Shéhérazade

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
The most important thing to remember about Les Nuits d'été is that there's only one quick song and one moderate one to balance out three long, slow ones. Although the work is not a cycle in any coherent sense, most performers do the pieces in Berlioz's final order: the quick one first, then the three slow ones, then the moderate one. This makes for a very long middle. Norman's rich, dark voice might be thought a bit heavy for this particular order, but she has another card up her sleeve: Her singing is so gorgeous that one simply forgets about time and just drowns in the tone. Ravel's exotic oriental song cycle provides just the right pick-me-up after the Romantic excesses of the Berlioz. --David Hurwitz

Tracks:

Les Nuits D'ete: Villanelle
Les Nuits D'ete: Le Spectre De La Rose
Les Nuits D'ete: Absence
Les Nuits D'ete: Sur les lagunes
Les Nuits D'ete: Au Cimetiere
Les Nuits D'ete: L'Ile Inconnue
Sheherazade: Asie
Sheherazade: La Flute enchantee
Sheherazade: L'Indiffirent
Trois Chansons De Bilitis: La Flute De Pan
Trois Chansons De Bilitis: La Chevelure
Trois Chansons De Bilitis: Le Tombeau Des Naiades
From Banalites FP: Chanson D'Orkenise
From Banalites FP: Hotel
From La Courte Paille FP: Le Carafon
From La Courte Paille FP: La Reine De Coeur
From Chansons Villageoises FP: Les Gars qQui Vont A La Fete
Deux Poemes de Louis Aragon: 'C'
Fetes Galantes

Amazon.com

Here is a great French artist singing the songs of her native country in her native language, with the natural inflection and empathy of one to the manner born. Her voice is beautiful, pure throughout a huge range, focused, intense, infinitely nuanced; she can make it float ethereally or glow with a shimmering radiance, brighten and darken it and carry on two-way conversations. Identifying complete with each song, she communicates its mood, atmosphere, character, expression. She captures the pensive dreaminess, plaintive yearning, outpouring of grief and lamentation, as well as the gaiety and lighthearted teasing of Berlioz' many-faceted Les Nuits d'Été. In Ravel's Shéhérazade, her voice becomes part of the exotic, languidly oriental atmosphere created by the lush, sensuous, glittering orchestration, surging up with the sweeping buildups to thrilling climactic high Gs and B-flats, matching the tremulous flute solo in the second song. The orchestra plays wonderfully, exploiting Ravel's infinitely imaginative, vivid coloration to the utmost. Crespin evokes the secretive intimacy, dream-drugged passion and ice-bound rigidity of Debussy's Songs of Bilitis. In the Poulenc songs, the contrast between the almost tear-choked mournfulness and the frolicking humor is riveting. John Wustman's splendid partnering adds greatly to the enchantment of this delightful recording. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Long lost friend.......2007-01-27

I bought the vinyl LP of this way back in the 1960s, and since then it has been loved almost to death -- scratches, pops, jumps...

What a delight to find it rejuvenated on CD. Regine Crespin's is surely the definitive performance.

Crespin rules still!.......2007-01-11

Régine Crespin's recording of Berlioz's Les Nuits d'été is quite simply still - after forty-plus years - the finest I've ever heard, and that includes some fifteen different recordings. Add her immaculately clear enunciation of the verbal text to the gorgeous vocal qualities of those long-held vowels, and her fantastically acute articulation and phrasing of Berlioz's musical re-imagining of Gautier poems, coupled with deeply sensitive accompaniment by Ernest Ansermet and his Suisse Romande orchestra, and we really have no need for other recordings (not that I don't welcome them, as long as they don't make Mme Crespin's go out of print). This, as Gramophone magazine recognized upon original release, is one of the really great triumphs of musical recordings, an immediate and lasting classic. You owe it to yourself to get to know this recording. The Ravel Shérézade, while a lesser composition, is of comparable performance and recording quality.

