Serres Chaudes – Mélodies Francaises

SERRES CHAUDES

The CD “Serres Chaudes” was recorded by two artists who share a special fondness for the French art song repertoire—mezzo-soprano Bettina Smith and pianist Einar Røttingen. It was their wish to focus on lesser known works of three masters of La Mélodie Française, as the genre is known in French. Quite naturally their choice fell on Ernest Chausson’s “Serres Chaudes,” Gabriel Fauré’s “Le Jardin Clos,” and Camille Saint-Saën’s “La Cendre Rouge.”

What these song cycles have in common is that each is a late opus and regarded as a main work of the respective composer. This is French music with French texts from a limited time period when European music experienced major changes of style and genre. Moreover, they are seldom performed and few recordings exist—there are, for example, no other available recordings of Saint-Saën’s “La Cendre Rouge.” That the texts are written by poets regarded as Symbolists is a further common thread. On this new CD from LAWO two distinguished artists present a treasure trove of songs seldom accessible to the listening public.

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Chausson, Ernest (1855 – 1899)

SERRES CHAUDES , OPUS 24 (1893–96)

POÈMES : MAURICE MAETERLINC K

i. Serre chaude 02:55

ii. Serre d’ennui 02:46

iii. Lassitude 02:25

iv. Fauves las 01:55

v. Oraison 02:31

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

LE JARDIN CLOS , OPUS 106 (1914)

POÈMES : CHARLES VAN LER BERGHE

i. Exaucement 01:22

ii. Quand tu plonges tes yeux dans mes yeux 01:06

iii. La messagère 01:45

iv. Je me poserai sur ton coeur 01:57

v. Dans la nymphée 02:31

vi. Dans la pénombre 01:29

vii. Il m’est cher, Amour, le bandeau 01:27

viii. Inscription sur le sable 02:06

Chausson, Ernest (1855 – 1899)

SERRES CHAUDES , OPUS 24 (1893–96)

POÈMES : MAURICE MAETERLINC K

i. Serre chaude 02:55

ii. Serre d’ennui 02:46

iii. Lassitude 02:25

iv. Fauves las 01:55

v. Oraison 02:31

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

LE JARDIN CLOS , OPUS 106 (1914)

POÈMES : CHARLES VAN LER BERGHE

i. Exaucement 01:22

ii. Quand tu plonges tes yeux dans mes yeux 01:06

iii. La messagère 01:45

iv. Je me poserai sur ton coeur 01:57

v. Dans la nymphée 02:31

vi. Dans la pénombre 01:29

vii. Il m’est cher, Amour, le bandeau 01:27

viii. Inscription sur le sable 02:06

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)

LA CENDRE ROUGE , OPUS 146 (1914)

POÈMES : GEORGES DOC QUOIS

i. Prélude 01:31

ii. Âme triste 02:03

iii. Douceur 01:35

iv. Silence 03:57

v. Pâq ues 02:44

vi. Jour de pluie 02:03

vii.Amoroso 02:51

viii. Mai 01:26

ix. Petite main 02:45

x. Reviens (Epilogue) 02:28