Search results: Search results

344 results

Products

MARTIN: Chansons

Coro

$18.99 Feb 01, 2005

Frank Martin was arguably Switzerland’s greatest composer. His shimmering Mass for Double Choir, completed in 1926 as ‘an affair between God and himself’, is one of the finest settings of the 20th century, yet it had to wait forty-one years to be shared with others in its first performance. This collection of his choral music also includes his cantata for Switzerland’s National Day and the Ode to Music, along with some charming part-songs. Eclectic and technically superb these pieces display a style that is serenely individual.

View Full Page

MARTIN: Chansons
Coro Feb 2005
CD
$18.99

Guillaume Apollinaire: Alcools - La Chanson du mal aime - Le

Frémeaux

$20.99 Jul 17, 2026

This CD, produced by Jean-Baptiste Mersiol, offers a thoughtful journey through the poetic works of Guillaume Apollinaire, a founding figure of 20th-century literary modernity. Through historical recordings, it highlights the oral reception of his texts by great interpreters of theatrical heritage: Jean Negroni, Jacques Duby, Maurice Escande, and Jean Topart. From La Chanson du mal-aimé to the poems of Alcools, from Bestiaire to texts from the war period, this anthology captures the diversity of a body of work that combines lyricism, experimentation, and memory. In addition, there is an exceptional archival document: Guillaume Apollinaire reciting Le Pont Mirabeau on cylinder in 1913, a rare testimony to the poet's voice and the history of recorded works. Patrick Frémeaux

View Full Page

Guillaume Apollinaire: Alcools - La Chanson du mal aime - Le
Frémeaux Jul 2026
CD
$20.99

Mix & Match

Les chansons des roses

Convivium Records

$16.99 Oct 04, 2024

Everyone involved in Jervaulx Singers has a passion for vocal music in all it's forms. The varied repertoire of Les chansons des roses encompasses all that this choir is about - giving singers the freedom to sincerely express themselves through choral music, song and opera. This repertoire, all connected to earth and nature, reminds us to cherish the world around us. Charlie Gower-Smith, Director, Jervaulx Singers

View Full Page

Les chansons des roses
Convivium Records Oct 2024
CD
$16.99

Messiaen - Songs & Vocal Chamber Music / Hannigan, Sy, Frang, Chamayou

Alpha

$20.99 May 24, 2024

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. 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.

View Full Page

Messiaen - Songs & Vocal Chamber Music / Hannigan, Sy, Frang, Chamayou
Alpha May 2024
CD
$20.99

Johannes Ockeghem: Les Chanson / Jesse Rodin, Cut Circle [2 CDs]

Musique en Wallonie

$29.99 Sep 25, 2020

Intimacy, intensity, passion—this album explores the unfamiliar idea that fifteenth-century songs might cause us to sigh, weep, or laugh out loud. In bringing to life a world in which crying in public was not just acceptable but required, we have to take seriously the crushing despair of a line like “My only sorrow is that I am not dead,” or the undisguised sarcasm of “This is how she chopped and cooked me up.” In Johannes Ockeghem’s roughly two dozen songs we find not only unparalleled compositional prowess, but feelings that range from happiness to loss, anger to despair, and bitterness to merriment. The album’s all-vocal, fully texted, close-mic’d performances are rooted in a flexible, full-blooded vocal technique that aims to capture the music’s technical brilliance and emotional depth.

View Full Page

Johannes Ockeghem: Les Chanson / Jesse Rodin, Cut Circle [2 CDs]
Musique en Wallonie Sep 2020
CD
$29.99

POULENC: COMPLETE WORKS FOR A CAPPELLA CHOIR

APARTE

$27.51 Mar 27, 2026

This complete recording of the a cappella choral works of Francis Poulenc marks the celebration of the 20th anniversary of Ensemble Aedes and brings to a close a cycle initiated in 2009. Francis Poulenc's a cappella choral compositions form a unique ensemble, revealing a fragile interiority suffused with profound humanity. For him there was no sense of division between the secular and the sacred in his choral works: he appears to have considered them as a single entity, stemming from the same inspiration. From the Chanson a boire (1922) to the Laudes de saint Antoine de Padoue (1957), all of his compositions show the same fervor, clarity, and depth of feeling.