CRESPIN.......2006-11-20

I am fortunate, indeed, to have seen and heard Regine Crespin perform two of her most famous roles at the Metropolitan Opera. One was the title role in "Carmen" and, although perhaps too mature for the role, her acting was as strong as her singing...and her singing was magnificent. This was a Carmen to be reckoned with. The other role was even more impressive: The Mother Superior in Poulenc's "Dialogues of the Carmelites." First I saw her perform it in English and then at another performance in French. Her death scene was one of the most harrowing I've ever experienced on any stage. This recording will introduce everyone to the beauty, subtlety, charm and fine interpretations of Madame Crespin. And the Berlioz' "Les Nuits D'ete" is arguably the best available.

Berlioz.......2004-04-30

Regine Crespin is so clear, so subtle, you are drawn into the music and listen from within.

I recommend everything she has ever done.... many a titles but most especially "La Spectre de la Rose", which is the absolute killer.

Truly, some of the finest singing one will ever hear!.......2004-03-04

Many might argue with my view of Berlioz' "Les Nuit d'Ete." I've never warmed to the piece in the past and even Crespin's voice cannot change my mind on the matter. I can only revel in her stunningly perfect singing which is truly a pleasure. Immediately following, however, is Ravel's "Scheherazade" and it is for this striking cycle that this CD is invaluable. Crespin presents each of these three songs with effortless legato, lovely piannissimi, dramatic dynamics and endless colors. I now listen to this performance wherever I can: at home, in my car and with anyone who will take the time to enjoy it with me. At the same time, I would not want to give up my recording by another great soprano Victoria de los Angeles. The latter, while not as vocally perfect, provides an even greater degree of verbal expressiveness and variety. Even so, Crespin's performance provides different and equal rewards. Fortunately, I can have both discs in my collection. I warmly recommend them to yours.

Average customer rating:

The Pocket Prima Donna

Manufacturer: Dutton Laboratories
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000666AX
Release Date: 2002-10-08

Average customer rating:

A treasure of French singing from Norman

A French Collection

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

The Jessye Norman Collection: Schubert & Mahler Lieder
The Jessye Norman Collection: Brahms and Schumann Lieder
Susan Graham - La Belle Époque (The Songs of Reynaldo Hahn)

ASIN: B0007XZUEG
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Tracks:

I. Villanelle - Jessye Norman
II. Le Spectre De La Rose - Jessye Norman
III. Sur Les Lagunes (Lamento) - Jessye Norman
IV. Absence - Jessye Norman
V. Au Cimetiere (Clair De Lune) - Jessye Norman
VI. L'Ile Inconnue - Jessye Norman
I. Asie - Jessye Norman
II. La Flute Enchantee - Jessye Norman
III. L'Indifferent - Jessye Norman

Tracks:

La Vie Anterieure - Dalton Baldwin
Phidyle - Dalton Baldwin
Chanson Triste - Dalton Baldwin
L'Invitation Au Voyage - Dalton Baldwin
L'Enigme Eternelle - Dalton Baldwin
Kaddisch - Dalton Baldwin
Voyage A Paris - Dalton Baldwin
Montparnasse - Dalton Baldwin
La Grenouillere - Dalton Baldwin
Les Chemins De L'Amour - Dalton Baldwin
La Statue De Bronze - Dalton Baldwin
Dapheneo - Dalton Baldwin
Le Chapelier - Dalton Baldwin
Je Te Veux - Dalton Baldwin

Customer Reviews:

A treasure of French singing from Norman.......2006-09-24

Jessye Norman isn't as well known for her French repertoire as for most of the other things she sang (and she wasn't helped by a stodgy, overly plush Carmen). Even so, two of these recordings in this budget reissue stand out: the Nuits d'Ete and Ravel Scheherazade, otherwise unabailable. Norman sings both in a rich operatic style, and the resuslts are gorgeous. Colin Davis conducts in a relaxed but effective style, but the real show is Norman's amazing vocal control and luscious tone. Perhaps among operatic versions Leontyne Price is even more thrilling, but Norman, a longtime resident of Paris, has much better French.

