Massenet: Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux

De cet affreux combat…Pleurez, mes yeux ! (from Le Cid)

Pourquoi me reveiller (from Werther)

Luciano Pavarotti

National Philharmonic Orchestra, Oliviero de Fabritiis

Il est doux, il est bon (from Hérodiade)

Angela Gheorghiu

Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, John Mauceri

Je suis seul, seul enfin... Ah fuyez douce image (from Manon)

Jonas Kaufmann

Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, Marco Armiliato

Esprits de l'air! Esprits de l'onde! (from Esclarmonde)

Dance of the Spirits (Esclarmonde)

John Alldis Choir & National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge

Où suis-je? (Esclarmonde)

Giacomo Aragall

John Alldis Choir & National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge

Ah! je suis seule, seule enfin! (Thaïs)

Renée Fleming

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Yves Abel

Dis-moi que je suis belle (from Thaïs)

Renée Fleming

Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, Yves Abel

Valse très lente

Vive amour qui rêve (from Chérubin)

Angela Gheorghiu

Orchestra e coro del Teatro Regio di Torino, John Mauceri

Instant charmant … En fermant les yeux (from Manon)

Joseph Calleja & Tatiana Lisnic

Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Carlo Rizzi

Ah, que mes soeurs ... Reste au foyer, petit grillon (from Cendrillon)

Je ne sais pas si je veille (from Werther)

L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge

José Carreras

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Sir Colin Davis

Va! Laisse couler mes larmes (from Werther)

Marilyn Horne

Wiener Opernorchester, Henry Lewis

Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux

La Vierge: Le Dernier Sommeil de la vierge (Légende sacrée)

Jules Massenet, who died 100 years ago in 1912, was a French composer best known for his operas, and was widely considered in his day to be one of the greatest melodists of his time, alongside Puccini.

The Best of Massenet includes his most popular music, performed by a starry cast of artists, including Luciano Pavarotti, Joan Sutherland, Jonas Kaufmann, Renée Fleming, Joseph Calleja, Angela Gheorghiu and Marilyn Horne.

Soon after his death, Massenet's style went out of fashion, and today he is best known for the popular violin showpiece Méditation from his opera Thaïs (performed here by Nigel Kennedy), and is unfairly regarded by many as something of a one-hit wonder.

Opera and ballet aficionados have known otherwise for some time and that he is in truth one of classical music’s best-kept secrets. 2012, the centenary year of his death, is the perfect opportunity time to introduce a wider audience to the exquisite charms and beauty of his music.

Decca - 4783964

(CD)

$11.25

(Sorry, download not available in your country)

Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days.

La Romance française

If my poems had wings like birds

Bizet:	Aubade Après l'hiver Chanson d'Avril Ma vie a son secret Chant d'amour
Fauré:	Chanson d'amour, Op. 27 No. 1 Lydia, Op. 4 No. 2 Nell, Op. 18 No. 1
Gounod:	Chanson de printemps Au printemps Envoi des fleurs Premier jour de mai Sérénade
Hahn, R:	L'heure exquise Si mes vers avaient des ailes Paysage Mai Le printemps Nocturne
Massenet:	Sonnet Soir de rêve A Mignonne Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux Puisqu'elle a pris ma vie‎
Poulenc:	Les chemins de l'amour

Werner van Mechelen (bass-baritone) & Inge Spinette (piano)

This CD features a particular type of French song. All the "romances" were written after 1830 and include songs by Gounod, Bizet, Massenet, Fauré, Hahn and Poulenc. The Belgian bass-baritone Werner van Mechelen is a highly versatile artist and is particularly drawn to the lied genre.

Phaedra - PH292025

(CD)

$17.25

Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days.