View Full Page

POULENC: COMPLETE WORKS FOR A CAPPELLA CHOIR
APARTE Mar 2026
CD
$27.51

Mix & Match

Boulanger, Debussy, Francaix & Ravel: Reflexions - French Pi

Haenssler Classic

$20.99 Nov 01, 2024

French Piano Trios - Trio Gaon Trio Gaon presents major works of French chamber music with compositions by Debussy, Ravel, Lili Boulanger and Francaix. This is a genre that does not really have a large selection of works to choose from as there were not many French composers who dedicated themselves to this form of instrumentation, something that can be explained by the historical development of music particular to France. More comfortable with opera, French composers belatedly began to turn to composing instrumental music in the middle of the 19th century in an effort to emancipate themselves from the predominance of the German and Austrian musical tradition, and thus from one of it's most important forms, that of the sonata.

View Full Page

Boulanger, Debussy, Francaix & Ravel: Reflexions - French Pi
Haenssler Classic Nov 2024
CD
$20.99

C’est si bon - Foreign Artists Singing in French 1931-1962

Frémeaux

$32.99 Feb 20, 2026

An irresistible invitation to a journey into the heart of the "so chic" glamour of 1950s and 1960s France! This 2-CD box set, curated by Olivier Julien, brings together tracks from major international artists like Blossom Dearie, Eartha Kitt, Marlene Dietrich, and Louis Armstrong, who ventured into French, the language of love. These unforgettable performances transport us back to an eternal Paris, with it's restaurants, it's fashion, and it's music at the forefront of global sophistication. - Patrick Frémeaux

View Full Page

C’est si bon - Foreign Artists Singing in French 1931-1962
Frémeaux Feb 2026
CD
$32.99

Guillaume de Machaut: Mon chant vous envoy
Eloquentia Jan 2013
CD
$20.99

Le Jeune: Motets Pour le Culte Catholique / Schneebeli, Les Pages et Les Chantres of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles

Alpha

$11.99 Jun 25, 2021

Claude Le Jeune, who moved in Protestant circles but was also in the service of the royal court, composed both Huguenot polyphonic psalms in French and Catholic liturgical pieces in Latin. The genres are juxtaposed in this recording by Olivier Schneebeli directing Les Pages et Les Chantres of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles. After the success of the Red, Yellow, Blue, Pink and White collections (a total of sixty reissues) which gave a new lease of life to the pearls of the Baroque catalogues from our house labels, here are fourteen new titles which offer a chance to discover other treasures, whether Baroque or dating from an earlier or later era. Like the most recent series, this sixth instalment opens out onto the Classical repertory (Mozart by Ensemble 415 and Chiara Banchini) and the Renaissance (Févin by Doulce Mémoire and Denis Raisin Dadre); recordings that are an integral part of Alpha’s identity and history. Fourteen reissues performed by the leading musicians in the field, most of which received one or more awards on their original release. Proper booklets accompany the discs, with notes in three languages (French, English, German). Photographers from all over the world have been selected to illustrate the covers, this time with the guiding thread of the color green, a symbol of nature, fertility... and hope!

View Full Page

Le Jeune: Motets Pour le Culte Catholique / Schneebeli, Les Pages et Les Chantres of the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles
Alpha Jun 2021
CD
$11.99

De Monte: Madrigals and Chansons / Ratas Del Viejo Mundo
Ramee Apr 2021
CD
$20.99

Un Siecle de Musique Francaise: Escales Symphoniques
Sony Masterworks May 2016
CD
$14.98

Françaix: Chamber Music / Various

Brilliant Classics

$10.99 ~~$13.99~~ Save 20% Jul 23, 2021

In his 80s, Jean Françaix (1912-1997) supervised this 1996 Dutch album of four pieces for varied forces, writing the engaging booklet notes and performing with undimmed skill in the Divertimento which he wrote back in 1953 for the flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal. As he notes, the title is somewhat ironic for those who play it: ‘if it is “diverting” to listen to, it is not at all so to play it and requires great virtuosity.’ Le Colloque des deux Perruches (The Dialogue of Two Parakeets) is a modern classic of the repertoire for two flutes: a six-movement dialogue opening with a fluttering, swooping Allegrissimo, followed by a melancholy little Larghetto. Smiles and laughter are never far away in Françaix’s music and the mood brightens with a darting Scherzando. The fifth movement is another plaintive Larghetto, with the parakeets in earnest conversation. As a 22-year-old composer of already remarkable fluency, Françaix composed the String Trio for the Trio Pasquier, who went on to play it in over a thousand concerts: an inimitably bustling, weightless piece in four movements enclosing a wistful Andante and rounding off with one of those Françaix tunes that turns round in the listener’s head for days afterwards. The ten-minute Cantate de Méphisto sets a text by Paul Valéry: according to the composer, ‘This 'Méphisto' is terribly authentic, cunning, subversive and perverse.’ The devil wheedles and beguiles in a lyric parlando, accompanied by a string ensemble, spiced by the irony and satire of his operas and comedies such as Le diable boiteux, his first work for the stage. Valéry’s text is printed in the booklet. Françaix’s music features in countless compilations: here is an authoritatively performed opportunity to immerse yourself in his world for ‘une heure exquise’.

