September 2018 marks the start of Robin Ticciati’s second season as Music Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and the release of his second recording with his new orchestra. The partnership’s critically acclaimed debut of Debussy and Faure led MusicWeb International to comment: “[this] certainly whets the appetite for future releases from Robin Ticciati with the DSO Berlin.” This second all-French programme sees Magdalena Kožena return to perform a selection of songs by Henri Duparc alongside orchestral music by his fellow countryman Maurice Ravel. The popular Suite No. 2 from Ravel’s epoch-making ballet Daphnis et Chloe showcases Ticciati’s flair for highlighting intricacies of detail and colour; listen as the beautifully descriptive sunrise ('Lever du jour') bursts into vivid, multi-hued life. In Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales Ticciati creates a well-paced, yet graceful, Impressionist swirl with clearly defined textures and shimmering orchestral colors. Duparc’s melodies, which Ravel himself described as 'works of genius', sound particularly opulent in their orchestral scoring; the warm tones of Kožena’s ravishing voice provide a perfect match.

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REVIEW:

This release is in every respect a significant achievement. Kožená, in glorious voice throughout, lets Duparc’s vocal lines do the work rather than edging towards declamation. It’s all utterly beguiling.

– Gramophone