An intriguing, evocative and exotic recital in which Janet Baker joins The Melos Ensemble for a journey through some of the twentieth century’s most alluring French compositions for voice and chamber ensemble.
MAURICE RAVEL
Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé *
Chansons madécasses
ERNEST CHAUSSON
Chanson perpétuelle, Op. 37
MAURICE DELAGE
Quatre Poèmes hindous *
Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano
Melos Ensemble of London
* directed by Bernard Keeffe
Recordings: London, UK, 1966
‘A most beautiful recital… in (Chausson’s Chanson perpetuelle) Baker expands and exultingly finds herself most at home. It’s a strong, highly effective performance and marks a measure of the extraordinary way in which she has mastered the always rather special art of singing in French… The contributions by members of the Melos Ensemble – the Hurwitz Quartet, the flutes of Richard Adeney and William Bennett, Gervase de Peyer and Stephen Trier playing clarinet, Lamar Crowson (piano) and, very important, the harp playing of Osian Ellis – are of superlative quality’ Gramophone