View Full Page

Sale

Françaix: Chamber Music / Various
Brilliant Classics Jul 2021
CD
~~$13.99~~ $10.99

French Elegy

Brilliant Classics

$9.99 ~~$12.99~~ Save 25% Feb 07, 2025

Coming into French and English from the Greek elegos ('lament'), an elegy (elegie) is a poetic or musical composition expressing sorrow or lamentation, typically mourning the loss of a loved one or reflecting on themes of grief and melancholy. Massenet's famous 'Clair de lune', presented here in an arrangement by the composer himself, envelops us in a dreamlike atmosphere, with the piano painting a delicate lunar landscape permeated by a subtle melancholy. The original is one of the most touching scenes in the opera Werther, when the protagonist feels his love for Charlotte rising within him. Contrary to popular belief, Ravel's Pavane pour une infante defunte is not dedicated to a departed soul. Rather, it is a nostalgic evocation of an imaginary childhood, rich in charm and mystery. Joseph Jemain's orchestration adds, if possible, further depth and suggestiveness to Ravel's music by introducing the piano into the ensemble, the protagonist of Ravel's original version. The violin and piano engage in a dialogue of deep contemplation in Saint-Saens's elegie in D, Op.143. The poignant melody and refined harmony express feelings of loss and consolation. This very intense and moving piece has secured an important place in the violin repertoire. The cello assumes the role of narrator in Faure's elegie, Op.24 recounting a story of pain and hope with great expressive intensity. A highly lyrical and touching piece, it is distinguished by it's expressive writing and singable melody. Debussy's Suite bergamasque transports us to a world of dreams and suggestions. Through four evocative dances with a Renaissance and Baroque flavour, the orchestra leads us on a musical journey rich in charm and delicacy. Wilhelm Renz's orchestration makes Debussy's picturesque music even more vivid. Renz is also the arranger of the Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals featured here. His orchestral version adds brilliance and colour to the composer's music while maintaining it's original spirit of fun and irony, streamlining the orchestration in some places and adding elements for a richer, more layered sound in others. Other information: - Recorded August 2023 in Anzio (Italy) - Booklet in English contains liner notes by Valerio Vicari and profiles of the orchestra and conductor - A beautiful program featuring French music from the turn of the 19/20th century, evoking a late-romantic and mildly impressionistic atmosphere in elegiac mood. - The works presented are Elegies by Saint-Saens (1835-1921), Faure (1845-1924), Vieuxtemps (1820-1881) and Massenet (1842-1912), the Suite Bergamasque by Debussy (1862-1918), Pavane by Ravel (1875-1937) and, to conclude in a more spirited mood, the Carnaval des Animaux by Saint-Saens. Several of the works are transcribed for an instrumental ensemble featuring flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, cello & double bass. - Sensuous and evocative performances by the Roma Tre Orchestra, conducted by Sieva Borzak.

View Full Page

Sale

French Elegy
Brilliant Classics Feb 2025
CD
~~$12.99~~ $9.99

Les oiseaux musiciens, 3 CD de chants d’oiseaux + 1 CD d'ent

Frémeaux

$32.99 Oct 06, 2023

Offered by Frémeaux & Associés and Forêts et Campagnes d'Avenir, in partnership with the LPO (Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux), this 4-CD boxed set brings together the sounds of European birds captured and recorded by audionaturalist Jean C. Roché, which are the closest to human monophonic music, right up to contemporary classical music. These songs reflect an incredible variety of melodies, rhythms and timbres, which, like the proto-languages of primates, can be considered the proto-music of mankind. An interview CD, recorded by Bernard Fort, founder of the GMVL, completes this collection. Jean C. Roché talks about his fascinating exchanges and reflections on bird music with composer Olivier Messiaen. Patrick FRÉMEAUX & Allain BOUGRAIN DUBOURG

