Customer Reviews

Boulanger: Faust et Hélène, etc.

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It may be an overused word today but Lili Boulanger was a genius. She showed a remarkable ability to lean music theory and began auditing classes at the Paris Conservatoire at the age of 5. Lili won the coveted Prix de Rome at the age of 19 with Faust et Helene, a cantata that is recorded on this disc. She won the prize with 31 votes out of 36. Before her death in March 1918 at the age of 24, Lili wrote some very powerful music. Knowing that she had a fatal disease (Crohn's disease) spurred her on to write music against the short amount of time she had.

This recording by Yan Pascal Tortelier won the Choral Gramophone Award for 2000. It is a representative collection of the music of Lili Boulanger from the glittering Psaume 24 to the dark and haunting D'un soir triste. D'un matin du printemps is charming orchestral work descriptive of a sunny spring morning. Psaume 130 is a very dramatic work for orchestra, organ, chorus and soloists that shows Lili expertly handling such large forces. Written in 1917 the content is indicted by the subject of the psalm: Out of the depths of the abyss. One is struck by the maturity of Lili Boulanger's music. If one had to guess who wrote these pieces the name of Faure, Debussy or Massenet might come up.

If you like choral music in general this disc will be a revelation. If you are curious about Lili Boulanger the works collected here give a good idea of her of her musical language. The performances are well recorded and expertly played.

This is a wonderfully recorded album of choral and other works by Lili Boulanger. The fidelity of the recording is outstanding. My favorite is Psaume 24. This is an excellent addition to the choral library of any one liking choral music. After listening to her music, one can only wonder about the achievements she might have reached had she not have died at the young age of 24.