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This is a nicely programmed album consisting of French song cycles spaced several decades apart from the 19th and early 20th centuries. One of them, the Mélodies Persanes ("Persian Songs") of Saint-Saëns, is not a common item; with its bouncy text-setting, nobody would compare it to the deep Eastern influences woven into various Ravel works, but then, Ravel was inspired to execute those by listening to Saint-Saëns. In Berlioz's Les nuits d'été and Ravel's Shéhérazade, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux has plenty of competition, but there is less for the Saint-Saëns. Another attraction is the work of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under conductor Kazumi Yamada, neither a household name. The group is velvety smooth in the Berlioz cycle, with quiet and perfectly controlled string sound throughout. The strings match the voice of Lemieux beautifully; both have a luxuriance that fits the extravagantly Romantic texts of the Berlioz. So, everything is in place here, and listeners' reactions to the whole are likely to come down to their feelings about Lemieux's voice itself. It has a rapid, confident vibrato that is remarkably pitch-accurate as it moves up and down within her range. To these ears, it is beautiful. It also doesn't vary much according to the text; the Saint-Saëns songs and Ravel's Asie, which are intended to evoke exotic melodic traits, sound much like the Berlioz. A bit of sampling will likely determine one's enjoyment of the album in general, and there are certainly many things to like here.
© James Manheim /TiVo
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Hector Berlioz, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Théophile Gautier, Poet - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Hector Berlioz, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Théophile Gautier, Poet - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Hector Berlioz, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Théophile Gautier, Poet - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Hector Berlioz, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Théophile Gautier, Poet - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Hector Berlioz, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Théophile Gautier, Poet - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Hector Berlioz, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Théophile Gautier, Poet - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist - Armand Renaud, Poet
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Maurice Ravel, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Tristan Klingsor, Poet - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Maurice Ravel, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Tristan Klingsor, Poet - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Maurice Ravel, Composer - Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo, Orchestra, MainArtist - Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Contralto Vocals, MainArtist - Tristan Klingsor, Poet - Kazuki Yamada, Conductor, MainArtist
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
Album review
This is a nicely programmed album consisting of French song cycles spaced several decades apart from the 19th and early 20th centuries. One of them, the Mélodies Persanes ("Persian Songs") of Saint-Saëns, is not a common item; with its bouncy text-setting, nobody would compare it to the deep Eastern influences woven into various Ravel works, but then, Ravel was inspired to execute those by listening to Saint-Saëns. In Berlioz's Les nuits d'été and Ravel's Shéhérazade, contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux has plenty of competition, but there is less for the Saint-Saëns. Another attraction is the work of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo under conductor Kazumi Yamada, neither a household name. The group is velvety smooth in the Berlioz cycle, with quiet and perfectly controlled string sound throughout. The strings match the voice of Lemieux beautifully; both have a luxuriance that fits the extravagantly Romantic texts of the Berlioz. So, everything is in place here, and listeners' reactions to the whole are likely to come down to their feelings about Lemieux's voice itself. It has a rapid, confident vibrato that is remarkably pitch-accurate as it moves up and down within her range. To these ears, it is beautiful. It also doesn't vary much according to the text; the Saint-Saëns songs and Ravel's Asie, which are intended to evoke exotic melodic traits, sound much like the Berlioz. A bit of sampling will likely determine one's enjoyment of the album in general, and there are certainly many things to like here.
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 17 track(s)
- Total length: 01:10:45
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Marie-Nicole Lemieux Orchestre Philharmonique de Monté-Carlo Kazuki Yamada
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Warner Classics
- Genre: Classical
A Warner Classics/Erato release, © 2023 Parlophone Records Limited A Warner Classics/Erato release, ℗ 2023 Parlophone Records Limited
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