Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On casual listen, Graham can seem like yet another pretty voice. And it is extremely pretty. But there's an intelligence and learnedness that can only make her more interesting as time goes on. As is, her performances are slightly undercooked, though there are some moments during Les Nuits d'été as passionate and committed as one could want. The arias added to fill out the disc aren't heard in optimal performances, but show what riches lie in Berlioz's neglected operatic output, namely Ascanio's lighthearted aria from Benvenuto Cellini and the long soliloquy from Beatrice and Benedict. --David Patrick Stearns

Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été, Music, Hector Berlioz, John Nelson, Susan Graham, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, French Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Secular Music for More One Soloist, Chorus and Instr, Solo Voice with Piano or Orchestra, Song Cycle for Solo Voice with Piano or Orchestra, Vocal
Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • At its best as pure singing, but a little short emotionally
  • A concerto for voice. Bravo!
  • Prime Berlioz from two most gifted advocates
  • A Berlioz singer to treasure
  • The greatest "Nuits d'Ete" on record!
 Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été
Hector Berlioz , John Nelson , Susan Graham , and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Manufacturer: Sony
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029U0
Release Date: 1997-07-15

Tracks:

  1. Les nuits d', Op. 7: I. villanelle
  2. Les nuits d', Op. 7: II. le spectre de la rose
  3. Les nuits d', Op. 7: III. sur les lagunes: lamento
  4. Les nuits d', Op. 7: IV. Absence
  5. Les nuits d', Op. 7: V. au cimeti re : clair de lune
  6. Les nuits d', Op. 7: VI. l'ile inconnue
  7. La Damnation De Faust, Op. 24: (d'amour l'ardente flamme) (Romance)
  8. Benvenuto Cellini: (mais qu'ai-je donc?) (Air)
  9. Les Troyens: (Ah ! Ah ! je vais mourir) (Monologue)
  10. Les Troyens: (adieu, fiere cite) (Air)
  11. Brice et Bdict: (dieu! que viens-je d'entendre?) (Air)

Amazon.com

On casual listen, Graham can seem like yet another pretty voice. And it is extremely pretty. But there's an intelligence and learnedness that can only make her more interesting as time goes on. As is, her performances are slightly undercooked, though there are some moments during Les Nuits d'été as passionate and committed as one could want. The arias added to fill out the disc aren't heard in optimal performances, but show what riches lie in Berlioz's neglected operatic output, namely Ascanio's lighthearted aria from Benvenuto Cellini and the long soliloquy from Beatrice and Benedict. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars At its best as pure singing, but a little short emotionally.......2007-02-15

Generally I take David Hurwitz to be more a comedian than a critic, but he's on to something about mezzo Susan Graham's interpretations being "undercooked," if by that he means emotionally cool. Her Nuits d'Ete is impeccably sung--one can hardly imagine anyone else who possesses such perfect vocal technique in this music--but I wasn't very moved. Perhaps it's John Nelson's bland conducting, but the two of them move gracefully over the surface without penetrating into Berlioz's deeper feelings. The lesser-known inner songs, which are consistently melancholy, come off best; Graham really seems to give us the poetry with a full heart. If anyone strongly disagrees, I am happy to concede how wonderful Graham is, but I've always been touched by these songs as sung by de los Angeles, Janet Baker, Leontyne Price, and ohters. Not here. No matter how well you control your tone and phrasing, Berlioz needs passionate outbursts and real spontaneity. (For what it's worth, I had the same impression recently hearing Graham sing the cycle with Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Sym., where she displayed, if anything, greater control and beauty of voice than even on this CD.)

At just over 60 min., this isn't the most generous recital, but the fillers are very well done. Nelson remains careful and bland, which doesn't help, D'amour l'ardente flamme needs more poignancy from all concerned, but Graham has lots of stage experience with Beatrice and Benedict, so that aria comes off well. It's not reasonable to say that anything here doesn't, but when Dido sings her death aria, I don't hear any dramatic stretch--Graham is applying the same middle-of-the-road pathos that gets applied almost everywhere else.





5 out of 5 stars A concerto for voice. Bravo!.......2006-05-16

Berlioz' 'Les Nuit's D'ete' and other pieces for the soprano voice, performed by Susan Graham, is one of my favorite CD's of female operatic / chamber song pieces, even though Ms. Graham is not as familiar to me as Renee Fleming or Anne Sophie von Otter.