The second CD consists of a recital with piano of French chansons, many of them off the beaten track. casual listeners may not respond with instant enthusiasm, and it must be said that Norman's voice is rather huge for this delicate, ephemeral genre of songs. In her way, however, this is a sincere, well executed program--not one of my favorites but worthwhile.

Hector Berlioz/Maurice Ravel: Les Nuits D'été/Shéhérazade

Average customer rating:

Ravishing readings from Norman at her very best
The Special Luxury of Jessye Norman in her Prime
Just the facts.....and a hope
THE CHRISTMAS TIDE - Jessye's Song (Jessye Norman)

Hector Berlioz/Maurice Ravel: Les Nuits D'été/Shéhérazade

Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Sopranos | Voices | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Norman, Jessye | Divas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B0000040WM
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

'Les Nuits D'Ete' Op. 7: I - Villanelle
'Les Nuits D'Ete' Op. 7: II - Le spectre de la rose
'Les Nuits D'Ete' Op. 7: III - Sur le lagunes
'Les Nuits D'Ete' Op. 7: IV - Absence
'Les Nuits D'Ete' Op. 7: V - Au cimeti (Clair de lune)
'Les Nuits D'Ete' Op. 7: VI - L' inconnue
'Sheherazade': I - Asie
'Sheherazade': II - La flnchant
'Sheherazade': III - L'indiffnt

Amazon.com essential recording

The most important thing to remember about Les Nuits d'été is that there's only one quick song and one moderate one to balance out three long, slow ones. Although the work is not a cycle in any coherent sense, most performers do the pieces in Berlioz's final order: the quick one first, then the three slow ones, then the moderate one. This makes for a very long middle. Norman's rich, dark voice might be thought a bit heavy for this particular order, but she has another card up her sleeve: Her singing is so gorgeous that one simply forgets about time and just drowns in the tone. Ravel's exotic oriental song cycle provides just the right pick-me-up after the Romantic excesses of the Berlioz. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Ravishing readings from Norman at her very best.......2006-09-24

Jessye Norman took up residence in Paris and has an affinity for French music. Here we get one of the most gorgeously sung recordings of Berlioz's Nuits d'Ete imaginable, rivaled on the operatic scale only by Leontyne Price (and Norman's French is better). the amazing control of the voice, its enchanting tone and great power all come together under Colin davis's relaxed but effective conducting. (David Hurwitz has reached a new low in irresponsibility by not even coutning the number of songs--six--correclty. He's supposed to know something about music?)
Just as beautiful is Norman's account of Ravel's Scheherazade.

Economical buyers should be aware that this album is included in a budget two-fer that includes a recital of French chansons with piano, also highly recommended.

The Special Luxury of Jessye Norman in her Prime.......2005-05-18

Jessye Norman has been stunning audiences with her voluptuous voice and stage presence for over thirty years now and while she continues to take on new challenges of contemporary premieres along with the operatic demands of, say, Judith in Bartok's 'Bluebeard's Castle' and Jocasta in Stravinsky's 'Oedipus Rex" etc, there are those of us who still hold her songs with orchestra, such as the dignified beauty of Strauss' 'Four Last Songs' and her sensuous reading of the French repertoire, as the gold standard.

This recording was made in London in 1979 and has been reissued here with only a change of cover. In collaboration with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra the fresh and young Norman gives special insights to Berlioz' "Les Nuits D'été" of 1843 and Ravel's "Shéhérazade" of 1903. Norman's voice has never sounded more fresh nor her French more exquisite. She is able to shimmer the softest pianissimo and the fullest forte without strain, factors that help make these two song cycles so unique in the literature. Davis provides understanding support with lush orchestral sound.

