Search - Berlioz, Ravel, Norman :: Les Nuits D'Ete / Sheherazade

Les Nuits D'Ete / Sheherazade
Berlioz, Ravel, Norman
Les Nuits D'Ete / Sheherazade
Genres: Special Interest, Pop, Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (9) - Disc #1

The most important thing to remember about Les Nuits d'été is that there's only one quick song and one moderate one to balance out three long, slow ones. Although the work is not a cycle in any coherent sense,...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Berlioz, Ravel, Norman, Davis
Title: Les Nuits D'Ete / Sheherazade
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Polygram Records
Release Date: 10/25/1990
Genres: Special Interest, Pop, Classical
Styles: Poetry, Spoken Word & Interviews, Vocal Pop, Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 028941249326

Synopsis

Amazon.com essential recording
The most important thing to remember about Les Nuits d'été is that there's only one quick song and one moderate one to balance out three long, slow ones. Although the work is not a cycle in any coherent sense, most performers do the pieces in Berlioz's final order: the quick one first, then the three slow ones, then the moderate one. This makes for a very long middle. Norman's rich, dark voice might be thought a bit heavy for this particular order, but she has another card up her sleeve: Her singing is so gorgeous that one simply forgets about time and just drowns in the tone. Ravel's exotic oriental song cycle provides just the right pick-me-up after the Romantic excesses of the Berlioz. --David Hurwitz
 

CD Reviews

The Special Luxury of Jessye Norman in her Prime
Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 05/17/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jessye Norman has been stunning audiences with her voluptuous voice and stage presence for over thirty years now and while she continues to take on new challenges of contemporary premieres along with the operatic demands of, say, Judith in Bartok's 'Bluebeard's Castle' and Jocasta in Stravinsky's 'Oedipus Rex" etc, there are those of us who still hold her songs with orchestra, such as the dignified beauty of Strauss' 'Four Last Songs' and her sensuous reading of the French repertoire, as the gold standard.



This recording was made in London in 1979 and has been reissued here with only a change of cover. In collaboration with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra the fresh and young Norman gives special insights to Berlioz' "Les Nuits D'été" of 1843 and Ravel's "Shéhérazade" of 1903. Norman's voice has never sounded more fresh nor her French more exquisite. She is able to shimmer the softest pianissimo and the fullest forte without strain, factors that help make these two song cycles so unique in the literature. Davis provides understanding support with lush orchestral sound.



This is a recording that is a must for those who love Jessye Norman's voice and for those who appreciate the special beauty of these two French song cycles. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, May 05

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Just the facts.....and a hope
paul pirate | New York, New York | 06/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"The rating is simply to fulfill amazon's requirement (we should have the option for a neutral "review"). My comment is more a response to David Hurwitz's comment concerning the Berlioz than a review of the Norman (which I have not heard).
First of all - there are SIX songs in "Nuits d'ete" - This error does no credit to the rest of the review.
Second - Even if one believes that this is not a "cycle" (I would argue somewhat in favor of its being one), the problem with every recording of this work is that the keys get changed around to suit the singer's needs --
Except one: the 1970s recording of orchestral songs, (not yet Sir) Colin Davis at the helm of the LSO, and FOUR singers tackling the songs: Frank Patterson (2), Josephine Veasey, John Shirley-Quirk, and Sheila Armstrong (2). Indeed, Berlioz not only changed some of the keys for the orchestral version, but specified different voices for the songs.
While this "authentic" version would be tough to pull off in the modern concert hall or the star-driven recording (such as Norman's, or Crespin's, rightfully considered the highwater recording for this piece as soloist's cycle), it is incredible to have the Davis-plus-quartet version; if nothing else, this is what Berlioz heard in his own head. Each singer adds his or her style and sound to the piece; what might sound like "a long middle" is less so, and Shirley-Quirk's "Sur les lagunes" is one of the great "melodie" performances I know. I also like the total involvement of Davis - he is a great "accompanist," and I hear his Berlioz identification at its strongest. Some more recent recordings have overbalanced singers, buried orchestras, or just plain lack of ensemble between soloist and accompaniment--as if all the lessons of the LP era could be lightly tossed aside.
I don't know if the 1970s Davis ever made it to CD - perhaps in one of those large Philips sets, although the outer packaging of these boxes can be uninformative. For now, if you can find the LP (6500 009 a/k/a SAL 3789) and still have a record player (is to laugh?), procure, put away any preconceptions, and listen to "Nuits" anew."
Ravishing readings from Norman at her very best
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jessye Norman took up residence in Paris and has an affinity for French music. Here we get one of the most gorgeously sung recordings of Berlioz's Nuits d'Ete imaginable, rivaled on the operatic scale only by Leontyne Price (and Norman's French is better). the amazing control of the voice, its enchanting tone and great power all come together under Colin davis's relaxed but effective conducting. (David Hurwitz has reached a new low in irresponsibility by not even coutning the number of songs--six--correclty. He's supposed to know something about music?)

Just as beautiful is Norman's account of Ravel's Scheherazade.



Economical buyers should be aware that this album is included in a budget two-fer that includes a recital of French chansons with piano, also highly recommended."