View Full Page

Les oiseaux musiciens, 3 CD de chants d’oiseaux + 1 CD d'ent
Frémeaux Oct 2023
CD
$32.99

CHANSONS D'AUTOMNE

Radio France

$20.99 Feb 23, 2018

After making his adieux to opera in 2010, José van Dam began venturing into other musical genres by revisiting the tangos of Carlos Gardel in the company of Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Jean-Philippe Collard-Neven. Caminito, an album released by Cyprès, ravished fans keen to discover the famous bass-baritone in an unexpected repertoire, and also featured an unexpected collaboration with an already atypical duo: a jazz double bass-player and a polymorphic pianist. Sharing moments of music and friendship from one concert to the next, the trio acquired a unique sheen, born of spontaneity and complicity. A desire to prolong the adventure was only natural, though this time in a selection from a much broader repertoire: the French chanson. José van Dam began by exploring songs he has always known, putting lyrics above vocal effect, for in the simple melodies of the chanson, everything can often be said in just a few notes. From this unlimited repertoire, José chose texts that move him the most. Texts that talk of love. The love of the sublime Jacques Brel for the flatness of his homeland, love for a father, for a friend, for the bohemian Montmartre of one’s youth, for jazz, for partying... the trio leads us by the hand in search of the traces of separated lovers whose footprints on the sand are so quickly erased by the sea.

View Full Page

CHANSONS D'AUTOMNE
Radio France Feb 2018
CD
$20.99

Verlaine et Rimbaud - Poemes dits par Jean-louis Barrault, R

Frémeaux

$32.99 Jan 16, 2026

Maudits selon l'expression consacree et l'ouvrage eponyme que Verlaine publie en 1884, les poetes amants ont explore ensemble les nouvelles voies poetiques, rejetant les conventions et embrassant l'experimentation formelle et thematique. C'est ce jeu de sons allie à la puissance du verbe que l'on goûte avec delice grâce à l'interpretation passionnee de cette selection de leurs poemes par les grands de la Comedie-Francaise tels que Robert Hirsch, Jean Piat ou Jean-Louis Barrault. Stephanie ACQUETTE & Patrick FReMEAUX Cursed, according to the eponymous work published by Verlaine in 1884, the poet lovers explored new poetic paths together, rejecting conventions and embracing formal experimentation and thematics. It is this interplay of sounds and the power of words that we savour with delight, thanks to the passionate interpretation of this selection of their poems by the greats of the Comedie-Francaise, including Robert Hirsch, Jean Piat and Jean-Louis Barrault. Stephanie ACQUETTE & Patrick FReMEAUX CD1 - VERLAINE : MARIA CASAReS ET GeRARD PHILIPE : COLLOQUE SENTIMENTAL - ROBERT HIRSCH : FRAGMENT D'UN NOCTURNE PARISIEN - C'EST LA FÊTE DU BLe - PUISQUE L'AUBE GRANDIT - JEAN PIAT : LA LUNE BLANCHE - GREEN - JEAN YONNEL : MON DIEU M'A DIT - JEAN DESAILLY : INITIUM - LE SOLEIL DU MATIN - LE BRUIT DES CABARETS - L'ALLeE - À LA PROMENADE - LE FAUNE - EN SOURDINE - JE DEVINE, À TRAVERS UN MURMURE - LE PIANO - C'EST LE CHIEN - L'OMBRE DES ARBRES - POURQUOI TRISTE, Ô MON ÂME - GASPARD HAUSER CHANTE - UN GRAND SOMMEIL NOIR - JE NE SAIS POURQUOI - DERNIER ESPOIR - MAURICE ESCANDE : ART POeTIQUE - LE SON DU COR S'AFFLIGE VERS LES BOIS - VA TON CHEMIN - AVANT QUE TU NE T'EN AILLES - L'eCHELONNEMENT DES HAIES - APReS TROIS ANS - IMPRESSION FAUSSE - MANDOLINE - JE NE VEUX PLUS AIMER QUE MA MeRE MARIE - FRANcOIS PeRIER : NEVERMORE - MON RÊVE FAMILIER - PROMENADE SENTIMENTALE - CHANSON D'AUTOMNE - CLAIR DE LUNE - IL PLEURE DANS MON COEUR - DANS L'INTERMINABLE ENNUI - LES FAUX BEAUX JOURS - eCOUTEZ LA CHANSON BIEN DOUCE - LES CHeRES MAINS - L'ESPOIR LUIT - LE CIEL EST PAR-DESSUS LE TOIT. CD2 - RIMBAUD : GeRARD PHILIPE : LE BATEAU IVRE - ROBERT HIRSCH : VOYELLES - LES CHERCHEUSES DE POUX - LE PAUVRE SONGE - SACHA PITOËFF : ROYAUTe - MAUVAIS SANG - HISTOIRE D'UNE DE MES FOLIES - À QUATRE HEURES DU MATIN, L'eTe - Ô SAISONS, Ô CHÂTEAUX - JEAN-LOUIS BARRAULT : LE DORMEUR DU VAL - LES ASSIS - ROMAN (ON EST PAS SeRIEUX, QUAND ON A DIX SEPT ANS) - COMeDIE EN TROIS BAISERS - JEAN DESCHAMPS : MA BOHeME - BAL DES PENDUS - OPHeLIE - ROBERT HIRSCH : ENFANCE II - ENFANCE III - UNE SAISON EN ENFER (ADIEU) - APReS LE DeLUGE - FLEURS - MYSTIQUE - AUBE - J'AI TENDU DES CORDES (FRAGMENTS) - JEAN LOUIS BARRAULT : ALCHIMIE DU VERBE. DIRECTION ARTISTIQUE : JEAN-BAPTISTE MERSIOL

