Hommage à Jane Bathori: The Inspiring Muse

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Dawn Upshaw's recital of 20th century French songs is a bouquet to their great exponent, and often inspirer, Jane Bathori. Recorded live before an appreciative Paris audience, Upshaw's in fine voice, her lyric soprano caressing each song, leaving no doubt that she loves this repertory. She adopts slow tempos and characterizes broadly, assuming a girlish voice for some songs, a device that some listeners will adore (and others find repellent). The songs themselves are wonders, from favorites like the Ravel and Satie selections to rarely heard gems. The encore is a highlight: Dutilleux's 1993 setting of "San Francisco Night," receiving its premiere recording. Upshaw's legion of fans will need no urging to grab this disc, and it's a good choice for those seeking a representative group of outstanding modern French songs. Devotees of French mélodie, though, will prefer Marston's reissues of idiomatic historic recordings by an older generation of singers, such as Jane Bathori herself and Clare Croiza. --Dan Davis

Tracks:

Darius Milhaud- Chant de Nourrice
Albert Roussel- Adieux
Arthur Honegger- Six Poemes d'Alcools d'Apollinaire
Six Poemes d'Alcools d'Apollinaire
Six Poemes d'Alcools d'Apollinaire
Six Poemes d'Alcools d'Apollinaire
Six Poemes d'Alcools d'Apollinaire
Six Poemes d'Alcools d'Apollinaire
Darius Milhaud- L'Abandon
Erik Satie- Trois Melodies de 1916
Trois Melodies de 1916
Trois Melodies de 1916
Charles Koechlin- Amphise et Melitta
Maurice Ravel- Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles
Histoires Naturelles
Claude Debussy- Le Promenoir des Deux Amants
Le Promenoir des Deux Amants
Le Promenoir des Deux Amants
Encore- Spoken introduction by Dawn Upshaw
Henri Dutilleux- San Francisco Night

Amazon.com

Dawn Upshaw's recital of 20th century French songs is a bouquet to their great exponent, and often inspirer, Jane Bathori. Recorded live before an appreciative Paris audience, Upshaw's in fine voice, her lyric soprano caressing each song, leaving no doubt that she loves this repertory. She adopts slow tempos and characterizes broadly, assuming a girlish voice for some songs, a device that some listeners will adore (and others find repellent). The songs themselves are wonders, from favorites like the Ravel and Satie selections to rarely heard gems. The encore is a highlight: Dutilleux's 1993 setting of "San Francisco Night," receiving its premiere recording. Upshaw's legion of fans will need no urging to grab this disc, and it's a good choice for those seeking a representative group of outstanding modern French songs. Devotees of French mélodie, though, will prefer Marston's reissues of idiomatic historic recordings by an older generation of singers, such as Jane Bathori herself and Clare Croiza. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

The joy of hearing, and listening to, the voice that is Dawn Upshaw........2006-10-16

The joy of listening to Dawn Upshaw perform is that in any venue, in recital or stage performance, in any language, one can understand every word of text, and feel every expression. And, in any recording, especially this recording, one can "see" her expression, poise, and performance without having been in the auditorium. From Mozart to Vernon Duke, from Milhaud to Goliov, she exudes the pure joy of singing, with a clarity of tone and text, that communicates to the back row of an auditorium, or through stereo speakers, the jubilance that is Dawn Upshaw.

One of the best live recordings ever.......2001-12-26

I usually don't like live recordings. I don't need the audience to laugh appreciatively or burst into thunderous applause to tell me I should like the piece. But this album is different. It doesn't have that strange distant sense of watching a performance from outside the hall. In fact, just the opposite.
The warmth and character of Upshaw's performances pulls you in to the hall. Her respect for Mme. Jane Bathori makes this a true "hommage." Her French is impeccable, and it is clear she knows of what she sings. The performances of Ravel's "Histoires Naturelles" and Debussy's "Trois Chansons" are excellent, but I have to say her perfomance of Roussel's "Adieux" increased my respect for the composer immeasurably. However, of course Upshaw doesn't do it alone, being accompanied by one of the best piano accompanists I have ever heard. I recommend this album without reservation to any fan of Upshaw or 20th-century French song.

Upshaw shines!.......2001-08-27

This is truly an incredible collection of french chanson and Dawn Upshaw is really in her element here. It's a live recording, but the applause really doesn't interfere with the mood presented. The collection of peices varies by artist, but generally it's a light array of lyrical music. Upshaw's interpretation is fantastic and her pronunciation of the French language itself is incredible, much better than most non-French opera singers I've heard. A wonderful album!

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