragédie en lyrique), employing Italian-style recitatives, and collecting the varied music and dance forms of Louis XIV's opulent court into a coherent narrative that at once celebrated Louis (he is conflated with Cadmus of Thebes) and moved beyond the ceremonial nature of earlier French dramatic music. It's a sprawling work, with five acts, an overture, and a sizable Prologue with its own overture; highlights include a dragon that eats Africans, a monster snake, and a full complement of Greek gods and goddesses. Realization of the work has, until now, been beyond the means of early music performance groups, and this is the world premiere recording of the opera, made in 2019 and based on a 2008 performance at Versailles Palace by some of the same performers. The leader is Vincent Dumestre, conducting the Le Poème Harmonique orchestra and the vocal ensembles Aedes. The forces are large enough to capture the splendor of the music (thankfully, no one-voice-per-part techniques here), and Dumestre is alert to the huge variety of musical devices Lully brings to bear on his story; there are dances, big choruses, bagpipes, and much more. Cadmus & Hermione may be a difficult work to bring to life for modern audiences, but Dumestre keeps things moving along and probably comes as close as anyone could. Of course, anyone interested in the life of the French court in the 17th century will find this an essential acquisition that will keep giving and giving. © TiVo
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Beyond the Forest

Ole Fredrik Norbye

Jazz - Released February 3, 2023 | AMP Music & Records

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Leclair: Scylla & Glaucus

Sébastien d'Hérin

Classical - Released November 27, 2015 | Alpha Classics

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Paradigmes : suppléments

La Femme

Alternative & Indie - Released October 15, 2021 | Disque Pointu

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The Sound Within My Mind

Eskild Okkenhaug Sextet

Jazz - Released August 11, 2023 | AMP Music & Records

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L'amour est sans pitié

Jean Leloup

Pop - Released August 1, 1990 | Audiogram

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Waltz of a Ghetto Fly

Amp Fiddler

Soul - Released January 26, 2004 | [PIAS] Recordings Catalogue

Distinctions The Qobuz Ideal Discography
Listeners familiar with keyboardist/vocalist Amp Fiddler before his pair of 2002/2003 12" releases likely knew him through his associations with Detroit house figure Moodymann and, to a greater extent, his run-ins with George Clinton and Prince. In 1990, he also recorded an album with his brother Bubz, released under the name Mr. Fiddler; this project came and went without much notice, mostly because it failed to fit in with much of anything else at the time. Come 2003, however, you couldn't be a house head or read a dance-music-for-grown-folks magazine without hearing him or reading about him. In addition to the singles, Fiddler was the star of the phenomenal Moodymann production "I'm Doing Fine," credited to Amp Dog Knight, as well as Only Child's upbeat disco-house track "U Bring Me Vibes." He also played a role in the Carl Craig-helmed Detroit Experiment, providing keys work and doing the vocal duties on a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Too High." After a couple decades spent floating around, Fiddler finally came up with his first solo album. Most of the cuts from those singles reappear here in slightly different forms, while the remainder is all new. Just like the Mr. Fiddler album, Waltz of a Ghetto Fly is something of an anomaly, mixing up the occasional 4/4 house track with funky R&B that's reminiscent of There's a Riot Goin' On-era Sly Stone (this goes beyond the references to "You Caught Me Smilin'" in "You Played Me") and Fiddler's past connections. Since the house tracks also draw heavily upon '70s funk, the album is more cohesive than you'd expect. Throughout, Fiddler maintains a steady, assured, laid-back flow. Even at his most aggressive -- as on the protest song "Love and War" (with backing courtesy of Moodymann) and the sweaty "Superficial" -- it goes down smoothly and richly, as suitable for background listening as it is a get-together. Hearing Fiddler's voice -- alternating between a butter-smooth croon and a deep-throated yowl -- and sensitive keyboard wriggles throughout the course of an entire album is a pure joy.© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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De verre en vers

Yves Jamait

French Music - Released January 1, 2001 | Wagram Music