View Full Page

Verlaine et Rimbaud - Poemes dits par Jean-louis Barrault, R
Frémeaux Jan 2026
CD
$32.99

La Jeune France / The Sixteen

Coro

$18.99 May 01, 2004

Three composers from the group which styled itself ‘La Jeune France’ test vocal technique as never before, in music that can be rapturous and visceral, perfumed and mystical, fresh, sensuous, erotic; music that was wholly new and yet recognizably French, a subtle mix of primitive emotion and sophistication overlaid with the élan and self-confidence of a re-born Paris, striding into the second half of the twentieth century.

R E V I E W S:

“This disc is something not far from a revelation ... elaborately sonorous, radiantly glowing ... as usual from this fine group, the performances are immaculately detailed, and, especially in the Messiaen, they have a very un-English sense of the sumptuousness that binds it in to a compelling whole.” THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

Fanfare:
"Formed as a counterpoise to the urbane neo-Classicism and iconoclastic tendencies of Les Six, La Jeune France was a group of French composers who, in the words of Harry Christophers, wished to “restore eternal spiritual values to music.” Its members were André Jolivet, Olivier Messiaen, Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur, and, not represented on this CD, Yves Baudrier. All four were born between 1905 and 1908. The three cycles on this CD were commissioned by Marcel Couraud for his eponymous Ensemble Vocale. Couraud specified that they should be in 12 parts, about 20 minutes in length, and set to texts dealing with love.

Jolivet wrote his own text, compiling it from Egyptian, Hindu, Chinese, and Greek sources. This is a fantastically difficult work—not choral at all, but actually a setting for a “vocal orchestra” consisting of 12 solo voices. Similarly, Messiaen wrote his own texts for the Cinq rechants, basing it (as with the Turangalîla-symphonie and Harawi) in part on the story of Tristan and Isolde, and using Sanskrit and the Quecha language of Peru’s original native tribes. The music is absolutely typical of this composer, and the similarities between the Cinq rechants and the aforementioned Harawi are too numerous to mention here. Daniel-Lesur turned to the Bible and the Song of Songs for his text. At least in this recording, La cantique des cantiques uses a larger group of singers (24) than is used in the Jolivet and in the Messiaen (12). (One wonders why this ensemble is called “The Sixteen”!) At least in the United States, Daniel-Lesur is almost unknown today. (Norman Lebrecht, in his Companion to 20th-Century Music, drops the nugget that Daniel-Lesur “retreated” from the ideals of La Jeune France, and “wagnerized Pelléas” in his only opera Andrea del Sarto.) Of these three works, Messiaen’s is the most distinctive, Jolivet’s the most musically advanced, and Daniel-Lesur’s the most straightforward and conventionally erotic.

