Cécile Chaminade
(1857 – 1944)
Saisons d‘amour
Katharina Kammerloher,
mezzo-soprano
Johann Blanchard, piano
Jiyoon Lee, violin
MDG 908 2288-6
(SACD)
Price: 21,99 €
Iconic
Cécile Chaminade was a legend in her own lifetime. In the USA she even had her own fan clubs. However, after the First World War, her music, which breathes the fragrance of Parisian salons as well as the lightness of the fin de siècle, was no longer in demand and fell more and more into oblivion. Katharina Kammerloher and Johann Blanchard have compiled an enchanting selection of mélodies from Chaminade's extensive oeuvre. It quickly becomes apparent just why audiences of the time were so captivated by Chaminade’s music.
Artistes
Two fantastic musicians have come together for this recording: Chosen by Barenboim for the Berlin State Opera, the mezzo-soprano Katharina Kammerloher puts her enormous vocal potential to great effect, whilst pianist Johann Blanchard has advanced to become one of the few Chaminade experts with his recordings of solo and chamber music works.
Poetic
These carefully selected gems, written between 1886 and 1910, are about "seasons of love" and span almost Chaminade's entire compositional career. From the tender urges of first love to wild passion in "L'été", from the fear for the fiancé in "La fiancée du soldat" to wistful retrospection in "Jadis!" - Kammerloher and Blanchard have a fine sense for each individual mood that Chaminade imparts on these lyrical poems.
Pristine
For three songs, the duo are accompanied by Jiyoon Lee, first concertmaster of Staatskapelle Berlin, who adds a magical nuance to this colourful programme with her Stradivarius violin. With its striking naturalness, this finely balanced recording takes us back to a time of innocence and deeply moving beauty.
"Reiche Klangpalette... Idiomatische Interpretation
Die vorliegende Auswahl entzückt aufgrund einer liebevollen, sorgfältigen und den spezifischen Stil, das „Idiom“ der Musik genau treffenden Interpretation... Katharina Kammerloher... erfreut das Ohr durch eine jung gebliebene Stimme und durchweg entspannten, sinnlichen Gesang. In drei Liedern... steigert Jiyoon Lee... den lyrischen Zauber der Musik." - Klassik Heute
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