CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS Music for the Prix de Rome
Flemish Radio Choir Brussels PhilharmonicHervé Niquet
GCD 9222102 CDs – digipak
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Performing artists
Flemish Radio Choir Brussels Philharmonic Hervé Niquet, conductor
Julie Fuchs, soprano Marina De Liso, mezzo-soprano Solenn’ Lavanant Linke, mezzo-soprano Bernard Richter, tenor Pierre-Yves Pruvot, baritone Nicolas Courjal, bass
Bart Cypers, French horn François Saint-Yves, organ
Production details
Recorded in Antwerp (Koningin Elisabethzaal), Heverlee (Jezuïetenkerk) and Brussels (Flagey) in February, March and October 2010 Engineered by Manuel Mohino Produced by Manuel Mohino and Hervé Niquet Executive producer: Carlos Céster Design: Valentín Iglesias Essays: Alexandre Dratwicki, Yves Gérad English Français Deutsch Español
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CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Music for the Prix de Rome
CD I (57:44)
Ivanhoé Cantate (Paris, 1864) 01 Prélude 02 Récit: D’où vient que par moment... (Rebecca) 03 Prière: Sion, berceau de mon enfance... (Rebecca) 04 Récit: Rebecca !... (Rebecca, Bois-Guilbert) 05 Air et Récit: Au mont Carmel en Palestine... (Rebecca, Bois-Guilbert) 06 Duo: Juste ciel que j’implore... (Rebecca, Bois-Guilbert) 07 Duo: J’ai prié trop longtemps... (Rebecca, Bois-Guilbert) 08 Trio: Ivanhoé !... Quoi !... Lui !... (Rebecca, Ivanhoé, Bois-Guilbert) 09 Chant et Trio: Oui, malgré mon jeune âge... (Rebecca, Ivanhoé, Bois-Guilbert) 10 Récit: À travers les vitraux... (Rebecca) 11 Air: Près du bûcher en flamme... (Rebecca) 12 Final: Mais que vois-je ?... (Rebecca, Ivanhoé)
Le Retour de Virginie Cantate (Paris, 1852) 13 Prélude 14 Danse de nègres 15 Récit: Virginie !... (Paul) 16 Air: Échos de mon deuil solitaire... (Paul) 17 Scène et Duo: Mon fils !... Sois heureux... (Marguerite, Paul) 18 Récit et Duo: Mon âme était partie... (Marguerite, Paul) 19 Récit: Amis, entendez-vous la tempête naissante... (Le Missionnaire) 20 Prière: Ô roi des cieux... (Marguerite, Paul, Le Missionnaire) 21 Finale: Entendez-vous ?... (Marguerite, Paul, Le Missionnaire) 22 Finale: Mon fils, elle est au ciel... (Marguerite, Paul, Le Missionnaire)
CD II (56:39)
01 Ode Chœur (Paris, 1864)
02 Chœur de Sylphes Chœur (Paris, 1852)
Messe opus 4 (excerpts) (Paris, 1857) 03 Credo 04 Agnus Dei
Motets au Saint Sacrement (Paris, 1857) 05 Inviolata en fa majeur (female choir and organ) 06 Tantum Ergo en mi bémol majeur (female choir and organ) 07 Ave Maria en fa majeur (sopranos and organ) 08 O Salutaris en mi majeur (male choir and organ) 09 Deus Abraham en fa majeur (contraltos, tenors and organ) 10 O Salutaris en la bémol majeur (choir without tenors and organ) 11 Ave Maria en la majeur (tenors and organ) 12 Ave Verum en ré majeur (female choir, French horn and organ)
About this CD
Camille Saint-Saëns and the Prix de Rome... surely a strange bringing together of ideas, given that the composer never gained that coveted award and consequently never took up residence in the famous Villa Medici? All the same, Saint-Saëns entered the competition on two separate occasions and, peculiarly in the history of the competition, twelve years apart: firstly in 1852 and then in 1864. On the first occasion he was still an adolescent, devoted to worshipping the memory of the great Mendelssohn; behind him, by the time of the second occasion, were already a number of his masterpieces later to be confirmed by posterity – and he had become acquainted with Verdi and had also discovered Wagner. If the music he composed for the competition in 1864 was not deemed worthy of being awarded a prize, perhaps that was due to it being full of a troubling and disquieting sense of modernity: there is clearly nothing that the cantata Ivanhoé needs to fear in a comparison with Il Trovatore...
In the period between the two competitions Saint- Saëns concurrently secured for himself a reputation in church music based on a plentiful collection of magnificent motets; proof that it is possible to be successful in religious academicism and unsuccessful in its lyric counterpart (provided we set aside Samson et Dalila!)
Hervé Niquet, the Brussels Philharmonic and Glossa are now presenting the second volume in their survey of music composed for the Prix de Rome with the majority of such pieces being previously unrecorded and definitely demanding to become much better-known.
Hervé Niquet is far less interested in being known as a Baroque music specialist than for his passionate interest in all of French music, especially its vocal and lyrical compositions and nowadays he is as liable to be found directing a symphony orchestra as his own period instrument ensemble Le Concert Spirituel. It may come, for some, as a surprise to find Niquet teaming up with the Brussels Philharmonic to record Debussy but this future release will mark the inauguration of a new adventure for Niquet and Glossa focusing on the music associated with the Prix de Rome competition which drew in scores of leading French composers all the way from 1803 through 1968. [read more...]
Taking a leading role in the revival of tragédies lyriques (or tragédies en musique), the best of the French Baroque opera tradition, is a long, daunting (and expensive) challenge but one which Hervé Niquet has been keen to accept. Present as a singer in the chorus of Les Arts Florissants in 1987 when William Christie put on Lully’s Atys, Niquet formed his own ensemble, Le Concert Spirituel that same year. Since that time he has balanced his own endeavours to stage (and record) key French tragédies with his other musical interests, which extend from Monteverdi to Purcell and Handel (soon to be reissued – now on SACD – is Niquet’s recording of the Fireworks and Water Music suites) right the way through to later composers such as Schumann, Gounod and d’Indy.[read more...]
In the world of choral music the increasingly higher standards reached in recent years by a number of chamber-sized choirs has been a hugely encouraging development. With every intention and capacity to join such an elite group is Glossa’s recent signing, the Vlaams Radio Koor from Belgium – the Flemish Radio Choir. Although the choir has been in existence for 70 years it is only in the last decade or so that it has been able to move itself from being an all-purpose studio-based operation for broadcasting purposes and raise its standards. Such is its success at home that it now acts as a catalyst for amateur choirs in the Flanders region in areas such as repertoire and performance. Additionally it is organizing projects which will be involving students from various Flemish music conservatories. [read more...]