Wow, more discovery! I'd love to hear these but my pile of little explored CDs of unfamiliar repertoire is getting bigger as the weeks go by. Up to now the only lady composers whose music I know and love are Lili Boulanger and Florence Price. This review whets my appetite particularly for the music of sister Nadia, Louise Farrenc and Cécile Chaminade. Keep the reviews coming of composers from off the beaten track.
I was really smitten by the Second Piano Concerto of Marie Jaëll on Bru Zane's fabulous package devoted to her. (In fact, by total coincidence, I wrote about it in a magazine this week.) It's gloriously eccentric but repays repeated listening.
I have the EMI release of these works with Slatkin and the St. Louis Orchestra; got it for 99cents at my local Goodwill store - wonderful performances!
Speaking of panting and drooling.......I have in front of me at this moment an LP of the "World Premiere Recordings of Lili Boulanger," recorded on the Everest label I guess in the 1960's, with Igor Markevitch and the Orchestre Lamoureux, recorded under the direction of Nadia Boulanger. It includes Du Fond de L'Abîme, Psaume 24, Psaume 129, Vieille Preière Bouddhique, and Pie Jesu, which is probably all she was able to finish before she died at the ripe old age of 24. Lili's music is beyond gorgeous. I'm wondering what's included in the eight discs.
There are a number of fabulous pieces on this compilation (I'd no idea Charlotte Sohy had written a symphony!) however the one that I'm wearing out is the Rita Strohl quintet. I play it over and over; it's a _masterpiece._ Incredible depth, freshness, passion, risk and even humour. Amongst my top finds of 2023.
Great to see these composers getting some attention. Three other wonderful female French composers that I have in my collection but seemingly have not been included in this recording are Claude Arrieu, Germain Taillefare (hope I spelled it correct) and the excellent Ida Gotkovsy.
I saw this a few months ago, when it was not released yet but was on an "upcoming releases" list. I remember thinking that it looked interesting. This reminds me of it, and I'll probably end up buying it now. It has been released in a way that should please everybody - physical copy, digital download, and streaming are all available. This is how everything should be made available.
Everything Bru Zane does is a class act. And it is worth noting that they have their fingers in recording series on other labels, particularly Alpha. My favorite Bru Zane series are their French Grand Operas (Spontini, Cherubini, Meyerbeer, David, Gounod, Saint-Saens) and light operas (Offenbach, Messager, Hahn). OK, I collect everything they do. But their recent Robert le Diable could be considered a reference recording and I am feeling similarly about their La Vestale. I think a new recording of Franck's Hulda and Cherubini's Medee are in their pipeline.
Erin Morley is a magnificent Isabelle, but the Bertram should have been much better. I said elsewhere that I could have done without the cuts but they DID open up some music in the score never heard before. I believe Bru Zane also has Massenet's Ariane coming up.
One femaleFrench composer Id like to hear more of is Louise Bertin. Accord has given us her collaboration with Victor Hugo, La Esmeralda, and on the basis of that, Id love to hear more. My one gripe with Bru Zane, and I have virtually their entire output,is their cavalier attitude to cuts. Often we get the works marvelously complete especially first recordings but the cuts in Halevy's Reine de Chyphre or Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable (where virtually the entire, crucial Act 1 gambling scene is excised) are deplorable. And unnecessary. Odyssey Opera is a model here, their recent Saint-Saens Henry VIII on four cds letting us hear music not heard since 1883 and revealing the whole epic seeep of the piece. Bru Zane's presentation is otherwise exemplary and a real class act. The only poor, ill-advised release that I've heard was an uninteresting and absurdly cut La Perichole. But Voyage dans le Lune and other Offenbach releases more than made up for it.
It's not just their top-notch content, their physical product is so well presented it screams "this is special".