Ms. Graham's collaboration with John Nelson directing the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House on the six songs based on poems by Theophile Gautier seem almost to be a concerto for soprano and orchestra, so well does Ms. Graham's voice fit into the orchesteral accompanyment.

The four pieces rounding out the 61 minutes on the disk are arias from four of Berlioz' operas, which seamlessly blend in with the title sextet of songs.

My French is weak, so there is little of the actual lyrics I understand without the translation, but you don't really need it to appreciate the musical talent on display here.

While I have not heard many other versions of this Berlioz song cycle, Graham's rendition is certainly the best in my experience.

Very enjoyable.

5 out of 5 stars Prime Berlioz from two most gifted advocates.......2005-07-09

Berlioz' song-cycle Les nuits d'ete has been deservedly fortunate in its representation on CD. With recordings by Crespin, Veronique Gens, Susan Graham, and Anne Sophie von Otter all top-flight musically and well-recorded, choice will be a matter of personal taste. I find Graham and Gens jostling most gracefully for my own affections. I have seen a criticism of Graham's disc to the effect that the voice tends to blanket the orchestra and obscure detail. I disagree. The balance is convincing and the sonics exceptional in their revelation of Berlioz' intoxicating orchestration. Moreover, in John Nelson Graham has, in my estimation, a successor to Monteux and Munch as monarch among Berlioz conductors. (Nelson's recording of Benvenuto Cellini, for instance, represents a huge advance over the pioneering Philips version.) Graham amazes not only with the beauty of her sound but with her uncanny empathy with the French esthetic, a rarity among American singers. I'm sorry but it's true; hard trying just won't do it. The disc includes arias from Berlioz' Faust, Cellini, Beatrice, and Troyens, all splendid. Particularly moving is Didon's farewell to Carthage from Les Troyens ("Adieu, fiere cite"); sampling that should let you know if this disc is for you. Since the Gens disc is completed by yet other Berlioz, three songs plus La mort de Cleopatre, you have a ready excuse for duplicating Les nuits, if your shelves can stand it.

-Frank W. Barham

5 out of 5 stars A Berlioz singer to treasure.......2003-10-12

I have taken a long time to get round to obtaining this recording. I noticed the other day that Graham is listed to sing her first Didon in the next couple of years. Not her first staged Berlioz, but probably the biggest single challenge for a soloist in this particular repertoire. It was for the opera arias, rather than the songs, that I wished to have this record.

But the song cycle is truly a knockout. These songs have long been a favourite, and just about every singer I can think of has had a go at them. Recent stand-out performances include Cecilia Bartoli, Ann Murray and, on record, Veronique Gens. The beauty of Berlioz is that the range and orchestration he uses, as well as the sheer potential for interpreting the lines, allows many different kinds of singer to tackle his work. Graham has perhaps the ideal Berlioz voice these days - a soprano-ish mezzo, with dark, brooding tone that can bloom into bright, sunny lines without strain. She is a really intelligent, thinking singer who uses words to colour the sound. Her partnership here with John Nelson is highly fruitful, and makes for a modern classic (to puit on the shelf with Norman, Gorr and Crespin, naturally).

No disappointments in the opera numbers either. Anyone who has heard her work in operetta (some lovely records out just recently, in fact) will recognise the sexy, teasing quality she brings to Benedict and to the Cellini number. Back on the tragic side of the coin, her Marguerite is suitably overwrought and the sense of regret she brings to the number is palpable. Dido is the pick of the bunch - rightly - and the combination of robust, furious tone and serene rememberance of her "nuit d'ivresse" is heart-stopping.

So - time to record Les Troyens with Graham, I believe. Not very sure who else would feature on this "Fantasy Recording" - answers on a postcard, please!

5 out of 5 stars The greatest "Nuits d'Ete" on record!.......2002-09-01

I have been listening to Berlioz' song cycle for nearly thirty years, and have heard most of the famous recordings: Teyte, Danco, de los Angeles, Steber, Janet Baker, Jessye Norman et al. Formerly, it was only Baker who penetrated the poetry of the lyrics...the "old" French style was to simply sing in a straightforward manner with no particular inflection, a style that Teyte and Danco worked to perfection. But the advent of such "chanson" singers as Gerard Souzay, Regine Crespin and Gabriel Bacquier changed all that, their approach was more specifically poetic. That is the approach that Graham uses here, and I find that it works beautifully.

