3F de Télérama

Composed by Stravinsky in 1933 in the wake of the French oratorio fashion whose figureheads are Milhaud (Les Choéphores) and Honegger (Le Roi David, Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher), and his own Oedipus Rex, Perséphone sanctifies the French period of the Russian composer, after he left Switzerland and before he settled definitely in the United States. Ordered by Ida Rubinstein, to whom music history already owed Debussy’s Martyre de Saint-Sébastien and Ravel’s Boléro, this melodrama, profane in its story and hybrid regarding its musical form, glorifies spring -without it being a new “Consecration” in its language) on a text by André Gide, thus prolonging the emotion created by the novel Si le grain ne meurt. The three acts of the work (Perséphone enlevée, Perséphone aux enfers, Perséphone renaissante) are close to human nature and psyche with an empathy reinforced by Stravinsky’s music. Conceived for a tenor (Eumolpe), a narrator, a mixed chorus, a chidren’s chorus and an orchestra, this work, so original in the production of its author, has however never found its audience. People long blamed Stravinsky for wringing the neck of the prosody of Gide’s text without understanding that it was however one of its more sensitive works, possessed with a melodic verve, a clear lyricism and a warmth for which he wasn’t known for. Under Esa-Pekka Salonen’s inspired and aerial baton, Perséphone finds here a second youth which might finally allow it to impose itself to a new generation of music lovers. This “strange profane mass” (as described by Marcel Marnat) is probably one of the most touching works of a composer that is always looking for new springs. © François Hudry/Qobuz

We'll admit: this Reine de Chypre by Fromental Halévy is probably not the unfairly-overlooked work of commanding genius for which the lyrical world has been waiting for fifty years… But it would still be a shame to miss it, especially when performed by such a line-up, with Véronique Gens, Cyrille Dubois and Etienne Dupuis at the top of the bill. And after all, the score is full of vocal marvels and very original ensembles; but it is rather in the orchestration – which is not much more adventurous than that of any other piece of Italian bel canto of the era – that Halévy has taken it easy. The melodic richness was pointed out in an article in the Revue et gazette musicale in April 1842: "In the Reine de Chypre, Halévy's new style is on display with more dash, and more success. I have had occasion to point out the preconditions, as I see them, of the production of a good opera, by pointing out the obstacles which stand in the way of meeting these conditions fully and in good time, whether by the poet or the composer. When these conditions are met, it is an event of great importance for the world of art. Now, in the present case, circumstances have conspired in the performance of a work which, as even the most exacting critic must admit, possesses all the qualities which constitute a good opera. (…) The composer has put all the enchantment of his art into the duet that breathes the sentiments that enrapture them. The dark cloth on which these two charming figures are drawn shows through even in those songs which are so sparkling and alive with happiness, like a sinister cloud, and lends them a particular character of melancholy intrigue. There is no equal, in nobility or in grace, of the magnificent melody of the final part of this duet." The article continues in this vein. The byline? One Richard Wagner… © SM/Qobuz

Like every great instrument blower, John Surman has a sound you’ll recognize from the first breath. A sound which is as much fed by the culture of his British motherland (local folklore is one of the components of his music) as by the culture from other countries. The saxophonist and clarinetist has crossed paths with pianist Nelson Ayres—well-known by the fans of Brazilian jazz for his work with Airto Moreira and Milton Nascimento—during a tour in South America. And it’s in Oslo that he met the American vibraphonist Rob Waring, an expat in Scandinavia… With Invisible Threads, the three men gathered to perform a programme mostly composed of Surman’s original pieces, recorded in Oslo in July 2017, under the artistic supervision of Mr. ECM, Manfred Eicher. This program is like an ode to melodies that transcend dialects. Once again, John Surman unfolds very singular and beautiful narrations, parcels of internal joys that are almost melancholic, at the heart of which the improvisations are drunk like divine elixirs. This jazz is of course different. And as the saxophonist has been a resident at ECM for decades, he’s also one of the components of the sound of the label from Munich, now more than ever. © MD/Qobuz

3 stars out of 5 -- "'Zoom Sur Oum' and 'Jamila' nod back to his electro phase.."

Leaping from the majors to the indies, Weezer misses not a beat, choosing to continue the co-writing craze Rivers Cuomo kicked off on 2009’s Raditude. Hurley -- named after Jorge Garcia’s beloved Lost character for no particular reason, but anybody with three eponymous albums in an eight-LP career doesn’t care much for titles in the first place -- is marginally louder and rougher than the clean sheen of Raditude, but not enough to fool anybody into thinking this is a punk rebirth. For Cuomo, independence means he can follow whatever notion seizes his fancy, and in this case he’s capitalizing on collaborations, penning eight of Hurley’s ten songs (the album runs four longer on a Deluxe Edition that includes a strong cover of Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida”) with a roster so diverse it borders on the nonsensical. Rivers is open to writing with anybody: he’ll construct slick modern pop with professional songsmiths Desmond Child and Linda Perry; sharpen up his power pop with the assistance of fellow former college rockers Dan Wilson and Ryan Adams, whose respective “Ruling Me” and “Run Away” are among the album’s highlights; and craft his sweetest, smartest tunes with No Doubt’s Tony Kanal (the crisp “Smart Girls”) and Rick Nowels, who co-wrote the classic “You Get What You Give” with Gregg Alexander and collaborates on “Hang On” here -- then, of all people, Cuomo gets old pro Mac Davis to work on the closer, “Time Flies.” Nothing on paper ties all these writers together but Rivers is the common denominator, so there’s a consistency of sound -- his co-writers amplify quirks and help him hone his craft, turning the songs tight and efficient. Sometimes, the quirks become overwhelming -- the one-note joke “Where’s My Sex?” wears out its welcome by the second verse -- but usually the melodies and riffs are clean, simple, and powerful, hooking immediately and sticking around for a while. Again, Cuomo doesn’t suppress his emotion; he just prefers sentiment (albeit delivered somewhat ironically as on lead single “Memories”), but what he loves most of all is a pure pop song and Hurley offers up its fair share. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

3 stars out of 5 -- "The music takes its time and unfolds on its own schedule, even embracing silence and stillness."

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