Customer Reviews

Cecilia Bartoli - Chant d'amour (Mélodies française) / Myung-Whung Chung

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This recording is well worth hearing. Bartoli has chosen some beautiful songs, many of which are not often heard, and given careful thought to presenting them with character. Particularly fun are songs like "La Coccinelle" and "Chanson hebraique" where she creates highly distinctive sounds in her own voice for multiple characters. I have just one reservation about her technique. She can produce a warm, resonant sound, but she can also slip into breathiness. Sung into a microphone this sound can be pretty and expressive, and it works if you think of it in the context of pop music. The sound is never ugly to my ears, but listeners who admire a consistent classical technique may be put off. Some of this repertoire has been recorded by Victoria de los Angeles, Conchita Supervia, and Felicity Lott (among others), and I can recommend those performances to classical purists. But, where else are you going to hear the Pauline Viardot songs that are on this CD?

Maybe a Bartoli fan, such as I, shouldn't be allowed to comment on this CD....it is so obviously a showcase for Cecilia's many strengths as a vocal interpreter. While pacing could benefit from input from a more contemporary producer, Bartoli manages, in her customary, seemingly effortless way, to elicit every possible shade and nuance from some very beautiful, if sometimes somewhat esoteric (Chants hebraiques) material. It is, I believe, without question, a fact that Pauline Viardot-Garcia's touching "L'havanaise" today belongs only to Bartoli. "Ouvre to coeur" is a plea no man can resist; Bizet's oft-malperformed "Tarantelle" seems finally cohesive in her playful rendition. A difficult piece, to be sure, but one would never know this listening to Bartoli's confident treatment. While there are several stand-out pieces on this disc, Ravel's "Chanson francaise" sums up this album's style nicely....Bel Canto; Beautiful Song.

This album for me represents a comeback after her dissapointing collection of Italian songs with James Levine. I had high expectations for that outing, her supposed core repertoire, but here she seems to buckle down and dot i's and cross t's in this effort. The recital starts with the simple and slight Bizet and Delibes and the even airier Viardot before jelling in the Berlioz and Ravel. Here she surprised me -- this is a bit out of her line. By playing it straight I think she will surprise detractors and others (like me) on the fence.As for the breathiness, it is toned down from earlier recitals, believe me. A very enjoyable and well-programmed recital which I give a fourth star strictly for the Viardot -- where else are we to hear these striking if not classic songs?

I heard one song from this album and decided to give it a try, and it was a great surprise for me. Great collection and Cecilia's singing is simply beautiful, without any of these strange mannerisms that sometimes show up in her performances. Her sound is still fairly breathy, but that does not detract at all from the wonderful delivery, and she is great at putting colors and different characters into her voice.
I certainly didn't think of Cecialia Bartoli as champion of the French song; I like Veronique Gens for this type of repertoire, but I was not familiar with Pauline Viardot-Garcia's songs, and I am glad that I discovered them, thanks to Cecilia. This album has many songs which were not recorded often, and it's great to see so much effort put into choosing a unique and wonderful collection like this one.
Just listen to Havanaise, which is a great introduction to this album and a real beauty in Cecilia's commited interpretation.

This is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful albums of classical music I own in my collection. Cecilia Bartoli, born in Rome, Italy, in 1966, is one of the most beautiful contemporary opera singers of today (in my opinion and in the opinion of others). What makes her stand apart from other singers is her gorgeous interpretation of baroque and well known art songs. On CHANT D'AMOUR (MELODIES FRANCAISE), with Myung-Whung Chung, her pianist, Bartoli takes on some beautiful lesser known tunes by Bizet ("Chant D'Amour," as an example) and other composers. Be it more upbeat music ("Ouvre Ton Coeur") or slower love ballads ("Hai luli!"), Bartoli OWNS these songs. There is a great range of tunes, that include Arabic and Spanish inspired pieces, in the French language. I've had this album for at least fifteen years, and I still hold these songs close to my heart after all of this time.

