Various Composers - Women Composers of La Belle Époque (Laetitia Grimaldi; Ammiel Bushakevitz)

Information

1. Mel Bonis - Invocation
2. Mel Bonis - Élève-toi mon âme
3. Mel Bonis - Songe
4. Mel Bonis - Un soir
5. Mel Bonis - Ave Maria
6. Cécile Chaminade - Villanelle
7. Cécile Chaminade - L'anneau d'argent
8. Cécile Chaminade - Nice-la-belle
9. Armande de Polignac - Chant d'amour
10. Armande de Polignac - Jardin du roi
11. Armande de Polignac - Ne me regarde pas
12. Juliette Folville - Songe
13. Pauline Viardot - Les ombres de minuit
14. Pauline Viardot - Les deux roses
15. Pauline Viardot - Haï luli
16. Pauline Viardot - Les étoiles
17. Marguerite Béclard d'Harcourt - Le rêve de la vallée
18. Hélène-Frédérique de Faye-Jozin - Printemps
19. Gabrielle Ferrari - Chanson d'exil
20. Augusta Holmès - C'est un oiseau du bois sauvage
21. Augusta Holmès - Les lavandières
22. Augusta Holmès - À Trianon

Laetitia Grimaldi, soprano

Ammiel Bushakevitz, piano

Date: 2022

Label: BIS
https://bis.se/performers/grimaldi-laetitia/ombres-women-composers-of-la-belle-epoque

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Review

This recital combines songs by increasingly familiar figures like Augusta Mary Anne Holmès, Mel Bonis, Cécile Chaminade and Pauline Viardot with more recent ‘rediscoveries’: Armande de Polignac, harpsichordist Juliette Folville, folklorist Marguerite Béclard d’Harcourt, pianist-poet Hélène-Frédérique de Faye-Jozin and opera composer Gabrielle Ferrari.

This fine duo has evidently done extensive research to assemble this innovative and attractive programme. Although each composer is unique, the recital is unified by the distinctive, otherworldly belle-epoque aesthetic.

Bonis’s songs have gloriously sensual piano accompaniments and unexpected harmonies. The melody of ‘Élève-toi mon âme’ soars alongside the cello obbligato, beautifully played by Talia Erdal. Bushakevitz’s fingers are fleet in the sparkling, rapid textures of Chaminade’s ‘Villanelle’, while ‘L’anneau d’argent’ is performed with tenderness and dignity.

Polignac transforms the mood, recalling Reynaldo Hahn, but with a more exploratory voice. ‘Jardin du roi’ brings magical tranquillity. Slighter songs, like that by Folville and Ferrari, are still delivered sympathetically.

Viardot’s mercurial cosmopolitanism is brilliantly showcased, with an enjoyable deep piano rumble in ‘Les ombres de minuit’ and a spacious, luminous rendition of ‘Les deux roses’. The single song by Béclard d’Harcourt is impressive.

Holmès’s songs are wonderfully operatic. The recitative-like ‘C’est un oiseau’ retains integrity of melody in this heartfelt performance. The deceptively simple ‘Les lavandières’ packs an expressive punch. ‘À Trianon’ makes a playful ending to this revelatory recital.

Grimaldi’s sweet-toned voice is often hugely appealing, and she’s excellently matched by Bushakevitz. Although I wanted more colouristic variety and expressive range, this delightful recital is a must for all French song-lovers.

-- Natasha Loges, BBC Music Magazine

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Laetitia Grimaldi is a French lyric soprano. Born in Tours and spent her childhood in Lisbon and London, Grimaldi studied with Teresa Berganza, then with Lorraine Nubar at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School in New York City. She changed to soprano under the mentorship of Matthias Goerne. Since her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013, Grimaldi has sung in many renowned halls, opera stages and international festivals worldwide. Recent performances include extensive recital tours in China, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, the USA, and throughout Europe.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laetitia_Grimaldi

https://www.laetitiagrimaldi.com/

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Ammiel Bushakevitz (born 9 April 1986 in Jerusalem) is an Israeli-South African pianist. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig and the Conservatoire de Paris. Bushakevitz is a prize-winner at numerous competitions, such as the Wigmore Hall Competition in London and the Concours Léopold Bellan in Paris. He performs regularly at notable venues across Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Australia, and has appeared at the festivals of Salzburg, Bayreuth and Lucerne. His discography includes recordings with critical acclaim on labels such BIS, Hänssler and Gramola.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammiel_Bushakevitz

https://www.bushakevitz.com/

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