Wow, more discovery! I'd love to hear these but my pile of little explored CDs of unfamiliar repertoire is getting bigger as the weeks go by. Up to now the only lady composers whose music I know and love are Lili Boulanger and Florence Price. This review whets my appetite particularly for the music of sister Nadia, Louise Farrenc and Cécile Chaminade. Keep the reviews coming of composers from off the beaten track.
I was really smitten by the Second Piano Concerto of Marie Jaëll on Bru Zane's fabulous package devoted to her. (In fact, by total coincidence, I wrote about it in a magazine this week.) It's gloriously eccentric but repays repeated listening.
I have the EMI release of these works with Slatkin and the St. Louis Orchestra; got it for 99cents at my local Goodwill store - wonderful performances!
Speaking of panting and drooling.......I have in front of me at this moment an LP of the "World Premiere Recordings of Lili Boulanger," recorded on the Everest label I guess in the 1960's, with Igor Markevitch and the Orchestre Lamoureux, recorded under the direction of Nadia Boulanger. It includes Du Fond de L'Abîme, Psaume 24, Psaume 129, Vieille Preière Bouddhique, and Pie Jesu, which is probably all she was able to finish before she died at the ripe old age of 24. Lili's music is beyond gorgeous. I'm wondering what's included in the eight discs.
There are a number of fabulous pieces on this compilation (I'd no idea Charlotte Sohy had written a symphony!) however the one that I'm wearing out is the Rita Strohl quintet. I play it over and over; it's a _masterpiece._ Incredible depth, freshness, passion, risk and even humour. Amongst my top finds of 2023.
Great to see these composers getting some attention. Three other wonderful female French composers that I have in my collection but seemingly have not been included in this recording are Claude Arrieu, Germain Taillefare (hope I spelled it correct) and the excellent Ida Gotkovsy.
Sorry.. not quite. It's GermainE Tailleferre.
I saw this a few months ago, when it was not released yet but was on an "upcoming releases" list. I remember thinking that it looked interesting. This reminds me of it, and I'll probably end up buying it now. It has been released in a way that should please everybody - physical copy, digital download, and streaming are all available. This is how everything should be made available.
Everything Bru Zane does is a class act. And it is worth noting that they have their fingers in recording series on other labels, particularly Alpha. My favorite Bru Zane series are their French Grand Operas (Spontini, Cherubini, Meyerbeer, David, Gounod, Saint-Saens) and light operas (Offenbach, Messager, Hahn). OK, I collect everything they do. But their recent Robert le Diable could be considered a reference recording and I am feeling similarly about their La Vestale. I think a new recording of Franck's Hulda and Cherubini's Medee are in their pipeline.
Hulda should be out shortly.
Erin Morley is a magnificent Isabelle, but the Bertram should have been much better. I said elsewhere that I could have done without the cuts but they DID open up some music in the score never heard before.
I believe Bru Zane also has Massenet's Ariane coming up.
@@bbailey7818 That will be interesting. I have the old Montpellier(?) recording on Koch.
I look forward to Bru Zane's release of Ferdinand Hérold's "Zampa, ou La fiancée de marbre" (whenever that will be, and hopefully soon).
One femaleFrench composer Id like to hear more of is Louise Bertin. Accord has given us her collaboration with Victor Hugo, La Esmeralda, and on the basis of that, Id love to hear more.
My one gripe with Bru Zane, and I have virtually their entire output,is their cavalier attitude to cuts. Often we get the works marvelously complete especially first recordings but the cuts in Halevy's Reine de Chyphre or Meyerbeer's Robert le Diable (where virtually the entire, crucial Act 1 gambling scene is excised) are deplorable. And unnecessary. Odyssey Opera is a model here, their recent Saint-Saens Henry VIII on four cds letting us hear music not heard since 1883 and revealing the whole epic seeep of the piece.
Bru Zane's presentation is otherwise exemplary and a real class act. The only poor, ill-advised release that I've heard was an uninteresting and absurdly cut La Perichole. But Voyage dans le Lune and other Offenbach releases more than made up for it.