Frances Alda: Acoustic & Electric Recordings 1910-1928

anon.:	Bells of St. Mary's
Bayes:	Please Keep Out of My Dreams
Boito:	L'altra notte in fondo al mare (from Mefistofele)
Catalani:	Ah, dunque ei m'amerà (from Loreley)
Franck, C:	Panis Angelicus
Giordano, U:	Sempre cosi (from La Cena delle Beffe) Mi chiamo Lisabetta (from La Cena delle Beffe)
Herbert, V:	A Perfect Day (from Madeleine)
Hill, A:	Waiata Poi
Howie:	Hine e Hine (Maori Lullaby)
Kalman:	Love's Own Sweet Song (from Der Zigeunerprimas)
Lehmann:	The Cuckoo
Mascagni:	Non mi resta (from L'Amico Fritz)
Massenet:	Suis-je gentille ainsi? ... Je marche sur tous les chemins ... Obéissons quand leur voix appelle (from Manon) Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux
Puccini:	O mio babbino caro (from Gianni Schicchi) Donde lieta usci (from La Bohème) Un bel di vedremo (from Madama Butterfly) Tutti i fior! (from Madama Butterfly) In quelle trine morbide (from Manon Lescaut) L’ora o Tirsi (Manon Lescaut)
Tate, A:	Somewhere a voice is calling
Verdi:	Miserere d'un' alma gia vicina (from Il Trovatore)
Wolf-Ferrari:	O gioia, la nube leggera (from Il segreto di Susanna)

Frances Alda (soprano)

VAI - VAIA1126

(CD)

$14.00

This item is currently out of stock at the UK distributor. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched.

The Art of Joan Sutherland

Arne:	Love in a Village: The Traveller benighted The Soldier Tir'd of War's Alarms (Artaxerxes)
Auber:	C’est l’histoire amoureuse (Manon) Non temete, milord … Or son sola (Zerlina)
Bellini:	Dormono entrambi … Mira, o Norma … Sì, fino all'ore (from Norma)
Bizet:	Me voilà seule…Comme autrefois (from Les Pêcheurs de Perles) Pastorale
Bononcini, G B:	Per la gloria d'adorarvi (from Griselda)
Charpentier, G:	Depuis le jour (from Louise)
Delibes:	Le Rossignol Les filles de Cadix
Donizetti:	Pour ce contrat fatal...Salut à la France (from La fille du régiment) Il dolce suono mi colpì di sua voce! … Spargi d'amaro pianto (from Lucia di Lammermoor)
Fauré:	Le papillon et la fleur, Op. 1 No. 1
Gounod:	Ö légère hirondelle (from Mireille) Ce Sarrasin disait (Xaïma) Si le bonheur à sourire t'invite (from Faust) Ah! Je ris de me voir (from Faust) Sérénade
Handel:	Tornami a vagheggiar (from Alcina) Ombre pallide (from Alcina) Samson: Let the bright seraphim Samson: With plaintive note Messiah: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion Athalia: My vengeance awakes me V' adoro, pupille (from Giulio Cesare) Se pietà di me non senti (from Giulio Cesare) Da tempeste il legno infranto (from Giulio Cesare)
Lecocq:	Un soir Perez le capitaine (Micaela)
Massé, V:	Au bord de chemin … Cette nuit, sur ma croisée
Massenet:	Ah, que mes soeurs ... Reste au foyer, petit grillon (from Cendrillon) Pleurez, mes yeux (Le Cid) De moi je veux bannir ton triste souvenir (from Le roi de Lahore) Esprits de l'air! Esprits de l'onde! (from Esclarmonde) Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux
Meyerbeer:	Bellah! ma chèvre chérie! … Dors, petite (Dinorah) C’est bien lui … La, la, la, air chéri (from L'etoile du nord) En vain j’espère … Idole de ma vie (Isabelle) La Marguerite a fermé sa corolle...Ouvre ton coeur (from L'Africaine) Veille sur eux … Vaisseau que le flot balance (from L`etoile du nord) O beau pays de la Touraine (from Les Huguenots) Dieu! Comme cette nuit est lente...Ombre légère (from Dinorah)
Mozart:	Martern aller Arten (from Die Entführung aus dem Serail) Ach, ich fühl's (from Die Zauberflöte, K620) O zittre nicht (from Die Zauberflöte) Or sai chi l'onore (from Don Giovanni) Non mi dir (from Don Giovanni) Porgi amor (from Le nozze di Figaro) Dove sono i bei momenti (from Le nozze di Figaro) Voi che sapete (from Le nozze di Figaro) Deh vieni, non tardar (from Le nozze di Figaro) L'amerò, sarò costante (from Il re pastore) Vorrei spiegarvi, oh Dio! K418 Exsultate, jubilate, K165 - Alleluia
Offenbach:	Conduisez-moi vers celui que j’adore (from Robinson Crusoë) Dites-lui qu’on l’a remarqué (from La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein) Les oiseaux dans la charmille (from Les Contes d'Hoffmann) Ah! que j'aime les militaires (from La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein)
Paisiello:	Nel cor più non mi sento
Piccinni:	Furia Di Donna (La Buona Figliuola)
Shield:	Light as Thistledown (from Rosina) When William, at eve (from Rosina) Whilst with village maids (from Rosina)
Thomas, Ambroise:	A vos jeux, mes amis (from Hamlet) Le voilà! Je crois entendre (from Hamlet)
Verdi:	Santo di patria (from Attila) Tu del mio Carlo (from I masnadieri) Tu puniscimi, o Signore … A brani, a brani, o perfido (from Luisa Miller) Surta è la notte...Ernani! Ernani, involami (from Ernani) Mi parea … Piangea cantando 'Willow Song' (from Otello) Mercè, dilette amiche 'Bolero' (from I Vespri Siciliani) È strano! è strano!...Ah! fors è lui (from La traviata) Sempre libera (from La Traviata)
Wagner:	Gerechter Gott! (from Rienzi) Johohoe! Traft ihr das Schiff im Meere an 'Senta's Ballad' (from Der fliegende Holländer) Dich, teure Halle (from Tannhauser) Allmächt’ge Jungfrau! (from Tannhäuser) Einsam in trüben Tagen (from Lohengrin) Du bist der Lenz (from Die Walküre) O Sachs, mein Freund (from Die Meistersinger) Mild und leise 'Isolde's Liebestod' (from Tristan und Isolde)
Weber:	Ozean, du Ungeheuer (from Oberon)

