Voices of Light

Olivier Messiaen (Composer), Claude Debussy (Composer), Osvaldo Golijov (Composer), Gabriel Faure (Composer), Gilbert Kalish (Performer), Dawn Upshaw (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Gilbert Kalish, Dawn Upshaw
• Composer: Olivier Messiaen, Claude Debussy, Osvaldo Golijov, Gabriel Faure
• Audio CD (August 24, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nonesuch
• ASIN: B0002JNR4U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #154,718 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Dawn Upshaw here explores outstanding examples of the past century of French song, adding a brief detour into Spanish with a haunting gem by Osvaldo Golijov. The recital's centerpiece is Fauré's La Chanson d'Eve, a cycle of 10 exquisitely fashioned songs whose delicate subtlety and carefully weighed balance between light and shade are beautifully realized by Upshaw and her excellent accompanist, Gilbert Kalish, whose rippling piano in "Eau vivante" captivates. The pair also excel in the spare, mysterious "Crépuscule" (Twilight). Threaded throughout the disc are five songs by Olivier Messiaen, whose blending of spiritual faith and sensuous feeling often reaches ecstatic heights, as in the wildly virtuosic coloratura singing and keyboard demands of "Prière exaucée" (A Prayer Granted). Upshaw makes much of the sensuous close of the disc's opening song, "Le Collier," and the tenderly languorous "Amour oiseau d'étoile" (Love, Star-Bird). The elusive songs of Debussy's Chansons de Bilitis are given their full due as well, nicely set among Messiaen's more unbuttoned fervor. Upshaw fans and lovers of French song won't want to miss this. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another challenging, engaging triumph, August 29, 2004

By 

E. C Goodstein (Northern CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voices of Light (Audio CD)

I can't really speak to the technical side of this album.
But it is gorgeous. Yes, rather challenging material. But I think she really shows the 'link' between a 'conservative' composer like Faure and Debussy & Messaien. & the addition of the Golijov also shows his indebtedness to the French school (it's a beautiful piece in it's own right too IMO). Gilbert Kalish adds really inciteful accompaniment. If you
like her album of Debussy's FORGOTTEN SONGS, you'll love this I think. But even fans of any of her others will
like it too. One of the most thoughtful performers today-- she really has an interesting discography, & for me this is
a definite highlight.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lay me etherized upon the table........, December 17, 2004

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voices of Light (Audio CD)

The otherworldly presentation by Dawn Upshaw and Gilbert Kalish of songs by the under appreciated spiritualist composer Olivier Messiaen in the company of other composers of luminosity songs such as Claude Debussy, Gabriel Faure and the contemporary Osvaldo Golijov is one of the most unique and successful recordings to appear in a long time. Upshaw remains a clear voiced soprano who cares deeply about exploring repertoire to challenge her large audience: her recitals are never retreads of standard warhorses.

This recording is simply from another place that seduces us into a level of transcendental meditation. Not only do Upshaw and Kalish weave their expected magic with the Debussy and Faure cycles ('Chansons de Bilitis' and 'La Chanson d'Eve'), but they also evoke all of the special mysteries for voice and piano that Messiaen wrote so well. The moments of music seem to taper off into the ether of another world. And the single Olijov 'Lua descolorida' is so stunning that it leaves us wanting more.

A beautiful collection of songs, superbly performed, and beautifully recorded. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, December 2004

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars French songs luminously performed, September 13, 2005

By 

Jeff Abell (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voices of Light (Audio CD)

OK, quibble all you want with Dawn Upshaw's French pronunciations...I'm told the French find American accents "sexy." Upshaw and Kalish bring remarkable interpretive skill to these performances. The Debussy "Chansons de Bilitis," set poems by one of the composer's best friends to music of exquisite, almost erotic playfulness. Similarly, Faure's "Chanson d'Eve" is a remarkably beautiful late work of serene detachment. I'm not a big fan of Messian's music, but Upshaw and Kalish certainly make the most of these difficult and "ecstatic" songs. All told, with the delicious Golijov song tossed in, a lush treat.