Soprano Barbara Hannigan and pianist Bertrand Chamayou unite to record the vocal music of Olivier Messiaen, presenting his two major song cycles from the 1930’s.
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Existing in both the sensual and sacred realms, the Poèmes pour Mi are inspired by the precious relationship of Messiaen and “Mi” – the nickname of his first wife; violinist and composer Claire Delbos.
Chants de terre et de ciel also emerges from Messiaen’s marriage to Delbos, written just after the birth of their son, Pascal. Both cycles oscillate between hypnotic meditation and ecstatic songs of love, supported by Messiaen’s intense spiritual faith. Inspired by Messiaen’s words, “It is a glistening music we seek…”,
Hannigan and Chamayou delve into the composer’s complex language to reveal a natural and flowing music, whose roots extend from the earth upwards to a shimmering realm.
As a final work on the album, Hannigan and Chamayou included a rarely performed “scena” of Messiaen: La Mort du nombre (1929) is a dialogue between two souls, in which they are joined by the Canadian tenor Charles Sy and the Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang.
Barbara Hannigan, Soprano
Bertrand Chamayou, Piano
Guest Musicians (Track 16)
Charles Sy, Tenor
Vilde Frang, Violin
Tracklist
Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.Total time: 00:58:31
Additional information
| Label | |
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| SKU | ALPHA1033 |
| Qualities | DSD 512 fs, DSD 256 fs, DSD 128 fs, DSD 64 fs, DXD 32 Bit, DXD 24 Bit |
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| Release Date | May 24, 2024 |
Press reviews
MusicWeb International
Barbara Hannigan, with her long experience of singing demanding twentieth century works, seems to me very well suited to these songs. She has clearly given a great deal of time to their preparation, as she writes in the booklet note. Bertrand Chamayou has a good track record as a Messiaen pianist, with a widely praised recording of Vingt Regards to his credit. He has a wonderfully sensitive touch and supports the voice well while clarifying the often intricate detail of the piano part.
MusicWeb International
Barbara Hannigan, with her long experience of singing demanding 20th Century Works, seems to me very well suited to these songs. She has clearly given a great deal of time to their preparation, as she writes in the booklet note. Bertrand Chamayou has a good track record as a Messiaen pianist. He has a wonderfully sensitive touch and supports the voice well while clarifying the often intricate detail of the piano part.
The short cantata La Mort du Nombre is a filler. This is for soprano, tenor, violin and piano and sets a poem by the composer which dramatizes a dialogue between two souls, one dying and despairing, the other full of hope. It sounds rather like Ravel. Here Hannigan and Chamayou are joined by the tenor Charles Sy and the violinist Vilde Frang and they offer a polished performance of this little work. The recording is fine.
These works have had several other recordings, though they are mostly now only available as downloads. However, I am happy to omit comparisons and can strongly recommend this. I hope Hannigan and Chamayou go on to record Messiaen’s later song cycle Harawi.
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