This is a recording that is a must for those who love Jessye Norman's voice and for those who appreciate the special beauty of these two French song cycles. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, May 05

Just the facts.....and a hope.......2004-06-11

The rating is simply to fulfill amazon's requirement (we should have the option for a neutral "review"). My comment is more a response to David Hurwitz's comment concerning the Berlioz than a review of the Norman (which I have not heard).
First of all - there are SIX songs in "Nuits d'ete" - This error does no credit to the rest of the review.
Second - Even if one believes that this is not a "cycle" (I would argue somewhat in favor of its being one), the problem with every recording of this work is that the keys get changed around to suit the singer's needs --
Except one: the 1970s recording of orchestral songs, (not yet Sir) Colin Davis at the helm of the LSO, and FOUR singers tackling the songs: Frank Patterson (2), Josephine Veasey, John Shirley-Quirk, and Sheila Armstrong (2). Indeed, Berlioz not only changed some of the keys for the orchestral version, but specified different voices for the songs.
While this "authentic" version would be tough to pull off in the modern concert hall or the star-driven recording (such as Norman's, or Crespin's, rightfully considered the highwater recording for this piece as soloist's cycle), it is incredible to have the Davis-plus-quartet version; if nothing else, this is what Berlioz heard in his own head. Each singer adds his or her style and sound to the piece; what might sound like "a long middle" is less so, and Shirley-Quirk's "Sur les lagunes" is one of the great "melodie" performances I know. I also like the total involvement of Davis - he is a great "accompanist," and I hear his Berlioz identification at its strongest. Some more recent recordings have overbalanced singers, buried orchestras, or just plain lack of ensemble between soloist and accompaniment--as if all the lessons of the LP era could be lightly tossed aside.
I don't know if the 1970s Davis ever made it to CD - perhaps in one of those large Philips sets, although the outer packaging of these boxes can be uninformative. For now, if you can find the LP (6500 009 a/k/a SAL 3789) and still have a record player (is to laugh?), procure, put away any preconceptions, and listen to "Nuits" anew.

THE CHRISTMAS TIDE - Jessye's Song (Jessye Norman).......1999-12-21

I have been searching high and low for a recording by Jessye Norman "THE CHRISTMAS TIDE- subtitle Jessye's Song" composer Douglas Fraser. Help me to find this PLEASE.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully vivid and exotic........2003-10-07

Renowned accompanist Gerald Moore's comments about the many luminaries of C20 music that he accompanied were both pertinent and perceptive. The effect that Maggie Teyte's singing had on him, he said, made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Listening to this excellent anthology, you might register a similar response. Try two of the songs by Reynaldo Hahn, in which she is accompanied by Gerald Moore, and you will be aware of singing that is at once a crie de coeur and ecstatic.

At an advanced age, Maggie Teyte proved to be a feisty and imperious subject in many radio interviews. She had much to tell, of course, about many of the composers with whom she worked, some of whose songs she sings here. She also admitted that recordings such as these, made late in her career, carried her name to all parts of the world and opened doors into large, well-filled concert halls. The vocal longevity was remarkable. Her last recording here, Ravel's Sheherazade, was made in her 60th year. One critic welcomed it with the description "wonderfully vivid and exotic", and that is how it still sounds to me.

You'll find many ratities here, including a clean copy of a discarded duet Maggie Teyte recorded with John McCormack. The Irish tenor holds the last note for almost half a bar longer than Maggie Teyte does - an irregularity that possibly caused the recording to remain unissued for many years.

Two-and-a-half hours of beauty.......2003-06-02

This two CD issue from Naxos of singing by Maggie Teyte (1888-1976) is a treat for two different audiences. For those of us who have long known and loved her voice, it is 2 1/2 hours of mostly French mélodies and arias sung as only she could sing them, in a pristine restoration by that wizard, Ward Marston. For those who don't know her singing, it is a fabulous introduction at budget price to a singer who put the stamp of her unmistakable personality on everything she sang with great musicality, intelligence, impeccable diction, and purity of tone throughout her range.

