Lili Boulanger - Faust et Hélène; Psalms (Yan Pascal Tortelier)

Information

Composer: Lili Boulanger

1. Psaume 24: La terre appartient à l’Éternel
2. Faust et Hélène, cantata
3. D'un soir triste
4. D'un matin de printemps
5. Psaume 130: Du fond de l'abîme

Lynne Dawson, soprano (2)
Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano (5)
Bonaventura Bottone, tenor (2)
Neil MacKenzie, tenor (1, 5)
Jason Howard, bass (2)

City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus (1, 5)
BBC Philharmonic
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Date: 1999

Label: Chandos

https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%209745

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Review

What mysterious subterranean current is it that sparks different record companies, suddenly and simultaneously, into espousing the cause of some neglected composer? Few have been more overlooked than Lili Boulanger, overshadowed by the fame of her influential elder sister, but recognition – however belated, more than 80 years after her death – has never been more deserved. To a great extent the present disc duplicates Mark Stringer’s programme noted above (inevitably, since in her mere 24 years of life Lili’s output was limited) with first-class performances, splendidly recorded – the eloquent sombreness of D’un soir triste tugging at the heart, D’un matin de printemps deliciously airy and optimistic, Psalm 24 given tremendous attack by both orchestra and chorus (full marks for articulation of words!) and the powerful Psalm 130 worthily presented as the masterly, heartfelt work it is.

But the major work here, from every point of view, is the 30-minute cantata Faust et Helene in its first recording. No wonder that in 1913 it won the Premier Prix de Rome: the jury must have been thunderstruck by the maturity of this entry from a 19-year-old. It combines lyricism of striking beauty, rapturous fervour, emotional anguish and tense drama with, for a young composer, an astonishing sureness of touch in overall structure, freshness of invention, technical brilliance and imaginative scoring. Genius – a word not to be lightly employed – is not too strong a term. It seems to have inspired the present performers, among whom it is almost invidious to praise Bonaventura Bottone.

-- Lionel Salter, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/dec00/Boulanger.htm
http://www.amazon.com/Psaume-Faust-Helene-Soir-Triste/dp/B00000JWIU

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Lili Boulanger (21 August 1893 – 15 March 1918) was a French composer, the younger sister of the noted composer and composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. She was a child prodigy and studied with Gabriel Fauré and Louis Vierne among others. In 1913, at the age of 19, she became the first woman composer to win the Prix de Rome composition prize for her cantata 'Faust et Hélène'. Her work was noted for its colorful harmony and instrumentation and skillful text setting. Her life was troubled by chronic illness, leading to the "intestinal tuberculosis" (Crohn's disease) that cut short at the early age of 24.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lili_Boulanger

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Yan Pascal Tortelier (born 19 April 1947) is a French conductor and violinist, and is the son of the cellist Paul Tortelier. At age 14, he was a first-prize winner for violin at the Paris Conservatoire. He was principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra (1989-1992), the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra (1992-2003), Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo (OSESP) (2009-2011) and currently, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. He is a regular recording artist for Chandos Records, and has conducted commercial recordings for Chandos with the BBC Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the OSESP.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yan_Pascal_Tortelier

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