Jules Massenet: Songs with Orchestra

by Herve Niquet, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris

Overview

The Palazzetto Bru Zane label has done yeoman's work in rediscovering unknown French music from the late Classical through the early modern periods, but the label may have outdone itself with this album of orchestral songs by Jules Massenet. It's the sheer size of the repertoire that astonishes; Massenet alone wrote some 300 of these, and they were also composed by Saint-Saens, Faure, Chausson, and a host of other composers. The Massenet songs here are all world recorded premieres. Why were they forgotten? The annotations point to the fact that, unlike Berlioz's Les nuits d'ete, they were never published; they were not written in sets but were intended for the kind of 19th century concert on which large and small works would be performed side by side. Indeed, one thing that strikes the listener about the Massenet songs is their brevity; they are not in the least like little operatic scenes but are fully self-contained. They have a great deal of charm, whether in irresistible miniatures like Baiser-Impromptu ("Impromptu Kiss"), slightly longer conceptions like Hymne d'amour, or instrumental pieces that are again not like operatic interludes but are really little orchestral songs without words. Conductor Herve Niquet, better known for work in early music, is absolutely in tune with these pieces, getting their delicacy with his small Orchestre de chambre de Paris. The pieces are of consistently high quality, and it is no wonder that he was able to attract high-profile singers like Veronique Gens and Cyrille Dubois, as well as a host of interesting up-and-comers, to the project. It is also no wonder that this album of completely unknown music hit the best-seller charts in the summer of 2022. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/24/2022
Label:	BRU ZANE
UPC:	8055776010052

Tracks

1. Pens¿¿e de printemps
2. Le po¿¿te et le fant¿¿me
3. Hymne d'Amour
4. Amoureuse
5. Si tu veux, Mignonne
6. Chant proven¿¿al
7. Le roman d'Arlequin~R¿¿verie de Colombine
8. Souvenez-vous, Vierge Marie! - Pri¿¿re de Saint Bernard
9. Les enfants
10. Pens¿¿e d'automne
11. Baiser-Impromptu
12. Je t'aime!
13. ¿¿ Colombine
14. Les ¿¿rinnyes~Sc¿¿ne religieuse
15. S¿¿ur d'¿¿lection
16. Po¿¿me pastoral~Cr¿¿puscule
17. Po¿¿me pastoral~Aurore
18. Pitchounette
19. L' Improvisatore - Rimembranza di Trastevere
20. Les fleurs
21. Th¿¿r¿¿se~Menuet d¿¿¿amour
22. Marquise
23. On dit!
24. Po¿¿me pastoral~Musette
25. La Vie de Boh¿¿me~La Chanson de Musette

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Herve Niquet   Primary Artist,Conductor
Orchestre de Chambre de Paris   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Cyrille Dubois   Tenor (Vocal)
Etienne Dupuis   Baritone (Vocal)
Nicole Car   Soprano (Vocal)
Chantal Santon Jeffery   Soprano (Vocal)
Jodie Devos   Soprano (Vocal)
Veronique Gens   Soprano (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Valentin Iglesias   Design
Dorle Ellmers   Liner Note Translation
Paul Armand Silvestre   Text
Zsofia Raffay   Photography
Jean Roux   Text
Jean-Christophe Branger   Liner Notes
Etienne Jardin   Editorial Director
Suzanne Bozzani   Text
Herve Oleon   Liner Notes
Rosa Giglio   Executive Producer
Camille Merlin   Project Manager
Alice Ragon   Engineer
Elena Vignotto   Executive Producer
Jean-Baptiste Pellerin   Photography
Yan Bleney   Photography
Marco Borggreve   Photography
Charles Johnston   Liner Note Translation
Carlos Cester   Editorial Consultation
Louis Gallet   Text
Jiri Heger   Mixing,Editing,Engineer,Balance Engineer,Musical Producer
Julien Mignot   Photography
Alexandre Dratwicki   Liner Notes,Editorial Director
Sandrine Expilly   Photography
Michel Carre   Text
Georges Boyer   Text
Giuseppe Zaffira   Text
Henri Meilhac   Text
Jacques Normand   Text
Jules Massenet   Text,Composer
Emile Trolliet   Text
Henri Thirat   Portraits
Louis Morel-Retz   Text
Paul Desachy   Text