For this new edition of the Orsay-Royaumont Academy, four duos of young singers and pianists have created original and inspired programs that navigate between the arts, styles and cultures, under the supervision of masters of the Lied and melody repertoire. From Berg to Debussy, from Mahler to Saint-Saëns, from Fauré to Ullmann, they share the results of an exceptional year of artistic experimentation in this new b•records album. “French Mélodie and German Lieder represent a perfect fusion of poetry and music, expressing every possible emotion. It is a great privilege and a huge responsibility to perform this rich repertoire.” (Dame Felicity Lott)

Fiona Monbet and the ensemble Miroirs Étendus invite you to rediscover Fausto Romitelli’s unclassifiable and hallucinatory work, An Index of Metals, in this new B Records album recorded at La Soufflerie de Rézé. An incandescent performance by singer Linda Oláh illuminates the thousand reflections of this unique sound experience, a “mass of the senses” that Romitelli imagined as the renewal of the operatic genre at the turn of the twenty-first century. Let yourself be carried away by the sublime and disturbing vertigo of this contemporary masterpiece which opens up new sonic horizons, revealed here in all their modernity.

Ascanio is the student of Benvenuto Cellini, a legendary Florentine sculptor. This latter character’s genius and romances came to know a great operatic destiny. The name Ascanio is also the title of a grand lyrical drama by Camille Saint-Saëns which premiered in 1890, and is based on Paul Meurice’s play. The opera was abridged several times and reassembled despite the composer’s strong objections. It is a wonderful work, far too little-known, in which Italian lyricism, Wagnerian influence and French elegance combine. For the very first time, we will be able to hear the complete premiere performance of the version abiding by the 1888 autograph manuscript. It is brought to us by the impassioned conductor, Guillaume Tourniaire, and a topflight, French-speaking cast. They are accompanied by the Orchestra and Choirs from the Grand Théâtre de Genève and the Haute École de Musique. All this has been meticulously and enthusiastically recorded by B Records.

Pierre Fouchenneret, Lise Berthaud, Francois Salque and Eric Le Sage write of this new release: “One crazy day, a few of us decided to embark on a project which, at the time, some people deemed impossible to achieve: to perform all of Brahms’s chamber music within only a few months. Every concert would be recorded with our sights set on an unprecedented, magical objective- the complete chamber works of that great Viennese composer performed by the same musicians. In a matter of a few months, during which we were constantly phoning each other, we brought some passionate musicians into our ranks who were not frightened off by the folly of the project… We are now a company, as in the theatre, bonded by an unstoppable urge, a definite notion of boldness, a shared perception of chamber music and a love for the repertoire. We know to a T our individual playing characteristics: one player’s touch, another’s bow stroke, each other’s breathing, and so on. After hours of rehearsals and discussions, we honed our vision of the repertoire which ensured that the project is coming together nicely. It is a two phase endeavor- the concert and the album… We share the passion of this peerless musician who more than anyone cherished chamber music ensembles; composed for them his entire life; was equally comfortable in duets as he was in sextets; and whose enthusiasm and legendary ardour flowed into his writing at a crossroads of classical rigor and romantic impulse.”

Pierre Fouchenneret, Lise Berthaud, Francois Salque and Eric Le Sage write of this new release: “One crazy day, a few of us decided to embark on a project which, at the time, some people deemed impossible to achieve: to perform all of Brahms’s chamber music within only a few months. Every concert would be recorded with our sights set on an unprecedented, magical objective- the complete chamber works of that great Viennese composer performed by the same musicians. In a matter of a few months, during which we were constantly phoning each other, we brought some passionate musicians into our ranks who were not frightened off by the folly of the project… We are now a company, as in the theatre, bonded by an unstoppable urge, a definite notion of boldness, a shared perception of chamber music and a love for the repertoire. We know to a T our individual playing characteristics: one player’s touch, another’s bow stroke, each other’s breathing, and so on. After hours of rehearsals and discussions, we honed our vision of the repertoire which ensured that the project is coming together nicely. It is a two phase endeavor- the concert and the album… We share the passion of this peerless musician who more than anyone cherished chamber music ensembles; composed for them his entire life; was equally comfortable in duets as he was in sextets; and whose enthusiasm and legendary ardour flowed into his writing at a crossroads of classical rigor and romantic impulse.”

