Ne me refuse pas: French Opera Arias

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This procession of femmes fatales, schemers and innocents has a point to make, and it's not just the singer's ability to get under their skin...it shows them as part of a larger movement: the... — BBC Music Magazine, April 2011, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 15th Nov 2010
Catalogue No: V5201
Label: Naive
Length: 77 minutes

Gramophone Awards

2011

Finalist - Recital
Opera

June 2011

Recording of the Month

Excerpt, Massenet: Hérodiade

Work length6:05

$1.00

$1.30

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto), Francois Lis (bass)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Herodiade: Herod! Ne me refuse

Track length6:05

$1.00

$1.30

Excerpt, Cherubini: Medea

Work length8:52

$2.00

$2.60

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto), Philippe Hanon (bassoon)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Medee: Act II: Ah! Nos peines seront communes

Track length8:52

$2.00

$2.60

Excerpt, Halévy: Charles VI

Work length12:09

$3.00

$3.85

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Charles VI: Sous leur sceptre … Humble fille des champs

Track length12:09

$3.00

$3.85

Excerpt, Berlioz: Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17

Work length6:49

$1.00

$1.30

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Jeune Choeur de Paris, Le, Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17: Premiers transports que nui n'oubllet

Track length6:49

$1.00

$1.30

Wormser: Clytemnestre

Work length6:07

$1.00

$1.30

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Clytemnestre: No. 2. Qu'Appollon soit loue … Ombre d'Agememnon (arr. T. Perrine)

Track length6:07

$1.00

$1.30

Excerpt, Thomas, Ambroise: Mignon

Work length5:43

$1.00

$1.30

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Mignon, Act I: Connais-tu le pays?

Track length5:43

$1.00

$1.30

Excerpt, Massenet: Werther

Work length11:10

$3.00

$3.85

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Werther, Act III: Werther! Werther! … Qui m'aurait dit

Track length11:10

$3.00

$3.85

Excerpt, Bizet: Carmen

Work length4:37

$1.00

$1.30

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Jeune Choeur de Paris, Le, Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Carmen, Act I: Habanera: L'amour est un oiseau rebelle

Track length4:37

$1.00

$1.30

Excerpt, Berlioz: Les Troyens

Work length6:19

$1.00

$1.30

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Les Troyens, Act IV Scene 3: Je vais mourir

Track length6:19

$1.00

$1.30

Excerpt, Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila

Work length9:38

$2.00

$2.60

Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto)
Orchestre National de France
Fabien Gabel

Samson et Dalila, Op. 47: Act II: Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix …

Track length9:38

$2.00

$2.60

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About

In 2000 the contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux became the first Canadian to win the First Prize as well as the Special Prize for Lieder at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition in Belgium. She has recorded for numerous labels, and now enjoys an exclusive contract with the Naïve label, for which she has recorded the title roles in Vivaldi’s operas Griselda and Orlando furioso. Her first recital CD of French mélodies (L’Heure exquise) was much praised by the critics. In 2008 Naïve released a recording of Vivaldi sacred works in which she sings the famous Stabat Mater. This was followed by the same composer’s La fida ninfa. In 2009 Naïve released a recital of Schumann songs with the pianist Daniel Blumenthal and a programme of Vivaldi arias with the Ensemble Matheus under Jean-Christophe Spinosi.

The programme chosen for this recording by Marie-Nicole Lemieux is dedicated to the finest arias from the French opera, recorded with one of the finest orchestras in this repertoire and featuring both popular and more specialised works by, amongst others, Massenet, Berlioz, Saint-Saëns, and Bizet.

Reviews

April 2011

This procession of femmes fatales, schemers and innocents has a point to make, and it's not just the singer's ability to get under their skin...it shows them as part of a larger movement: the rise of the 19th-century French mezzo...Marie-Nicole Lemieux is equal to them all, adjusting vibrato and shading an essentially contralto colour according to dramatic demands.

March 2011

This is an attractive record and its appeal may well be felt before a note of it is heard. Many who take a particular interest in singing find themselves drawn to the French repertoire...and this young singer - perhaps still new to some - so provocatively classified as "contralto" also has the kind of name and background that attract the attention of traditional record collectors.

March 2011

[In the Letter Scene] Lemieux is awake to the changes of mood as she moves between a lovely quiet opening section to more ecstatic utterances. The interpretation is first-rate...The wistfulness and sense of longing with which Lemieux recalls Mignon's past are feelingly expressed...The playing under Fabien Gabel is fine all through.

11th November 2010

The programme is formidably intelligent: well-known items are placed alongside some terrific music by composers we rarely hear (Halévy and Wormser, for instance), the aim being to remind us that the dividing line between success and oblivion can sometimes be painfully thin.

Videos

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Ne me refuse pas: French Opera Arias

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