Search - Vierne, Delunsch, Kerdoncuff :: Melodie Francaise 19

Powerful performances of neglected repertoire

C. Orde | England | 05/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a sequel to the first volume of Vierne's songs that these performers recorded in 1997. The balance between the introspective songs dealing with bleak desolation and the extrovert pieces evoking torment and bitter anger (whirlwinds, sea-storms etc) remains about the same as in Volume 1. Vierne goes in for extremes and there's not much gaiety in his choice of poems to set, though the first part of Poèmes de l'Amour does contain two or three more optimistic songs that contain joyous thoughts (and even birdsong) before things turn bad. There are also a few more neutral songs that are all about atmosphere (e.g. Les roses blanches and L'heure du berger). "Les roses blanches" exists only in manuscript form and has never been published. One can only hope that it will one day be made available, for it is one of the most beautiful songs in the disc.



In the seven years between the two recordings, however, Mireille Delunsch's voice has (perhaps inevitably in view of her heavy operatic schedule) lost some of the sublime purity of tone and control she produced in her flawless first disc. This shows up particularly in the louder passages. It is true that she gave herself a tough act to follow, and it is also true these songs are generally more technically demanding than those in the first disc, but the result is that tone and intonation are compromised in some places. But this is relative (to the first volume), and the performances as a whole are electrifying. François Kerdoncuff's rendering of the devilish piano parts is, once again, a veritable tour de force."