Every year, the Orléans International Piano Competition recognizes a young male or female pianist and, through their performance, also acknowledges the best there is in composition. Mikhaïl Bouzine is a person who has great passion for the contemporary repertoire he envisions, demonstrating exceptional, keen musicianship. In collaboration with B Records, he presents a stunning, unique program on this album. Born in Moscow in January 1995, Mikhaïl Bouzine is a one-man orchestra. A creator of sounds. Composer of an often repetitive and bewitching music, he knows how to be facetious, surprising and confusing in his numerous works, as shown by the cycle he has been developing since 2012 on the letters of the Cyrillic alphabet. Facing the piano, he also becomes a dancer and a conductor. An incredible instrumentalist, he received one of the greatest educations possible, at the Moscow Conservatory with Andrei Shibko, whose master was one of the disciples of Heinrich Neuhaus, founder of the great Russian school. The piano was not enough for him, and Bouzine therefore also received harpsichord lessons from Tatiana Zenaïshvili, and composition lessons from Vladimir Tarnopolsky, a pupil of Edison Denisov. His pianistic performances reveal an obvious charisma, imbuing his performances with phenomenal energy and precision, always with respect to the score.

The Song of the Earth is Gustav Mahler’s most personal composition, as the composer himself revealed. It takes on all its twilight hues with Stéphane Degout’s vocal performance. Ardently conducted by Maxime Pascal, Le Balcon delivers a performance which sets the standard, using Arnold Schönberg’s pared-down transcription in the royal acoustic setting of the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Le Balcon and the Saint-Denis Festival have a long history, which began in 2014 with a recital by the soprano Julie Fuchs in the Music Pavilion of the Maison d’Éducation de la Légion d’honneur. Since then, all Le Balcon’s concerts given in the Basilica of Saint-Denis have left their mark on our respective histories: whether it be Monteverdi’s Vespers in 2015 (with a sound system and an electric guitar in the orchestra, a historic first for this repertoire), the final scene of Stockhausen’s Samstag aus Licht in 2016 (impressively rigorous, it literally transfixed the audience) or Mahler’s seventh symphony in 2017. Freedom, innovation, creativity but total respect for the works and composers are the words that immediately come to mind when thinking of Le Balcon, whose collective ad-venture is the basis of a faultless career.

Funereal variations, wild or melancholic waltzes, Hungarian dances with Romani accents: this is an anthology of Brahmsian aesthetics that beautifully concludes the complete chamber music of the composer on B Records. Théo Fouchenneret and Éric Le Sage give all its colors and contrasts to the too often underestimated repertoire of the four-hand piano. Théo Fouchenneret won First Prize at the Geneva International Competition in November 2018 before being named ‘Instrumental Solo Discovery’ of the year at the Victoires de la Musique Classique. The sensitivity and poetry of his touch but also the maturity of his interpretations are unanimously agreed to distinguish this young French pianist from other performers of his generation. Eric Le Sage is recognized as a musician of rare musical sensitivity, and is established as one of the leading pianists of his generation. He is a highly acclaimed performer of Robert Schumann’s piano music and of chamber music in general, and his deep interest in unknown works has earned him a catalogue of over 50 concertos.

This is ritual music filled with angels and demons, mystical incantations, amazing percussion and supernatural harmonies. The work of American composer George Crumb makes for a spectacular experience which remains etched in the memory of those who perform it as well as those who listen to it. With Black Angels and Music for a Summer Evening, B Records brings together on one album two great highlights of the Deauville Festival 2021, along with a whole host of renowned artists: pianists Théo Fouchenneret and Philippe Hattat; the members of Quatuor Hanson; and those of Trio Xenakis.

