Ibert: Le petit âne blanc (from Histoires) (Little White Donkey)

In this fascinating and spellbinding album, political satire, fables, and lessons learned through animal personification is the creation of the world that is Le Bestiaire, ingeniously depicted by soprano Céline Ricci and her pianist and collaborator, Daniel Lockert and presented by Sono Luminus.

In this collection of songs by Jeanne Herscher Clément, Henri Sauguet, Jacques Ibert, André Caplet, Gabriel Grovlez, and Déodac de Séverac, the listener becomes enthralled with the base concepts of humanity depicted by the words of René de Brimont, Paul Éluard, Charles Baudelaire, Jean de la Fontaine, and Prosper Estieu. Often interesting and sometimes amusing, the observation of how animals have been personified in literature throughout the centuries strikes a chord with people of all ages. For different purposes, authors have made them behave like humans, giving them the capacity to speak, or using them as a symbol for thoughts, feelings or even people. This fascinating disc compiles a succinct anthology of French songs combining well-known poetry with more obscure pieces in order to showcase a variety of human expressions through music.

Born in Florence of Italian and French parents, soprano Céline Ricci studied in Paris with Ana Maria Miranda continuing her post-graduate studies at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Renowned conductor William Christie selected this gifted artist for his first elite academy, Les Jardin des Voix. She was named one of opera’s promising new talents by Opernwelt. She has subsequently made many appearances under the baton of this conductor and his prestigious Les Arts Florissants and continues to have engagements with them well into the future. Céline Ricci already has an impressive discography including a number of audio recordings and three DVDs. The recent release of Terradellas’ opera Artaserse, singing the role of Arbace, garnered a great deal of critical acclaim. In her character’s 8-minute aria, Opernwelt singled out Ms Ricci’s exciting performance as being a “tour de force” and she was also described as having “faultless breath control, total security and perfect round tone.” This is Céline Ricci’s first solo recording, which also marks her partnership with pianist/collaborator Daniel Lockert.

Daniel Lockert is a multi-talented pianist/collaborator. He was honored as the only American finalist at the first International Accompanying Competition held in Den Hague, the Netherlands. In his role as pianist/collaborator, his wide-ranging career has taken him around the globe, playing throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. He has been praised for exhibiting a strong sense of rhythm, lovely variety of touches, and a convincing sense of historical style.

This new Hybrid SACD recording features four members of the internationally renowned Afflatus (Wind) Quintet performing music by several French composers including Ibert, Bozza, Debussy, Gounod, Tomas, and Françaix. Afflatus Quartet derives from Afflatus (Wind) Quintet, the winner of one of the most prestigious chamber music competitions in the world, the International Music Competition of the ARD Munich 1997. With Radek Baborak, the world famous horn player and Afflatus member taking a "vacation" from the ensemble, the four remaining members, each of which is an active soloist throughout Europe and especially in Czech Republic, have produced an album of music by 20th century French composers. The disc includes Ibert’s ‘The Little White Donkey’, Deux Mouvements, and Cinq Pièces en Trio; Bozza’s Sonatine, and Trois Pièces pour une Musique de Nuit; Debussy’s ‘Golliwog’s Cakewalk’, and ‘The Little Shepherd’; Gounod’s ‘Funeral March of a Marionette, Tomasi’s Concert Champêtre; and Françaix’s Quartet for Wind Instruments.

Hailed as ‘Queen of the classical accordion’, Mie Miki made her first public appearance at the age of five, and has since then given countless concerts. This CD brings together pieces that do not form part of her standard performance repertoire but are more old friends and new, childhood acquaintancies, and some surprise guests from a wholly different musical universe.

Arrangement of works originally written for harpsichord (Daquin’s Cuckoo or Handel’s Blacksmith) or piano (Stravinsky’s Tango and Schubert’s two Moments musicaux) rub shoulders with original accordion compositions such as Wolfgang Jacobi’s Sérénade. Moods range from the irrepressible Miss Karting, straight out of the great French musette tradition, and the breakneck comedy of Road Runner, to the intense pathos of Astor Piazzolla’s Chiquilín de Bachín and the calm serenity of A Spotless Rose, in Brahms’ setting (originally an organ prelude).

Phyllis Sellick was a remarkable pianist and teacher. Her playing inspired both Vaughan Williams and Walton to write for her. One of her most famous recordings is that of Tippett’s 1st Piano Sonata, included on this release. Born in 1911 she died in 2007.