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Eclect!que

Gaëtan Roussel

French Music - Released November 24, 2023 | Play Two

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Le Manuscrit de Madame Théobon

Christophe Rousset

Classical - Released September 17, 2021 | Aparté

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This manuscript, from Christophe Rousset’s private collection, was discovered by him in 2004. Property of Madame de Théobon, one of Louis XIV’s mistresses, it contains not only the essential French harpsichord pieces of the late seventeenth century, but also many transcriptions of compositions by Lully and several hitherto completely unknown works. Providing precious insight into the musical practices of that time, these pieces are recorded here for the first time. With its powerful sound, the Nicolas Dumont harpsichord of 1704 does them full justice. © Aparté
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Olivier Messiaen : Turangalîla-Symphonie

Angela Hewitt

Classical - Released June 3, 2014 | Ondine

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 5 de Diapason - 4 étoiles Classica
With the growing number of performances and recordings, Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-symphonie has become his best-known orchestral work and something of a hit, if such an expansive and influential work can be narrowly categorized as such. Cast in ten movements for piano, ondes Martenot (an instrument similar to the theremin), and large orchestra, with many recurring themes and motives, Turangalîla-symphonie is a cyclic meditation inspired by Indian mysticism, as suggested by the composite title, which Messiaen translated as, "All at the same time song of love, hymn to joy, time, movement, rhythm, life, and death." This performance by Hannu Lintu and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, featuring Angela Hewitt on piano and Valérie Hartmann-Claverie on ondes Martenot, is an excellent presentation, full of vibrant sonorities and vigorous playing, all captured in Ondine's spacious multichannel recording. The hybrid SACD format offers the best way to appreciate Turangalîla, because the massive orchestra should be heard with all its parts distinctly separated, rather than as a thick, homogenous mass, and this recording brings great clarity to all the moving parts. But even more important than the internal details are the shockingly vivid tone colors, which are among the most exciting in 20th century orchestral music. In this area, Lintu draws out the most sharply defined sounds, and pays special attention to Messiaen's lush string and wind textures and sharply accented percussion. Highly recommended to newcomers and Messiaen aficionados alike.© TiVo
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Weltentraum

Michael Wollny

Jazz - Released January 31, 2014 | ACT Music

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Dis-moi Vénus…

Marie Perbost

Classical - Released September 22, 2023 | Château de Versailles Spectacles

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Rita Strohl: Musique vocale

Elsa Dreisig

Mélodies - Released October 27, 2023 | La Boîte à Pépites

Hi-Res Booklet Distinctions 4F de Télérama - Choc de Classica
The rediscovery of music by female composers came a bit later to France than it did to Britain or the U.S., but the new label La Boîte à Pépites is changing that with a series of generous releases illustrated by nifty drawings of the composers. The label does a real service here with this double-album revival of vocal music by Rita Strohl (songs, plus a fascinating set for narrator and piano), who lived from 1865 to 1941. It is hard to understand the neglect of her music, which was praised by Henri Duparc and programmed by Pablo Casals in its own time. In these songs, it is a bit hard to hear the "compositrice de la démesure" ("composer of excess") promised by the album's subtitle; perhaps that is still to come in the label's series, but Strohl did expand upon her models -- Franck, with some Wagner and Debussy -- in striking ways. Perhaps the best-known Strohl work so far is the uniquely dramatic and programmatic cello sonata called Titus et Bérenice, presumably still to come from La Boîte à Pépites. However, the songs here are hefty in their ambition and reach, sounding in no way derivative of anybody else. Strohl offers her own set of Pierre Louÿs' lesbian Songs of Bilitis that could easily be programmed with Debussy's set of three. The second disc in the set is devoted mostly to settings of Baudelaire and other poets; the two cycles, written in 1891 and 1894, would have been received as entirely contemporary in their time. Most interesting of all is the set of narrations, titled Quand la flûte de Pan; they have Symbolist texts by the little-known Marie de Courpon, who was also a composer, and the relationship between text and music is fluid. The performances are by major artists, including the soprano Elsa Dreisig and baritone Stéphane Degout, which bodes well for the future of a series that has started promisingly indeed.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Farangi

