Complete Melodies
Maurice Ravel
CD Rel Date: 1985-03-31
French composer Maurice Ravel may be well known for his instrumental music, in particular the orchestral work Boléro, but it is his vocal compositions that fully encapsulate the shimmering colours of early-20th century music. Spanning an important period of Ravel's career, from 1893 up to 1932, this release is an integral recording of Ravel's songs, with both piano accompaniment and Ravel's original scoring for ensemble. Many of the works reveal Ravel's affinity with other cultures and his penchant for the exotic; from the Chansons madécasses, or 'Madagascan songs', to the Spanish-themed Habanera (a tribute to his part-Basque heritage) and the Cinq Mélodies populaires grecques, Ravel used the freedom of rarely-explored cultures to throw off his usual restraint and employ new, exciting harmonies and musical innovations. His use of dissonances comes to the fore in this last work, particularly on the second and seventh notes. At other points, he experimented with bitonality, as in the Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé, clearly influenced by Stravinsky and Schoenberg, which reveal a new penchant for challenging conventional harmony. His careful scoring, however - Ravel saw the orchestration of his music as a task equally as demanding as composition - allows the delicacy of the music to shine through. This album contains all of Ravel's vocal music, featuring four renowned singers supported by the Ensemble Contemporaneo dell'Umbria. Soprano Monica Piccinini, a major operatic performer who is debuting at La Scala later in 2015, is joined by mezzosopranos Elisabetta Lombardi and Sophie Marilley, both of whom have performed in opera houses across Europe, and German baritone Christian Immler, whose previous CD releases have been awarded the prestigious Diapason d'Or and Diapason Découverte. An important and prestigious new recording: the complete songs (mélodies) by Ravel!
Tracklist:
- Ballade De La Reine Morte D'aimer In D Minor, M. 4
- Un Grand Sommeil Noir In C-Sharp Minor, M. 6
- Sainte In G Minor, M. 9
- Chanson Du Rouet In E Major, M. 15
- Si Morne ! In F-Sharp Minor, M. 16
- Épigrammes De Clément Marot, M. 21: I. D'anne Qui Me Jecta De La Neige. Très Lent In G-Sharp Minor
- Épigrammes De Clément Marot, M. 10: II. D'anne Jouant De L'espinette. Très Léger Et D'un
- Manteau De Fleurs, M. 39: Modéré In D-Sharp Minor
- Shéhérazade, M. 41/1: I. Asie
- Shéhérazade, M. 41/2: II. La Flûte Enchantée
- Shéhérazade, M. 41/3: III. L'indifférent
- Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques, M.A 9: I. Chanson De La Mariée. Modéré In G Minor
- Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques, M.A. 10: II. Là-Bas, Vers L'église. Andante G-Sharp Minor
- Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques, M.A. 4: III. Quel Galant M'est Comparable. Allegro In G Major
- Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques, M.A 5: IV. Chanson Des Cueilleuses De Lentisques. Lento In A Major
- Cinq Mélodies Populaires Grecques, M.A 11: V. Tout Gai!. Allegro In B-Flat Major
- Noël Des Jouets In E Minor-E Major, M. 47: Pas Vite
- Les Grands Vents Venus D'outremer, M. 48: Modéré, Très Agité In E-Flat Major
- Histoires Naturelles, M. 50: I. Le Paon. Sans Hâte Et Noblemen In F Major
- Histoires Naturelles, M. 50: Le Grillon. Placide In A Minor
- Histoires Naturelles, M. 50: Le Cygne. Lent In B Major
- Histoires Naturelles, M. 50: Le Martin-Pêcheur. On Ne Peut Plus Lent In F-Sharp Major
- Histoires Naturelles, M. 50: La Pintade. Assez Vite In E Major
- Vocalise-Étude En Forme De Habanera, M. 51: I. Presque Lent Et Avec Indolence In G Minor
- Sur L'herbe, M. 53: I. Modéré In C-Sharp Major
- Tripatos, M.A 13: "Mains Qui N'ont Pas Pu Le Soleil"
- Chants Populaires, M.A 17/1: I. Chanson Espagnole. Andantino In B-Flat Major
- Chants Populaires, M.A 17/2: II. Chanson Française. Allegretto In C Major
- Chants Populaires, M.A 17/3: III. Chanson Italienne. Largamente, Quasi Piacere, Portando Le Note In E-Flat Major
- Chants Populaires, M.A 17/4: IV. Chanson Hébraïque. Allegro Moderato
- Chants Populaires, M.A 17/5: V.Chanson Ecossaise
- Trois Poèmes De Stéphane Mallarmé, M. 64/1: I. Soupir. Lent In G Major
- Trois Poèmes De Stéphane Mallarmé, M. 64/2: II. Placet Futile. Très Modéré In F Major
- Trois Poèmes De Stéphane Mallarmé, M. 64/3: III. Surgi De La Croupe Et Du Bond. Lent In C Major
- Deux Mélodies Hébraïques, M.A 22/1: Kaddisch. Lent In C Major
- Deux Mélodies Hébraïques, M.A 22/2: L'énigme Éternelle. Tranquillo In E Major
- Trois Chansons, M. 69: I. Nicolette. Allegro Moderato In A Minor
- Trois Chansons, M. 69: II.Trois Beaux Oiseaux Du Paradis. Moderato In F Minor
- Trois Chansons, M. 69: III. Ronde. Allegro In A Major
- Ronsard À Son Âme, M. 75
- Chansons Madécasses, M. 78: I. Nahandove. Andante Quasi Allegretto
- Chansons Madécasses, M. 78: II. Aoua. Andante
- Chansons Madécasses, M. 78: Iil. Il Est Doux. Lento
- Rêves, M. 79
- Don Quichotte À Dulcinée, M. 85: I. Chanson Romanesque. Moderato In B-Flat Minor, B-Flat Major
- Don Quichotte À Dulcinée, M. 85: II. Chanson Épique. Molto Moderato In F Major
- Don Quichotte À Dulcinée, M. 85: III. Chanson À Boire. Allegro In C Major