Reneé Fleming & Jean-Yves Thibaudet - Night Songs (Fauré, Debussy, Marx, Strauss, Rachmaninov)

Gabriel Fauré (Artist), Claude Debussy (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 3, 2001)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B00005AWIA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #68,275 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Soprano Renée Fleming's mastery of a wide repertory extends to the more rarefied world of song on this disc. A French group opens the disc--11 songs by Fauré and Debussy that are often elusive, wedded to a style of intimacy not always comfortable for non-French opera singers. Fleming's not completely at home in them, often overinterpreting songs whose style is too fragile and understated for such an approach. Still, she offers many moments of rapturous singing, such as the way she floats the last word, "mystérieuse," of Fauré's "Après un rëve," tingeing it with eroticism.

"Mandolin" appears in two versions, Fauré's gently swinging one balanced by Debussy's bouncier take. The Rachmaninoff set also fascinates, her sensuous voice bringing its own rewards. Best of all are the German lieder by Joseph Marx and Richard Strauss. This is closer to home for Fleming, and one senses an ease in her singing that digs behind the words to the meaning of the poems. The Marx set is the highlight, perhaps because his songs are the least familiar here. They're also things of great beauty, and Fleming makes the most of the dreamily sensuous "Selige Nacht" and the twisted, nightmarish waltz of "Pierrot Dandy." The Strauss songs are as good: to cite one highlight, Fleming's rapt inwardness makes "Ruhe meine Seele" compelling. Her voice is never less than drop-dead gorgeous, and she's neatly accompanied by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. A feast for Fleming fans. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars for everything but the sonics!, April 14, 2001

By	madamemusico "madamemusico" (Cincinnati, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I have long been aware of Ms. Fleming, her strengths and weaknesses as an artist, but never before have I been so completely captivated by any of her recordings as I was by this recital. Only once, in Strauss' "Ruhe, meine Seele," does she even hint at the arch coyness that often intrudes on her operatic interpretations. Otherwise, she is here a superb musician, artist and interpreter, giving her very best to a mostly very worthy program (though why she recorded the inferior Rachmaninoff song "Zdes Khorosho" instead of Strauss' superb "Die Nacht" I don't know). And Jean-Yves Thibaudet, who I have only recently discovered, is a superb accompanist in the tradition of Alfred Cortot. (Indeed, the Debussy songs made a fascinating comparison to the versions that Cortot recorded with Maggie Teyte.) By the time one hears Ms. Fleming's voice soaring passionately through "Ne Poy, Krasavitsa" (known to most of us as "O cease thy singing, maiden fair"), one realizes that this is a recital for the ages. And oh, how I envy Carolyn Zaremba for hearing this recital in person!! I have yet to hear Fleming in person; she never comes to Cincinnati, and I can't afford to fly to major metropolitan centers to hear her. But at least I have recordings like this to savor.

Oh yes, regarding the sonics. This album struck me as rather "funny sounding," with slightly unclear highs muddied by a weird kind of boxed-in reverberance. Then I saw, in the back of the booklet, that it was recorded at "The Hit Factory," a pop music studio. And undoubtedly engineered something like a pop record. I'm sorry, but this is an insult to both Fleming and Thibaudet, who deserved better. You can overcome some of the muddiness by boosting your treble control, but really this shouldn't be. Is this the way all classical vocal recitals are going to be engineered in the future? To sound like pop albums? Still, I give it five stars because the artistic quality is so incredibly high.

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What we've all been waiting for...., April 4, 2001

By	Douglas M. Roach "dugdabug81" (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Renee Fleming's latest album, NIght Songs, is a treat to anyone who appreciates one of the finest singers singing some of the finest song literature written. Differing from her latest CDs released, which contain promarily music taken from the operatic repertoire, Night Songs explores the much loved repertoire of the art song, more specifically, the 20th century art song. This completely unexpected, but highly desired CD is a sampling of some of Ms. Fleming's finest singing. From her beautiful interpretation and expression in the French melodie of Gabriel Faure and Claude Debussy (a highlight being Debussy's, Apparition,) to the much loved lieder of Richard Strauss. Each track offers the perfection, which one does not think can get any better. Yet again, Ms. Fleming has created a masterpiece which belongs in everyone's musical library. The masterful artistry of Ms. Fleming's accompanist Jean-Yves Thibaudet just adds the hint of sheer colaboration, between the role of singer and pianist. Their appreciation and respect for this music is evident in every musical moment produced. Highlights include Cacilie (Strauss,) V molchani nochi taynoy and Ne poy krasavitsa (Rachmaninov,) and the beautiful Beau Soir (Debussy.) A must have! Brava, Brava, Brava Ms. Fleming!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Night Songs..., August 4, 2001

By	"puccinigirl" (Shawnee, Oklahoma United States) - See all my reviews

I was disappointed with this recording. Fleming is a fantastic singer with a beautiful voice, which is displayed on this recording. However, I felt that the French selections were handled too heavily. The subtlety and flavor of the French literature seemed to be missing; I found myself wanting to turn the album off the first time because it was just too heavy! The German selections were interpreted much more appropriately. Her album "the Beautiful Voice" is a much better representation of Fleming at her best and in music that suits her style.