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Product Description
Véronique gens, soprano - Orchestre National de Lille - Jean-Claude Casadesus, direction
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
24 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
What is this recording like? It is the sound of a day spent walking in the mountains with the sun on your back, the wind in your hair and birdsong on the breeze. It is the sound of water bubbling in young streams. It is the sound of peasant vigour, of simple pleasures, of dancing. It is the sound of love, loss and regret. It is the sound of being alive and revelling in it.
Everything sounds just right.
Joseph Canteloube is a one hit wonder of a composer. But what a wonder it is. He composed 28 settings of traditional songs from his mountain region of the Auvergne in the south of France. 21 of them appear here. Born in 1879 he composed during the first half of the 20th century. His style takes these local folk melodies on a light but never insubstantial late romantic ride. He is not far from the English pastoral composers, and is nearest to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi, though the opening bars of Passo pel prat (track 11) could have come straight from the pen of Elgar. The folk elements, especially the dances, are not drowned in orchestration, but expressed by it.
The music is performed brilliantly by the Orchestra National de Lille-Region Nord under the baton of Jean-Claude Casadesus, but it would be nothing without a great soloist, Veronique Gens is as good as any who have tackled these songs. Her background singing Baroque music is ideal, as that music is never too far from its popular and dance music roots. Her voice has as much colour as any opera singer's I have heard. But normally I can't stand them. What engages me here is that I get the feeling that there is a vigorous peasant heart not far below the skin of this formidable professional singer. That's what makes this disc a delight to listen to.
Everything sounds just right.
Joseph Canteloube is a one hit wonder of a composer. But what a wonder it is. He composed 28 settings of traditional songs from his mountain region of the Auvergne in the south of France. 21 of them appear here. Born in 1879 he composed during the first half of the 20th century. His style takes these local folk melodies on a light but never insubstantial late romantic ride. He is not far from the English pastoral composers, and is nearest to Ralph Vaughan Williams and Gerald Finzi, though the opening bars of Passo pel prat (track 11) could have come straight from the pen of Elgar. The folk elements, especially the dances, are not drowned in orchestration, but expressed by it.
The music is performed brilliantly by the Orchestra National de Lille-Region Nord under the baton of Jean-Claude Casadesus, but it would be nothing without a great soloist, Veronique Gens is as good as any who have tackled these songs. Her background singing Baroque music is ideal, as that music is never too far from its popular and dance music roots. Her voice has as much colour as any opera singer's I have heard. But normally I can't stand them. What engages me here is that I get the feeling that there is a vigorous peasant heart not far below the skin of this formidable professional singer. That's what makes this disc a delight to listen to.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
For anyone who is considering buying a selection of Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne, this is the one to get. In fact, even if you have another recording, buy this one! Véronique Gens is best known for interpretation of French Baroque music but here she brings a special intensity to these songs from her native region. If a voice can shine, then hers does, and the recording quality matches the performance. I recommend availing of the offer to buy this CD together with Volume two, which also includes other Canteloube folk song arrangements. The two CDs are incredible value for money.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By John Crimp
Format:Audio CD
Veronique Gens, who is herself native to the Auvergne region, gives an absolutely ravishing account of these folk-songs, and the performances are enhanced further by Jean-Claude Casadesus's sympathetic direction of the Lille Orchestra. If you are new to these songs you will find them varied, but all are very atmospheric and they transport you to the Auvergne countryside with some very effective orchestration. A full English translation is included in the notes. A real bargain from Naxos!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
let down by poor recording
wouldn't be my choice of vocal presentation for the Chants - I'd even go as far as saying that Barbra Streisand is better - I can hear the snobs gasp but I think I am at least... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Boydster
5.0 out of 5 stars
Appreciation
The recipient of this gift was in praise of it. He is a lover of classical music and loves it.
Published 4 months ago by totteridge
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Blue Planet
Since, all my life I've lived in the countryside with a garden in the midst of fields, meadows, hedgerows, woodland, streams, lakes and birdsong, Chants D'Auvergne speaks to me... Read more
Published 7 months ago by H. A. Weedon
5.0 out of 5 stars
canteloube - chants
I heard this music about 30 years ago and fell in love with the hauntingly beautiful music. I was so pleased to see it on Amazon and now I am another proud owner of Songs of the... Read more
Published 15 months ago by thomas s elliot
5.0 out of 5 stars
French music
This cd is a truly excellent sellection of quality french folk music. It take you to the beautiful rural French countryside where you can imagine an unchanged culture.
Published 20 months ago by wizz
4.0 out of 5 stars
Just wonderful
This was one of those "...heard it on the Proms..." sort of purchases, and could quite easily have been a mistake in hindsight. Not so. Read more
Published on 16 Sep 2010 by Nellie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Full of character and charm
I can remember hearing on the radio an ancient recording of these songs, and it was easy to imagine that through all the surface scratching and hiss you were listening to the... Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2010 by Mr. Michael Magee
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