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London Symphony Orchestra, The Academy of Ancient Music, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande & Welsh National Opera Orchestra, Richard Bonynge, Sir Adrian Boult, Christopher Hogwood

For the first time ever the complete selection of arias which formed the 1970 release of “Romantic French Arias” is available on CD; an extended scene from Act Three of Norma in a live recording from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, from a concert in aid of the Darwin appeal, is included and appears on CD for the first time; and an ever greater bonus is included here with the release FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER of 6 French songs with Richard Bonynge as pianist.

Decca Collectors Edition - 4756302

(CD - 6 discs)

$47.00

In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day.

The Massenet Edition

Massenet:

Don Quichotte

studio recording, 1978

Nicolai Ghiaurov (Don Quichotte), Gabriel Bacquier (Sancho Panza), Régine Crespin (Dulcinée), Michèle Command (Pedro), Annick Dutertre (Garcias), Peyo Garazzi (Rodriguez), Jean-Marie Frémeau (Juan)

L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Kazimierz Kord

Esclarmonde

studio recording, 1975

Joan Sutherland (Esclarmonde), Huguette Tourangeau (Parséis), Clifford Grant (Emperor Phorcas), Giacomo Aragall (Roland), Louis Quilico (L'Evèque de Blois), Ryland Davies (Enéas), Robert Lloyd (Cléomer), Ian Caley (A Saracen Envoy), Graham Clark (A Byzantine Herald)

National Philharmonic Orchestra, John Alldis Choir, Finchley Children's Music Group, Richard Bonynge

Le Jongleur de Notre-Dame

Roberto Alagna (Jean), Stefano Antonucci (Boniface), Francesco Ellero d'Artegna (Le prieur), Marc Larcher (Un moine poète)

Orchestre National de Montpellier, Enrique Diemecke

Manon

studio recording, 1970

Beverly Sills (Manon), Nicolai Gedda (Le Chevalier des Grieux), Gérard Souzay (Lescaut), Gabriel Bacquier (Le Comte des Grieux), Nico Castel (Guillot de Morfontaine), Michel Trempont (De Brétigny)