Renaud Garcia-Fons

Miscellaneous - Released April 26, 2019 | Garcia Fons

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The first half of this duo plays the theorbo, an impressive kind of lute which comes from Renaissance Italy, featuring six to eight strings that are played, while six others resound harmoniously by means of vibration. The other simply plays a double bass, but his inventive and virtuose technique is still just as renowned. Throughout his own projects or his collaborative efforts with Dhafer Youssef, Angélique Ionatos and even Paul Simon, Renaud Garcia-Fons has proved that this giant of both jazz and classical orchestras can do grand things for pushing the limits of the imagination. The delicate dialogue between the two virtuosos goes back in time (and even takes steps to deconstruct it), highlighting the poetic bridges between Oriental and Western sounds. Farangi is made up of original compositions which call upon the cultural splendours of Persia (Légende persane, Le Sommeil de Manjûn, Sahneh Mountains) and mystical Ottoman whispers (Comme un derviche amoureux, Nove Alla Turca, Tocsin de Palmyre). It breathes new life into the golden age of the Andaluz (Toledo del Greco) and ties together the refinement of baroque music to the freedom of jazz. Full of knowledge but ultimately incredibly transparent, Farangi (“stranger” in Persian) is not to be feared: it provides invaluable riches. © Benjamin MiNiMuM/Qobuz
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Est-ce que tu sais ?

Gaëtan Roussel

Pop - Released October 29, 2021 | Play Two

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Charles Koechlin : Orchestral Works

Heinz Holliger

Symphonic Music - Released October 13, 2017 | SWR Classic

Booklet Distinctions Diapason d'or - Choc de Classica
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So Romantique !

Cyrille Dubois

Classical - Released March 10, 2023 | Alpha Classics

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Venus (Version Remasterisée)

Jean-Louis Murat

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

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Sommeil levant

Hoshi

Pop - Released June 5, 2020 | Jo&Co

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Le Ruban Dénoué - Valses

Frank Braley

Classical - Released December 1, 2023 | Sony Classical

Hi-Res Distinctions Diapason d'or
Composer Reynaldo Hahn is known mostly for his songs, and his music in the less common two-piano genre is all but forgotten. This release by pianists Frank Braley and Éric Le Sage may change that. The main attraction here, the waltz set Le Ruban Dénoué, contains marvelously evocative music; a "ruban dénoué" is an untied ribbon, and this work is indeed a gift for the listener who may not have heard it. The work consists of 12 waltzes, capped with a song rendered here by the ethereal Sandrine Piau; the waltzes have titles that seem to carry an unlikely degree of specificity ("Indolent Decrees of Chance," "The Lost Ring"), but listen and hear how the complexity of Hahn's textures brings them alive. Braley and Le Sage do not miss a detail. These pieces appeared in 1915 when Hahn was serving as a clerk at the front in World War I, and they feel like an uncannily detailed look back into a past that was instantly disappearing. The program is filled out with interesting two-piano works by Chabrier and Hahn; especially charming is Hahn's three-movement Pour bercer un convalescent ("Rocking a Convalescent"), limpid despite the use of two pianos. A delightful release that may leave listeners wondering where this music has been all their lives.© James Manheim /TiVo
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Neeme Järvi Conducts Massenet

Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Symphonies - Released May 1, 2014 | Chandos

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Nadia & Lili Boulanger: Les Heures claires (The complete Songs)

Lucile Richardot

Mélodies - Released February 24, 2023 | harmonia mundi

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The output of sisters Nadia and Lili Boulanger has found much greater exposure than it had at the last turn of the century, but that changes with this complete survey headed by mezzo-soprano Lucile Richardot and pianist Anne de Fornel. This release is, of course, essential for aficionados of music by women. Three hours of songs in essentially consistent styles might seem a lot for general listeners, but in fact, there are many features of interest beyond simply the presence of a valuable reference resource. One is the moderate but definite difference in style between the two sisters. Although Nadia was the elder, it was Lili who pushed the Debussy language in new directions, and Nadia soon stopped composing after her sister's untimely death. The two sisters did share an orientation toward the same poets, and the album offers a deep dive into the world of Silvestre, Verlaine, Samain, and Maeterlinck. Richardot and de Fornel are sensitive interpreters of those texts, and they approach each of these songs in fully individual ways. Sample Nadia's L'échange: one of her last compositions, it depicts a downer of a lament about a woman drawn into love for an alcoholic. They also recruit excellent collaborators, namely baritone Stéphane Degout and soprano Raquel Camarinha as well as violinist Sarah Nemtanu and cellist Emmanuel Bertrand in the small chamber works that break up the flow of songs. With fine sound from an auditorium at La Seine Musicale in Paris, this is a release that will find a durable place in collections. It landed on classical best-seller charts in early 2023. © James Manheim /TiVo
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L'heptade XL

Harmonium

French Music - Released November 16, 1976 | Sony Music Canada

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Même pas sommeil

CharlElie Couture

French Music - Released January 25, 2019 | Rue bleue

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La notte, la notte

Étienne Daho

French Music - Released March 3, 1984 | Parlophone (France)

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Reveries

Eiji Oue

Classical - Released January 1, 2002 | Reference Recordings

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Debussy: Estampes, Pour le piano, Piano Works

Alain Planès

Classical - Released February 22, 2007 | harmonia mundi