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In his poem Art poetique, Paul Verlaine declared that poetry should, above all, be musical: 'De la musique avant toute chose'. This quality in his work was already recognized by composers during his lifetime, and it is sometimes claimed that Verlaine has been set to music more often than any other poet after him. For their Verlaine Songbook, Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton have selected songs by ten composers, including two complete cycles – Faure's La Bonne Chanson and Debussy's Ariettes oubliees. The 33 songs on the disc set a total of 25 texts – several poems by Verlaine have attracted more than one composer, and Clair de lune appears three times, in versions by Debussy, Faure and Joseph Szulc, while La lune blanche can be heard no less than four, in versions by Faure, Ernest Chausson, Reynaldo Hahn and Poldowski – the pseudonym of the Belgian-born British composer Regine Wieniawski. Released in 2015 to critical acclaim, Carolyn Sampson's debut recital disc, Fleurs (BIS-2102), was a flower-themed anthology with songs by composers ranging from Purcell to Benjamin Britten via Schubert and Debussy. On the present disc the repertoire is rather more concentrated in time – all songs were composed during a span of 35 years (c. 1880-1915) – but the variety is nevertheless striking: a reflection of how different artistic temperaments have responded to the many-facetted Verlaine. |
Carolyn Sampson soprano Joseph Middleton piano
Claude Debussy
Fetes galantes, 1er recueil 7'00
01 I. En sourdine 2'58
02 II. Fantoches 1'20
03 III. Clair de lune 2'42
Poldowski
04 Cythere 0'51
05 En sourdine 2'44
06 Colombine 1'53
07 L'heure exquise 2'53
08 Mandoline 1'34
Ravel
09 Sur l'herbe 2'07
Josef Zygmunt Szulc
10 Clair de lune 3'08
Deodat De Severac
11 Le ciel est, par-dessus le toit 3'28
Gabriel Faure
La Bonne Chanson 19'37
12 I. Une sainte en son aureole 2'08
13 II. Puisque l'aube grandit 1'49
14 III. La lune blanche 2'09
15 IV. J'allais par des chemins perfides 1'39
16 V. J'ai presque peur, en verite 2'16
17 VI. Avant que tu ne t'en ailles 2'26
18 VII. Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'ete 2'22
19 VIII. N'est-ce pas ? 2'05
20 IX. L'hiver a cesse 2'43
Ernest Chausson
21 Apaisement 2'50
Camille Saint-Saëns
22 Le vent dans la plaine 1'21
Reynaldo Hahn
7 Chansons grises 4'21
23 Tous deux 1'42
24 L'heure exquise 2'39
Gabriel Faure
25 Clair de lune 2'45
Charles Bordes
26 Colloque sentimental 4'24
Claude Debussy
Ariettes oubliees 15'09
27 I. C'est l'extase langoureuse 2'42
28 II. Il pleure dans mon coeur 2'26
29 III. L'ombre des arbres 2'25
30 IV. Chevaux de bois 3'12
31 V. Aquarelles I: Green 2'14
32 VI. Aquarelles II: Spleen 2'10
Deodat De Severac
33 Paysages tristes 1'45
Album total 80'00 |
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