New Philharmonia Orchestra, Ambrosian Singers, Julius Rudel

Le Roi de Lahore

live recording, 1977

Luis Lima (Alim), Joan Sutherland (Sita), Sherrill Milnes (Scindia), Nicolai Ghiaurov (Indra), James Morris (Timour), Huguette Tourangeau (Kaled), John Tomlinson (Officer), Gareth Morrell (Army Chief), David Wilson-Johnson (Soldier)

Orchestra and Chorus of the Vancouver Opera Association, NPO / Bonynge

Thaïs

studio recording, 1997-8

Renée Fleming (Thaïs), Thomas Hampson (Athanaël), Giuseppe Sabbatini (Nicias), Stefano Palatchi (Palémon), Marie Devellereau (Crobyle), Isabelle Cals (Myrtale), Enkelejda Shkosa (Albine), Elisabeth Vidal (La Charmeuse), David Grousset (Servant)

Orchestre National de Bordeaux-Aquitaine, Yves Abel

Thérèse

studio recording 1973

Huguette Tourangeau (Thérèse), Ryland Davies (Armand de Clerval ), Louis Quilico (André Thoral), Neilson Taylor (Morel), Ian Caley (Un Officier), Alan Opie (Un Officier Municipal)

New Philharmonia Orchestra, The Linden Singers, Richard Bonynge

Werther

studio recording, 1980

José Carreras (Werther), Frederica Von Stade (Charlotte), Isobel Buchanan (Sophie), Thomas Allen (Albert), Robert Lloyd (Le Bailli), Malcolm King (Johann), Paul Crook (Schmidt), Donaldson Bell (Brühlmann), Linda Humphries (Kätchen)

Orchestra of Covent Garden, Children from the Royal Opera House Production, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Davis

Le Carillon

Le Cid - Ballet music

Scènes pittoresques

Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Albert Wolff

Cigale

Enid Hartle

C'est sa tete que je reclame (from Hérodiade)

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo)

L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge

Il est doux, il est bon (from Hérodiade)

Angela Gheorghiu (soprano)

Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, John Mauceri

De cet affreux combat…Pleurez, mes yeux ! (from Le Cid)

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

Fantaisie for Cello and Orchestra

Jascha Silberstein (cello)

L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge

Meditation (from Thaïs)

Nigel Kennedy (violin)

Ce que disent les cloches

Le sais-tu?

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

On dit!

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Passionnément

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Les âmes des fleurs

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Souvenance

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Le Petit Jésus

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Les Yeux clos

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

La mélodie des baisers

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Pitchounette

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Nuit d'Espagne

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

L'éventail

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Je t'aime!

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Les amoureuses sont des folles

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Printemps dernier

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Roses d'Octobre

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Sérénade d'automne

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Souhait

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Elle s'en est allee

Huguette Tourangeau (mezzo), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Les Yeux clos

Joan Sutherland (soprano), Richard Bonynge (piano), Barry Tuckwell (horn)

Amours bénis

Joan Sutherland (soprano), Richard Bonynge (piano), Barry Tuckwell (horn)

Pensée d'automne

Joan Sutherland (soprano), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux

Joan Sutherland (soprano), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Puisqu'elle a pris ma vie‎

Joan Sutherland (soprano), Richard Bonynge (piano)

Oh! si les fleurs avaient des yeux

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

Crépuscule

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

Ah, que mes soeurs ... Reste au foyer, petit grillon (from Cendrillon)

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Richard Bonynge

Manon: ballet

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Richard Bonynge

Meditation (from Thaïs)

John Georgiadis (violin)

Le Roi de Lahore: waltz and entr'acte

Scènes dramatiques

Cendrillon: Marche des princesses

La Navaraisse : Nocturne

Les Erinnyes : Invocation

Air de Nina (from Chérubin)

Joan Sutherland (soprano)

Chérubin Entr'acte

Vive amour qui rêve (from Chérubin)

Angela Gheorghiu (soprano)

Orchestra e coro de Teatro Regio di Torino, John Mauceri

Lamento d'Ariane