Included are fifteen mélodies by Debussy (Fetes galantes I & II, Trois Chansons de Bilitis, Le Promenoir de deux amants, et al.) accompanied by the inimitable Alfred Cortot. Almost all the other piano-accompanied songs are with Gerald Moore, that paragon who accompanied every important artist of his era. Also included are Ravel's Schéhérazade, some of the best known Fauré songs (Aprés un reve, Nell, Clair de lune), the delectable Psyché of Paladilhe, and three by Reynaldo Hahn (Offrande, L'Heure exquise, and Si mes vers avaient des ailes). There are assorted other songs by Purcell, Martini, Pergolesi, a couple of selections from Berlioz's Nuit d'été (Absence, and Spectre de la rose), Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Chausson, Duparc (Phydilé, L'Ivitation au voyage), Offenbach (Tu n'es pas beau), Messager. It ends with several songs in English by Elgar (Pleading), Quilter (the exquisite Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal), Thomas's Night Hymn at Sea (with John McCormack, and never before released), a song from a Kennedy Russell operetta, and Romberg's Deep in My Heart, Dear.

The last songs were recorded when she was over sixty and one cannot hear any erosion of the voice at all. It had maintained its fragile lyric beauty after more than forty years of performing.

Some of these performances are available on other labels (e.g. Pearl) but at much higher price. You simply cannot go wrong here. One again Naxos has given us an issue of major historical interest. Long may they continue this effort!

Recommended.

Tracks:

Les Nuits D'Ete, Op.7: Villanelle
Les Nuits D'Ete, Op.7: Le Spectre De La Rose
Les Nuits D'Ete, Op.7: Sur Les Lagunes
Les Nuits D'Ete, Op.7: Absence
Les Nuits D'Ete, Op.7: Au Cimetiere (Claire De Lune)
Les Nuits D'Ete, Op.7: L'Ile Inconnue
Sheherazade: I. Asie
Sheherazade: II. La Glute Enchantee
Sheherazade: III. L'Indifferent
Poeme De L'amour Et De La Mer, Op.19: I. La Fleur Des Eaux
Poeme De L'amour Et De La Mer, Op.19: II. Interlude
Poeme De L'amour Et De La Mer, Op.19: III. La Mort De L'amour

Customer Reviews:

Contemplative summer nights.......2006-05-11

I'm too young to have heard Callas and Horne growing up... but I won't cry about it since I get to hear Vesselina Kasarova sing now. This is a special singer... one who is consistently able to get to the essence of each song and bring them to life when she sings. Even in this early recording (from 1995... she was only 30 yrs old then).

What a musical singer (well, shouldn't come as a surprise seeing as she graduated as a concert pianist before taking up singing)! Her French is not idiomatic, but that is more than made up by her gorgeous, expressive voice and how she paints it to bring out all the nuances in each piece. Unless you're a native French speaker or are stuck on the language itself, the iffy pronounciations shouldn't be a bother.

Berlioz's Summer Nights song cycle has been sung to death by so many singers already, but this rendition is still worth hearing just for Kasarova's individuality. The gal isn't afraid to sing it as she feel it (never mind if it isn't much like what others've done with it before or if it isn't "textbook" singing). I find it very refreshing. I'll explore Chausson more because of this recording. Heck, she even makes Ravel sounds good.... and I don't even like Ravel's music!

Vibrant Musicality and Voice.......2001-07-13

I have to say, I did not know this name when I stumbled onto this CD. What an amazing voice. Very controlled, and her musicality is wonderful!! At times, I felt some of the music was forced, but over all, a delight to listen to. If you want to relax by listening to a wonderfully rich voice, purchase this CD.

Berlioz: Les Nuits D'Ete; Debussy: Trois Chansons De Bilitis; etc / Ansermet, Crespin, Wustman, et al

Average customer rating:

Berlioz: Les Nuits D'Ete; Debussy: Trois Chansons De Bilitis; etc / Ansermet, Crespin, Wustman, et al
Ernest Ansermet , Regine Crespin , John Wustman , and Orchestra De La Suisse-Romande
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music