Information
Composer: Francis Poulenc
Felicity Lott, soprano
Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano (26)
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor (4)
Richard Jackson, baritone (23, 28)
Graham Johnson, piano
Date: 1984/2011
Label: Hyperion
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDH55366
- (01) Voyage à Paris (No. 4 of Banalités)
- (02) Deux Mélodies de Guillaume Apollinaire
- (04) Bleuet
- (05) Voyage (No. 7 of Calligrammes)
- (06) Hôtel (No. 2 of Banalités)
- (07) Trois Poèmes de Louise Lalanne
- (10) Tel jour telle nuit
- (20) Métamorphoses
- (23) Colloque
- (24) Deux Poèmes de Louis Aragon
- (26) Priez pour paix
- (27) À sa guitare
- (28) Toréador
- (29) Nous voulons une petite sœur (No. 1 of Quatre Chansons pour enfants)
- (30) Les chemins de l'amour (from the lost incidental music Léocadia)
Felicity Lott, soprano
Ann Murray, mezzo-soprano (26)
Anthony Rolfe Johnson, tenor (4)
Richard Jackson, baritone (23, 28)
Graham Johnson, piano
Date: 1984/2011
Label: Hyperion
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDH55366
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Built with ingenuity (as always with Songmakers' Almanac programmes) around Poulenc's lifelong devotion to his native Paris—he never concealed his boredom with the provinces and the countryside, and his joy at returning home is reflected in the Voyage a Paris waltz which was a favourite encore of his—this compilation of 30 of his songs is dedicated ''to the memory of our beloved teacher and friend Pierre Bernac, who in the singing of Poulenc set our generation an example difficult to emulate, impossible to better''. By coincidence, what should simultaneously appear, out of the blue, but three LPs from the UK organization The Friends of Pierre Bernac, containing skillful transfers by Keith Hardwick of 78s made between 1937 and 1948 by the distinguished French artist with his friend and colleague Poulenc (born just five days before him), plus two BBC broadcasts of 1957 and 1977 (the latter in stereo)?
A comparison of the songs common to both releases is therefore of particular interest. Bernac, whose impeccable clarity of enunciation has become legendary and who was unrivalled in verbal nuance and coloration, might well have been proud of these disciples of his. Felicity Lott knows how to spin a fine line (as in ''Bonne journee'' and ''Une herbe pauvre'' from Tel jour, telle nuit) and has a beauty of vocal quality that enables her to outdo her mentor at the climax of ''A toutes brides'' and of ''Figure de force'' (Tel jour, telle nuit). She doesn't quite command the trenchant articulation needed to put over the detail of Louis Aragon's ''Fetes galantes''—though here Graham Johnson, sensitive and brilliant pianist as he is, and in ''Paganini'' (Metamorphoses) and ''A toutes brides'' cleaner than Poulenc, is just a trifle over-enthusiastic for her; and though she appreciates the pathos of ''C'' (Deux poemes) she can't be expected to match the anguish that characterizes Bernac's unforgettably poignant wartime interpretation. There is a splendid moment near the end of her ''Bonne journee'' (Tel jour) when the words ''qui soudain, trempee d'aurore' are infused with the ring of rapture.
Among other fine performances on the songmakers' Almanac record must be mentioned that of Bleuet (slang for a poilu or common soldier) by Anthony Rolfe Johnson, whose use of mi-voix is in the true Bernac tradition, and of the profoundly moving Priez pour paix by Ann Murray. But Felicity Lott shoulders the main responsibility, and she is admirable in lyrical songs like Tu vois le feu du soir and the languid Hotel. Hyperion have provided excellent notes by Graham Johnson and translations of the texts by Winifred Radford (though several errors have slipped past the proof-reader).
To return to the Bernac records, what is particularly striking is the evidence of his ability to extend his compass and to switch from one style to another—from Poulenc's mischievous gaminerie to his sentimental but un-cloying sweetness, from Tender sincerity to nobility. The voice as such was not a God-given glory (and in the 1957 broadcast was evidently past its best), but he used it with consummate artistry and taste, bringing everything he touched to vivid life, employing a surprising diversity of timbres. There has not been more affecting singing of Faure's Apres un reve than this, nor a more playful Satie Le chapelier; and Ravel's Don Quichotte songs here had the advantage of being rehearsed with the composer present. A mere six weeks before his 79th birthday he narrated Jean de Brunhoff's Babar the little elephant with Graham Johnson playing Poulenc's music with all possible verve and subtlety: it is a sheer delight, making this record one not to be missed on any account.