Only in "Villannelle" does one hear the simple, straightforward style of Teyte or Danco. Almost immediately, in "Le Spectre de la Rose," one is hit with the meaning and feeling of Gautier's poetry...and one is literally swept away in the passionate performance of Graham and her conductor, John Nelson. I agree with the reviewer who said that the orchestra is somewhat recessed in sound, but Nelson brings out so many felicitous details that it inevitably doesn't matter....and, unlike Baker, Graham is a mezzo-soprano who can sing "Nuits d'Ete" in the original key, adding a soprano luster and sweep to her performances....and the opera arias are equally well sung. Highly recommended!!
Berlioz: Huit Scènes de Faust
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Berlioz's ambitious Op. 1 is well worth hearing
  • It is really good!
  • Francophiles take note!
 Berlioz: Huit Scènes de Faust

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000B0A0D
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Tracks:

  1. I Chants De La Fete De Paques - Susan Graham
  2. II Paysans sous Les Tilleuls - Susan Graham
  3. III Concert De Sylphes - Susan Graham
  4. IV Ecot De Joyeux Compagnons - Susan Graham
  5. V Chanson De Mephistopheles - Susan Graham
  6. VI Le Roi De Thule - Susan Graham
  7. VII Romance De Marguerite - Choeur De Soldats - Susan Graham
  8. VIII Serenade De Mephistopheles - Susan Graham
  9. L'Imperiale, Op.26 - Choeur De L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal
  10. Sur Les Iagunes (Lamento) - Choeur De L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal
  11. Le Chasseur Danois, Op.19 No.6 - Choeur De L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal
  12. Plaisir D'amour - Choeur De L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal
  13. Hymne Des Marseillais - Choeur De L'Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Berlioz's ambitious Op. 1 is well worth hearing.......2006-03-12

Berlioz was fired up by reading Goethe's Faust in its first French translation, and the result from the 25-year-old was his Op. 1, Eight Scenes from Faust. It deals almost not at all with the events in the Damnation of Faust, which would follow 16 years later. Instead, Berlioz set various dances and poems to music for chorus and soloists (choosing a different combinaiton for each scene). Even at this stage, however, his Faust music is evocative and sounds fully like Berlioz, if somewhat simplified. Various melodies that would appear in the later Faust treatment make their first appearance here. Since the composer withdrew the work soon after publication, recorded versions are rare. Neither Munch (RCA) nor Colin Davis (Philips) included it in their extensive surveys.

A charged-up conductor like Munch could make more of this music than the somewhat phlegmatic Dutoit. But as usual, Decca gives him gorgeous sound and the choral and orhcestral forces from Montreal are expert. Of the four soloists Susan Graham is the standout; her voice in 1995 was at its freshest. Everyone else is good to very good. The remainder of this 68 min. CD, roughly half, is devoted to individual vocal pieces that Berlioz orchestrated, including one song from Les Nuits d'Ete (interesting for being sung by a baritone rather than a higher femaile voice) and Berlioz's grandiose arrangement of the Marseillaise. In all, a very satisfying detour into Berlioz's minor works, worth a listen or two.

5 out of 5 stars It is really good!.......2005-10-04

I love my Faust CD, it is really good! But I'd really love to see Faust performed live, maybe if I still lived in the 18th Century when the music was composed(not sure if factual) I'd go and see it performed in person. But ohh well, who knew time machines weren't yet invented??
Later

4 out of 5 stars Francophiles take note!.......2005-09-11

This is a recording meant to rejoice in the French spirit. Charles Dutoit leads Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, the Montreal Symphony Chorus, and soloists through a spectrum of works by Hector Berlioz that range from the sublime to the mundane. The juicy programming ends in a 'make the audience stand' version of Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle's 'La Marseillaise' for full chorus and orchestra!

Along the way there are 'Huit Scénes de Faust, for solo voices, chorus, orchestra & guitar' which benefit from the luxurious singing of Susan Graham, Suzanne Mentzer and some other fine vocalists. Dutoit coaxes a thoroughly French sound (!) from his forces and the result is ravishingly beautiful. Also included on this disc are lesser known works such as 'L' impériale, cantata for double chorus & orchestra', a mildly out of context excerpt from 'Les Nuits d'été' (Sur les lagunes) sung by a male (François Roux) which gives a different slant to the cycle, 'Le Chasseur danois, for baritone & piano (or orchestra)', and a lovely rendition of the ever-popular 'Plaisir d'amour' by Johann Paul Aegidius Martini effectively sung by François Roux.

It is a mixed bag but the good moments far overshadow the lesser ones. If for nothing else the collectors of Susan Graham's recordings will most assuredly want to add this CD to their collection! Grady Harp, September 05

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