Jules Émile Frédéric MASSENET (1842-1912)
Massenet Songs (1869-1912)
Ivre d'amour - Intoxicated with love (1906)
C'est l'amour - It's love (1908)
Ma petite mère a pleuré - My mother cried (1902)
Sérénade de Zanetto - Zanetto's Serenade (1869)
Il pleuvait - It was raining (1872)
Si tu l'oses! - If you dare! (1897)
Élégie – Elegy (1872)
Quelques chansons mauves - Some Mauve Songs: En même temps
que ton amour - At the same time as your love
Quelques chansons mauves - Some Mauve Songs: Quand nous
nous sommes vus pour la première fois - When we saw each other
for the very first time
Quelques chansons mauves - Some Mauve Songs: Jamais un tel
bonheur - Never has such happiness
Que l'heure est donc brève - How brief is the hour
(Poème d'avril, No.6) (1866)
Ave Maria - Original Latin Prayer (Op. 24) (1886)
Guitare – Guitar (1886)
Première danse - First dance (1899)
La verdadera vida - Real life, music by J. Massenet
and Marc Berthomieu (1933)
Amours bénis - Blessed love (1899)
Chanson andalouse - Andalusian Song (1891)
Avril est amoureux - April is in love (1900)
Enchantement! - Enchantment! (1890)
Quand on aime - When you're in love (1887)
Sonnet – Sonnet (1869)
Pensée de printemps - Spring thought (1893)
À deux pleurer - Weeping together (1897)
Chanson désespérée - Desperate song (1905)
Soir de rêve - An evening's dream (1912)
Avec toi! - With you! (1902)
Crépuscule -Twilight (Poème Pastoral, No.5) (1870-2)
Jamais plus! - Never again! (1912)
Jules Massenet is best known for his operas; Manon
written in 1884, Werther in 1892, and Thaïs
in 1894. All of these have continued into today’s operatic repertoire.
In addition to his operas, Massenet composed nearly three hundred
songs. These he enjoyed writing right up to the time of his
death in 1912 - two of his final songs appear on this disc.
While there have been a number of recordings of the Massenet
operas including a Decca boxed set, little attention has been
accorded to his songs. Consequently this disc, with the songs
freshly interpreted, has been released to celebrate the Massenet
centenary of 2012. Richard Bonynge and Guild have taken the
initiative to record these 28 rarities, clearly selected to
span Massenet’s output and allow us to assess his changing style.
In addition to the songs, Massenet wrote a number of suites
and cycles one of which is recorded here, the Quelques Chansons
Mauves.
This material couldn’t be in better hands. We remember that
Richard Bonynge was solely responsible for reviving Massenet's
opera Esclarmonde (in San Franciso, 1974; New York,
1976; London, 1983), with his wife Dame Joan Sutherland in the
title role. In 1998 Bonynge provided a disc of Massenet songs
with Rosamund Illing (Melba
301080) and went on to narrate a DVD on Massenet’s life
for Scott Murray in 2007 (Melba
MR2000).
I was keen to observe how this disc helps one to glean something
about the historical background to Massenet’s progress. There
is good variety of style – some pieces having quickly-assimilated
catchy rhythms, like Guitare, composed when Massenet
was 30. Others have a more languid and sophisticated colour
spectrum that shines with heaven-sent magnificence. The rippling
filigree of falling rain in Il pleuvait (It was raining)
despite the brevity of the piece, is lovingly played. The voice
blends with the piano particularly gracefully. For me, one of
the most charming songs is the Avril est amoureux (April
is in love) where the balance between soloist and pianist is
perfectly wedded to provide sonorous delights. The
Élégie has an unmistakable resemblance to Saint-Saëns’
Danse Macabre which started as a song in 1872. Interestingly,
the Saint-Saëns was written in the same year as this Massenet
song: so I wonder which composer came up with the idea first.
I’m beginning to think that Jerome Kern might have had a leaning
towards some of Massenet’s melody lines for occasional similarities
are there to be heard. The Cuban-styled Chanson andalouse
seems to give more than a passing nod towards the habaneras
written by Spanish composer Iradier. The Iradier pieces had
been popular thirty years earlier.
Since her discovery by the BBC with Songs of Five Rivers,
Sally Silver has grown in respect for her wide repertoire. Her
excellent recitals at St. John’s Smith Square and Wigmore Hall
in 2012 confirm this. She is well focused and has worked to
gain the best from these songs under Bonynge’s sensitive direction.
In a number of these pieces Silver soars effortlessly to provide
sparkle and adds perfect breath control to sustain the closing
long-held diminishing notes. I find her lightness of touch in
the delicate Sérénade de Zanetto utterly delightful
and Avec toi in particular is most uplifting. Clarity
of diction is excellent and the unmistakable Parisienne colours
are appropriate and a lovely touch.
The Potton Hall recording provides appealing light reverberation
and is well balanced. The piano is ideally placed to capture
bell-like cascades. The cello is never intrusive. However I
wonder if the cello might have benefited from a wider acoustic.
In Bonynge’s expert hands the piano achieves a wide range of
styles.
The clear and succinctly written notes are provided by Peter
Shore. These cover Massenet’s background, his output and career.
Most of the booklet is devoted to the French lyrics with their
English translations. I was keen to research the songs so that
I could place them, chronologically. Quite a number of these
Massenet songs were published in 1914, two years after the composer’s
death. Perhaps he just enjoyed composing them as we enjoy listening
to them and gave little thought about any urgent need for publication.
Raymond J Walker
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Sally Silver (soprano)