-- Gramophone
More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Aug11/Poulenc_Voyage_cdh55366.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Melodies-Francis-Poulenc-Johnson/dp/B01MFDUFT0/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voyage-Paris-F-Poulenc/dp/B004V4GXUC
A comparison of the songs common to both releases is therefore of particular interest. Bernac, whose impeccable clarity of enunciation has become legendary and who was unrivalled in verbal nuance and coloration, might well have been proud of these disciples of his. Felicity Lott knows how to spin a fine line (as in ''Bonne journee'' and ''Une herbe pauvre'' from Tel jour, telle nuit) and has a beauty of vocal quality that enables her to outdo her mentor at the climax of ''A toutes brides'' and of ''Figure de force'' (Tel jour, telle nuit). She doesn't quite command the trenchant articulation needed to put over the detail of Louis Aragon's ''Fetes galantes''—though here Graham Johnson, sensitive and brilliant pianist as he is, and in ''Paganini'' (Metamorphoses) and ''A toutes brides'' cleaner than Poulenc, is just a trifle over-enthusiastic for her; and though she appreciates the pathos of ''C'' (Deux poemes) she can't be expected to match the anguish that characterizes Bernac's unforgettably poignant wartime interpretation. There is a splendid moment near the end of her ''Bonne journee'' (Tel jour) when the words ''qui soudain, trempee d'aurore' are infused with the ring of rapture.
Among other fine performances on the songmakers' Almanac record must be mentioned that of Bleuet (slang for a poilu or common soldier) by Anthony Rolfe Johnson, whose use of mi-voix is in the true Bernac tradition, and of the profoundly moving Priez pour paix by Ann Murray. But Felicity Lott shoulders the main responsibility, and she is admirable in lyrical songs like Tu vois le feu du soir and the languid Hotel. Hyperion have provided excellent notes by Graham Johnson and translations of the texts by Winifred Radford (though several errors have slipped past the proof-reader).
To return to the Bernac records, what is particularly striking is the evidence of his ability to extend his compass and to switch from one style to another—from Poulenc's mischievous gaminerie to his sentimental but un-cloying sweetness, from Tender sincerity to nobility. The voice as such was not a God-given glory (and in the 1957 broadcast was evidently past its best), but he used it with consummate artistry and taste, bringing everything he touched to vivid life, employing a surprising diversity of timbres. There has not been more affecting singing of Faure's Apres un reve than this, nor a more playful Satie Le chapelier; and Ravel's Don Quichotte songs here had the advantage of being rehearsed with the composer present. A mere six weeks before his 79th birthday he narrated Jean de Brunhoff's Babar the little elephant with Graham Johnson playing Poulenc's music with all possible verve and subtlety: it is a sheer delight, making this record one not to be missed on any account.
-- Gramophone
More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2011/Aug11/Poulenc_Voyage_cdh55366.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Melodies-Francis-Poulenc-Johnson/dp/B01MFDUFT0/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Voyage-Paris-F-Poulenc/dp/B004V4GXUC
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Francis Poulenc (7 January 1899 – 30 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. A member of group Les Six, Poulenc had a reputation, particularly in his native country, as a humorous, lightweight composer, and his religious music was often overlooked. During the 21st century more attention has been given to his serious works. Among his best-known compositions are Trois mouvements perpétuels (piano suite, 1919), Les biches (ballet, 1923), Concert champêtre (1928), Organ Concerto (1938), Dialogues des Carmélites (opera, 1957), and Gloria (for soprano, choir and orchestra, 1959).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Poulenc
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Poulenc
***
Felicity Lott (born 8 May 1947 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire) is an English soprano. Lott took singing lessons at the conservatory in Grenoble, and graduated from the Royal Academy of Music, winning the Principal's Prize. She made her debut in 1975 as Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the English National Opera. Lott has a special love for French "mélodies", German "Lieder" and the English song repertoire, particularly the songs of Benjamin Britten. Her accompanist since her student days has been Graham Johnson, and they have given a great number of recitals together.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicity_Lott
http://www.felicitylott.de/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felicity_Lott
http://www.felicitylott.de/
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