The members of The Sixteen sing with such accuracy and control that parts of the Cinq rechants are actually terrifying. (The climax of the middle song may have you worrying that your CD player is malfunctioning.) In terms of technique, there’s nothing lacking from these readings." - Raymond Tuttle, FANFARE

View Full Page

La Jeune France / The Sixteen
Coro May 2004
CD
$18.99

MUSIQUES NOUVELLES 50TH
Cyprés Records Feb 2013
CD
$44.99

Sale

Un Siecle de Musique Francaise: Erik Satie
Sony Masterworks May 2016
CD
~~$9.98~~ $4.99

Chansonnettes frisquettes, joliettes & godinettes

Zig-Zag Territoires

$20.99 Mar 25, 2014

"• A rich programs of Renaissance airs by Jehan Chardavoine, Clément Janequin, Pierre Certon, and more • ‘Chansonnettes’ were end-of-concert encore works played by Doulce Mémoire and Denis Raisin-Dadre • This celebratory disc salutes the 25th anniversary of the Doulce Mémoire"

View Full Page

Chansonnettes frisquettes, joliettes & godinettes
Zig-Zag Territoires Mar 2014
CD
$20.99

The Flower of France - Tailleferre: Works for Piano / Quynh Nguyen

Music and Arts Programs of America

$18.99 Jul 07, 2023

Germaine Tailleferre (1892–1983) came of age in the explosively creative days of 1920s Paris. Well-known as the only female member of Les Six, the group of composers which included Darius Milhaud, Louis Durey, Georges Auric, Francis Poulenc, and Arthur Honegger, her circle of friends also included Charlie Chaplin, Picasso, Modigliani, Diaghilev, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Monteux. This recording features works originally for solo piano, as well as transcriptions and excerpts from ballets and film scores. The music spans 60 years and represents some of Tailleferre’s best and most significant work, some of it rarely played or recorded. Praised by The Boston Globe as “a musical and expressive player” who is “sensitive and poetic, and excels in everything that requires elegance, proportion, balance, taste, and wit,” the award-winning Vietnamese American pianist Quynh Nguyen was named one of the “19 Young Stars of Tomorrow” by Musical America. She has performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia, to wide critical acclaim. The Flower of France marks her debut recording on the Music & Arts label.

View Full Page

The Flower of France - Tailleferre: Works for Piano / Quynh Nguyen
Music and Arts Programs of America Jul 2023
CD
$18.99

Chansons & Frottole

Naïve

$16.99 Nov 07, 2025

The French and Italian Renaissance song repertoire, immortalised during the first three decades of the sixteenth century by the printed editions of Pierre Attaingnant in Paris and Ottaviano Petrucci in Venice, invites audiences, and in former times performers, to immerse themselves in a world in which memories of medieval courtly poetry, the austerity (as reimagined in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries) of ancient lamentations, and a fully polyphonic narrative style, were all collided and superimposed-a certain sense of conversation can remind us also of the French air de cour as well as the early Italian madrigal form. These chansons and frottole give rise to discrete, almost enigmatic emotions, where music and text unite as one, transparent and restrained. Guided by the subtle sound of Hopkinson Smith's lute, the diaphanous voice of German soprano Sophie Klussmann roams over this little-known early Renaissance territory through four sections which take the form of return journeys between France and Italy. The sly melancholy of songs by Claude de Sermisy (Puisqu'en amours) and other French contemporary figures, some of them settings of poems by Clement Marot, thus collides with more plaintive pieces, by Marchetto Cara (Io non compro piu speranza) and Bartolomeo Tromboncino, whose supplicatory Per dolor me bagno il viso and final, heady Dolermi sempre voglio both attain peaks of intensity, at the same time being two sumptuous examples of the frottola form. During these sixty minutes, Sophie Klussmann produces exquisitely subtle and precious wisps of sound, recalling that the heart and soul of these snapshots very often remains the matter of love. Her dark gold timbre hints at the eternal in the one piece in the programme whose text is of a religious nature, the sublime, questioning prayer Se mai per maraveglia.

View Full Page

Chansons & Frottole
Naïve Nov 2025
CD
$16.99

Mix & Match

Firenze 1616
Alpha Mar 2008
CD
$20.99

Franck: Intégrale de l'œuvre vocale avec orgue Vol. 2
Aeolus Mar 2010
SACD
$21.99