'Chant D'Amour' by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli, with piano accompaniest, Myung-Yhun Chung is one of my two favorite Bartoli recordings. To be sure, her voice is every bit as marvelous and beautiful as on her collections of operatic selections or her live albums such as 'Live in Italy', but this recording, and her recording of Italian love songs has an intimacy which makes it feel as if Mme. Bartoli is singing just for me. This impression is heightened by the fact that many of her selections, such as the one by Leo Delibes and the three by Pauline Viardot are not commonly found on collections by other performers. And, her interpretations seem to have a lot of unusual effects not found in the work of other mezzos doing more Teutonic material.

As with almost all of my classical music reviews, this is based purely on my personal reaction to the performance. And, if I were to recommend an excellent first purchase of Cecilia Bartoli material, this would be it!

Brilliant I love this recording so much.If you want to bath your ears in beautiful music and vocal then this is for you.

CECELIA SINGS HER SONGS OF LOVE WITH 'POOLS OF PURE PASSION'.

The French 'melodie'grew out of the 18th century ballad, and is the equivalent of what the Germans call 'Lied' or art song, as opposed to pop or folk. The music of the five French composers included on this recording are all quite notable in the musical world. And Bartoli has included some of my personal favoites. Just to comment on a few:

Bizet liked to use the poems of Victor Hugo in many of his songs and the one I like best is supposedly his most popular work: "Adieux de l'hotesse arabe" (The Farewell of the Arab Hostess-1866). It is an intriguing blend of persistent rhythm and novel harmonies inflected with neat dramatic touches and conveys the poignant urgency of the Arab girl's passion.

The song I enjoy the most from this album is Pauline Viardot's "Les Filles de Cadix"(The daughters of Cadiz), the libretto of which was supplied by the poet Alfred de Musset, who was very fond of her. It conveys the Spanish tang and the girls' flirtatious mockery.

There is so much to like about this album, such as the great singing of Ceclia Bartoli. Her voice is powerfully resonent when it needs to be, and yet she can lighten up when necessary, as in some of the 'wispier' French songs. I have a disc of Handel's "Rinaldo" which includes the excellent American countertenor David Daniels. It's a great recording and Bartoli can really "belt" out the Handel.

If French music is to your liking, this is indeed a good listen!!!!

Cecilia Bartoli is a remarkably gifted artist and these performances can hold their own with the finest singers in the world! She begins with Bizet's "Chant d'amour", and the presentation is inspired with extraordinary devotional weight, as its resonant sound irradiates. The interpretation of "Hai luli" by Viardot is tear-jerking. The performance is eloquently thought through and beautifully sung with the perfect sense of heartfelt feeling. Bartoli then changes character and offers a stunning approach to "Les Filles de Cadix". The singing is stretched thinly when there is need to reach up into the higher register which Bartoli handles magnificently. She conveys its mood with surprisingly lively vocal gestures and rhythmic vitality. After this refreshing change, Bartoli carries us off into the visionary world of "La Mort d'Ophelie" by Berlioz. The singing has a glorious purity and is admirably unhurried. It is filled with purposeful, deeply felt thought conveying the most 'personal' meaning of the text and mood. The group of pieces, "Chants populaires" by Ravel, explores a wide range of the minds abilities to become creative and imaginative. The music is carefully and elaborately composed and, provided you can adjust to the leisurely time frame, is most inspiring. Bartoli even does justice to some glorious, under-valued music. Pianist Myung-Whun, plays with amazing subtleties and sense of proportion. Throughout the varying styles of pieces, he bestows every refinement of technique and taste allowing the special qualities between him and Bartoli to fit one another like hand and glove. Bartoli's overall performance provided all the features that one would expect from her, prominence and a sense of command, artistic inspiration that too feels like part of the natural voice of the music and its character and mood. "Bartoli's voice reminds me of a glowing sky on a clear night."

Author: Raymond Vacchino M.Mus. A.Mus. L.R.S.M. Licentiate (honorary)

Bertoli sings "light" songs by Bizet, Delives, Ravel with humor and emotion. If you like Bartoli you'll love this CD. It's one of my favorites.