The Miroirs Étendus Company is a strong proponent of open-minded creation with a focus on the audience. Throughout this amazing album, they follow a sensitive line of thought. From Wagner to contemporary music, through to Debussy, the young composer Othman Louati gives this fascinating program an atmosphere of extraordinary gentleness, admirably served by the voice of Marie-Laure Garnier. This year, Marie-Laure Garnier has been awarded the Révélation Lyrique de l’Année (Opera Discovery of the Year Prize) at the Victoires de la Musique Classique (Classical Music Awards). She began her artistic journey in Guyanaand then at the CRR in Paris. In 2009, she joined Malcolm Walker’s opera singing class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris (Paris Conservatoire). Following brilliant studies resulting in a Prize for Singing, she obtained a Degree in Artistic Performance, as well as a Master’s Degree in chamber music.

Intimidated by his grandiose predecessors and petrified by expectations, Johannes Brahms hesitated before publishing his first trio, a masterpiece in Viennese Romanticism. Its two ‘siblings’ composed later would put the finishing touches to meticulous dramaturgy and technique. That incredible troupe, Intégrale Brahms, is continuing to publish his chamber music. Under the nimble fingers of Pierre Fouchenneret, François Salque and Éric Le Sage, they have recorded an inspired and powerful album, captured passionately by B Records.

Speak to Me of Love! That is the cri du cur struck up by the fabulous Orchestre du Tricot, which plays energetic, explosive covers of the great songs of Lucienne Boyer, the grand lady of cabaret in the interwar period. The music hall of yesteryear gets a new lease of life in an ever-imaginative jazz style sometimes tinged with rock or swing, slipping into contemporary raptures, and recorded at Le Petit Faucheux Jazz Club by B Records with their enthusiasm and keen ear for music.

Two centuries ago Die Schöne Mullerin founded the German romanticism. Since then, the great story of this young man and its tragic and poetic love keeps all its emotional strength: this heart touching version recorded live in the Théâtre de l’Athénee in Paris renews the Schubert masterpiece thanks to Thomas Oliemans vibrating voice and the sensitive touch of Malcolm Martineau. Dutch baritone Thomas Oliemans graduated from the Amsterdam Conservatory, coached by Margreet Honig. He continued his studies with KS Robert Holl, Elio Battaglia and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. A regular guest at Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, he has appeared there as Papageno in Simon McBurney's production of Die Zauberflöte (which earned him their Prix d’Amis), Schaunard in La Bohème, Kothner in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Peter in Hänsel und Gretel and Lescaut in Manon Lescaut. A sought-after recitalist, he appears with pianists Malcolm Martineau, Roger Vignoles, Rudolf Jansen and Paolo Giacometti, amongst others, in Oxford, Cambridge, Vienna, Zürich, Basle, Antwerp, Lübeck, London (Wigmore Hall), Tokyo and Paris. A regular guest at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, he recently presented together with Malcolm Martineau the three main Schubert song-cycles there within the course of a week, as well as Wolf and Schumann recitals.

Every year, in partnership with the Musée d’Orsay, Royaumont Abbey welcomes duos of young singers and pianists who have come to study art song and Lied. In this very unusual year when working as an artist has been made particularly difficult, the Abbey has also become a refuge. Once again, the B Records label has come over to lend an attentive ear, producing an album with a programme brimming with great classics and new discoveries. Duos on this release include Mikhail Timoshenko and Elitza Desseva, Kaelig Boche and Elenora Pertz, Axelle Fanyo and Adriano Spampanato, and Grace Durham and Edward Liddall.

Inspired by her fruitful residence at Royaumont Abbey and drawing on dual musical influences from America and Europe, Canadian pianist Claudia Chan explores the mysteries of contemporary music in this album. She thus takes us on a magical journey through a new repertoire under the auspices of B Records. Proclaimed the “New Ambassador for New Music" at age 20 after winning the 33rd Eckhardt-Gramatte Competition, Canadian pianist Claudia Chan became interested in contemporary music early on in her classical training. She delved deeper and upon relocating to Germany, decided to specialize in playing music written by the composers of today. Claudia was subsequently named Artist-in-Residence at the prestigious Fondation Royaumont in France from 2017 to 2020, where she has been able to research, present lectures, concerts, and masterclasses and collaborate with other artists more in this field.