Hector Berlioz John Nelson Susan Graham - Susan Graham Berlioz Les nuits dt (11 tracks) +Album Reviews

Search - Hector Berlioz, John Nelson, Susan Graham :: Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été

Hector Berlioz, John Nelson, Susan Graham
Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été
Genres: Pop, Classical

Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
1. Les Nuits d'?t?, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra), H. 81 (Op. 7): 1. Villanelle
2. Les Nuits d'?t?, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra), H. 81 (Op. 7): 2. Le spectre de la rose
3. Les Nuits d'?t?, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra), H. 81 (Op. 7): 3. Sur les lagunes: lamento
4. Les Nuits d'?t?, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra), H. 81 (Op. 7): 4. Absence
5. Les Nuits d'?t?, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra), H. 81 (Op. 7): 5. Au cimeti?re: clair de lune
6. Les Nuits d'?t?, song cycle for voice & piano (or orchestra), H. 81 (Op. 7): 6. L'?le inconnue
7. La Damnation de Faust, for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus and orchestra, ('l?gende dramatique') H. 111 (Op. 24): D'amou
8. Benvenuto Cellini, opera, H. 76a, Op. 23: Mais qu'ai-je donc? (Air)
9. Les Troyens, opera, H. 133a: Ah! Ah! Je vais mourir (Monologue)
10. Les Troyens, opera, H. 133a: Adieu, fi?re cit? (Air)
11. B?atrice et B?n?dict, opera, H. 138: Dieu! Que viens-je d'entendre?

CD Details

All Artists: Hector Berlioz, John Nelson, Susan Graham, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Title: Susan Graham ~ Berlioz - Les nuits d'été
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Sony
Release Date: 7/15/1997
Genres: Pop, Classical
Styles: Vocal Pop, Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 074646273029

Synopsis

Amazon.com

On casual listen, Graham can seem like yet another pretty voice. And it is extremely pretty. But there's an intelligence and learnedness that can only make her more interesting as time goes on. As is, her performances are slightly undercooked, though there are some moments during Les Nuits d'été as passionate and committed as one could want. The arias added to fill out the disc aren't heard in optimal performances, but show what riches lie in Berlioz's neglected operatic output, namely Ascanio's lighthearted aria from Benvenuto Cellini and the long soliloquy from Beatrice and Benedict. --David Patrick Stearns

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CD Reviews

The greatest "Nuits d'Ete" on record!

madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 09/01/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been listening to Berlioz' song cycle for nearly thirty years, and have heard most of the famous recordings: Teyte, Danco, de los Angeles, Steber, Janet Baker, Jessye Norman et al. Formerly, it was only Baker who penetrated the poetry of the lyrics...the "old" French style was to simply sing in a straightforward manner with no particular inflection, a style that Teyte and Danco worked to perfection. But the advent of such "chanson" singers as Gerard Souzay, Regine Crespin and Gabriel Bacquier changed all that, their approach was more specifically poetic. That is the approach that Graham uses here, and I find that it works beautifully.Only in "Villannelle" does one hear the simple, straightforward style of Teyte or Danco. Almost immediately, in "Le Spectre de la Rose," one is hit with the meaning and feeling of Gautier's poetry...and one is literally swept away in the passionate performance of Graham and her conductor, John Nelson. I agree with the reviewer who said that the orchestra is somewhat recessed in sound, but Nelson brings out so many felicitous details that it inevitably doesn't matter....and, unlike Baker, Graham is a mezzo-soprano who can sing "Nuits d'Ete" in the original key, adding a soprano luster and sweep to her performances....and the opera arias are equally well sung. Highly recommended!!"

Stunning emotion

Gertien Smits | Amsterdam, the Netherlands | 02/01/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"In this performance of les nuits d'été Susan Graham brings across the emotional charge of the cycle perfectly. Her voice is wonderfully suited for both the lightness required for "Villanelle" and the drama in "Sur les lagunes". My not complete enthousiasm lies in the fact that the emphasis in the mixing is too much on the voice, and Berlioz' wonderful orchestration is shoved to the background, diminishing the superb interaction that can exist in these songs."

Subtle elegance for Berlioz

madamemusico | 12/05/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Susan Graham is a singer's singer. The more that one listens to this disc, the more this singer's introspection reaches the listener. This disc has much of the same haunting quality that Dame Janet Baker's older recording of Les Nuits D'ete has. Ms. Graham singing of the Berlioz arias is truly stunning at times. This singer is to be much admired. This listener hopes to hear more of her on future recordings."

The Mezzo of the New Millenium!

madamemusico | 09/10/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Susan Graham's recording of Hector Berlioz'"Les nuits d'ete" sets a new standard for contemporary mezzos and sopranos alike. Sometimes mistaken for a soprano, Miss Graham's is a lush, lyrical mezzo with ample high notes and a secure foundation. Her French diction is understatedly impeccable and the songs are elegantly sung - the interpretation of each having been given much sensitive thought. As lovely as the songs are, better still are the Berlioz opera arias. Even the more familiar of an admittedly obscure bunch - in this country, at least - are given fresh and definitive interpretations. John Nelson leads the Royal Opera House Orchestra as if they've been playing this repertoire all their lives. One hopes that this cd is the first of many extraordinary solo cd's from this under-hyped artist who regularly performs with the world's great opera companies and orchestras."

Prime Berlioz from two most gifted advocates

Frank W. Barham | Greenbank, WA USA | 07/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Berlioz' song-cycle Les nuits d'ete has been deservedly fortunate in its representation on CD. With recordings by Crespin, Veronique Gens, Susan Graham, and Anne Sophie von Otter all top-flight musically and well-recorded, choice will be a matter of personal taste. I find Graham and Gens jostling most gracefully for my own affections. I have seen a criticism of Graham's disc to the effect that the voice tends to blanket the orchestra and obscure detail. I disagree. The balance is convincing and the sonics exceptional in their revelation of Berlioz' intoxicating orchestration. Moreover, in John Nelson Graham has, in my estimation, a successor to Monteux and Munch as monarch among Berlioz conductors. (Nelson's recording of Benvenuto Cellini, for instance, represents a huge advance over the pioneering Philips version.) Graham amazes not only with the beauty of her sound but with her uncanny empathy with the French esthetic, a rarity among American singers. I'm sorry but it's true; hard trying just won't do it. The disc includes arias from Berlioz' Faust, Cellini, Beatrice, and Troyens, all splendid. Particularly moving is Didon's farewell to Carthage from Les Troyens ("Adieu, fiere cite"); sampling that should let you know if this disc is for you. Since the Gens disc is completed by yet other Berlioz, three songs plus La mort de Cleopatre, you have a ready excuse for duplicating Les nuits, if your shelves can stand it.

-Frank W. Barham"