Fauré: Poème d'un jour Op. 21

A delightful programme of French and Spanish song explores the theme of love found, enjoyed and lost, from the dropped hints of Fauré to the fiery folk passion of Turina, Obradors and de Falla. The gentle charm of Reynaldo Hahn and impassioned fervour of Massenet’s Manon are equally captured by American soprano Ailyn Pérez, who has bewitched audiences on both sides of the Atlantic in opera and song.

“Poème d’un jour” explores the musical traditions of France and Spain through composers including Hahn, Massenet, Faure
, Obradors, Turina and de Falla.

The Sea, songs of water and the sea, diverse in colour and emotion. Henk Neven on his new ONYX recording: "During the recordings of my debut album 'Auf einer Burg' in Suffolk, I visited, after a day’s work, the coastal town of Aldeburgh. It was winter-time and at six o’clock pitch dark already. I was walking along the sea. Darkness all around.

Nevertheless I heard, smelt and felt the sea. Not visible but very present.

We sat by the water for ages and indulged in fancies, philosophised, and written poetry lustily about the endless deep of the sea, about the horizon and what is behind it, about the similarity to our spiritual lives, about the currents that are as our lives; about the sea that takes us with it when we are tired of living; about the restless sailor who revives between storm and waves; about the solitary wife who, rocking her baby, is left alone; about the sea in which you pour out your heart… Have all these tears made the seawater so bitterly salt?

The sea and the water have been a source of inspiration for many poets and their poems inspired the composers likewise. The songs that were created that way have inspired me".

Henk’s debut album 'Auf einer Burg', lieder by Loewe and Schumann, ONYX4052, was praised by BBC Radio 3: "songsettings by Loewe, beautifully brought to life by baritone Henk Neven and pianist Hans Eijsackers... A world of fantasies and dreams and reflections on the passing of time and the transience of life. That’s what it says on the sleeve, and that’s exactly what they deliver so successfully. It’s the CD Review Disc of the Week and you’ll find it on ONYX Classics.”

Gabriel Fauré composed over 100 songs which, among all his works, best capture the spirit of his time. Naturally Fauré features a number of these songs transcribed for cello and piano, including the well-known Après un rêve , Les berceaux, Clair de lune, and En prière. Also featured on this recording are Romance sans paroles Op. 17, No. 3, Sicilienne, Op. 78, and Élégie , Op. 24. Bonus material includes a transcription for trombone and piano of the Sicilienne , and the Andantino from the Piano Trio , Op. 120 - a profound work composed at the end of Fauré’s life.

This is the first release from promising young baritone Thomas Oliemans. This rising star, accompanied and supported by the always brilliant Malcolm Martineau, performs a selection of glorious French songs by Faure and Poulenc.

This CD presents a collection of French art songs – mélodies - covering a wide range of emotional and stylistic content from Fauré to Ibert. The French declamatory style emphasizes the text rather than the melody, but it is the piano part where the beauty of the music can shine through, both in the rich textures employed and in the special harmonies. This is particularly evident in the songs by Henri Duparc. The three songs by Ravel were his last works. Carlo Colombara has been a regular guest at the leading opera houses in Italy and abroad. He has worked with the most renowned conductors, such as Sir Colin Davis, Carlo Maria Giulini, Vladimir Jurowski, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Sir Georg Solti. Critics in Italy and abroad have praised his stylistic versatility and the dark timbre and the colourful diversity of Colombara’s voice makes him one of the most sought-after basses of our time.