Mathilde de ROTHSCHILD (1832-1924)
The Songs (full list at end of review)
Charlotte de Rothschild (soprano)
Adrian Farmer (piano)
rec. 1-3, 29-31 August 2012, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth
NIMBUS NI 5903/4 [70:16 + 70:41]
What must it be like, first discovering and then learning songs by an ancestor
whose name, in musical circles anyway has utterly vanished without a trace.
That is what Charlotte de Rothschild has done and what a voyage of discovery
it has been for her … and for the listener. Some of the songs were published
by Durand in Mathilde’s lifetime but others have emerged from a discovery made
in a family loft.
The first disc is devoted to settings in German. Mathilde had lived in Frankfurt
for several years with her husband. Six charming Schumann-esque pieces open
the programme. These were published in 1876. Other groups come later on the
disc - those of 1897 in a very similar style. There’s also a group put together
from 1885. Three settings of Heinrich Heine come in this first publication.
Of these the one that especially took my fancy was Weine nicht, a setting
of a folksong text. It is particularly touching in its melody line with its
repetition of ‘Do not weep’. Also quite moving was the following Du bist
wie eine Blume. Schubert is never far away, or Carl Loewe, but the more
modern world of Wolf and Wagner passes Mathilde by.
She sets a wide range of poets. Especially touching is O sage nicht
- ‘O do not say that love dies away like a dream’. Here the harmony is more
probing and interesting and the word setting is especially affecting. Her favourite
subject matter includes love - lost or found, and the natural world and landscape.
These are well summarised in the lovely song Komm! Geh mit mir in’s Waldergrün.
She sometimes misses the emotional mark of a poem; one such is Lamento –
‘My beautiful love is dead’.
The booklet notes which fascinatingly recount the background to the de Rothschild
family and its musical connections tell us that Chopin especially enjoyed visiting
the family home. Indeed he taught Mathilde for a while when she was teenager.
It is hardly surprising then that the two CDs are littered with occasional,
quite short solo piano pieces - a Mazurka or two, a Nocturne
and other romantic and dreamy salon pieces of great charm. Perhaps if she had
written more for the piano Cécile Chaminade might have had some extra competition.
Mathilde was a real cosmopolitan by the standards of her time. She spoke at
least three languages fluently and there are some songs in English. However,
CD 2 is devoted to French Mélodies. These are not necessarily French in the
musical style of Chabrier, Bizet, Chausson or even early Debussy but are settings
of some of the more popular poems of the day by poets like Victor Hugo or Théophile
Gautier. In fact the most famous of the songs, Si vous n’avez rien a me
dire, the one which made her name is, rather unfortunately not recorded
here. This is something of an error. Another Hugo setting, equally enchanting,
is Si mes vers avaient des ailes, as is Enfant rêve encore.
In some songs the dance rhythms of Paris and Offenbach (as in Danziam)
are not that far away and in the lovely Charmeuse and Le rossignol
Bellini’s cadential melismas are recalled. Mathilde had met or knew well many
of the leading composers of the day including Spontini and Meyerbeer. She was
also well versed in the operettas of the time. The first song of CD 2, Romance,
parle moi is sentimental but has a memorable and wide-ranging melody. Another
light-headed charmer is C'était en Avril, a setting of a good-natured
poem by Pailleron. Also, what can be a more moving and beautifully arched melody
than in Vous avez beau fair et beau dire; likewise in Je n’ose
pas – perfect miniatures both.
There is a difference of style between the German and French settings but mostly
a consistent language is at work. Although it may cloy a little at times it
is always perfectly of itself and is utterly persuasive.
Adrian Farmer is no mere accompanist although often the piano parts simply support
the voice. On other occasions they are quite dominant and use the whole keyboard
with sweeping arpeggio figures, melodies doubled in the right-hand and some
rich and unexpected harmonic writing. Just to take two contrasting examples,
in Les Papillons, a light almost luminous accompaniment adds more than
the sum of its parts to the more monochrome vocal line. In the German song,
Am See we move from rippling lake accompaniment to a dark, Schumannesque
change to homophony for the remembrance of the dead lover. Farmer is utterly
part of the duo and adds character where it is most needed and shows a strong
understanding of style and nuance.
The discs come with a complex but fascinating history of the de Rothschilds
- especially of those in the early 20th century - by Charlotte herself.
There is also a useful and detailed commentary on ‘The Musical Voices of Mathilde
de Rothschild’ by a very sympathetic Francesco Izzo. Each of these fifty-odd
songs is sung with much artistry as if each is a precious and unique jewel.
All of the texts are supplied in a separate booklet and have been excellently
translated by various hands. The recording is ideal:
intimate but spacious.
Gary Higginson
Sung as if each song is a precious and unique jewel.
Full List of Songs
CD 1 [70.16]
Sechs Lieder (1876) [10.57]; Feuillets d’Album Op. 2 no. 6-
Mazurka (solo piano) [2.04]; Auf den Bergen [1.45]; Das
flotte Herz [2.57]; O sage nicht ! [1.31]; Der Komet
[2.01]; So war die Sonne scheinet [1.39]; Die Gletscher leuchten
[1.56]; Komm! Geh mit mir [2.16]; Am See [2.05]; Seitdem
du mich verlassen [2.00]; Feuillet d’Album Op. 2 no. 1 (solo piano)
[3.11]; Sechs Lieder (1897) [11.30]; Feuillets d’Album: Souvenir
[2.21]; Zwölf Lieder (1885-1890) [17.17]
CD 2 [70.41]
Romance, parle moi [2.23]; Bluette [1.49]; Appelle-moi
ton âme [2.58]; Près du lilas [2.25]; Coquetterie [2.49];
C’était en Avril [2.14]; Quand vous me montrez [2.49]; Romance
Magyar [2.30]; Mazurka (solo piano) [1.42]; Vous avez beau
faire et beau dire [3.31]; Les papillons [2.16]; Le
rossignol [2.04]; La voix qui dit je t’aime [5.32]; Si mes
vers avaient de ailes [2.38]; Charmeuse [4.04]; Danziam, valse
chantée [2.43] Waltz [1.24]; Souvenir [2.16]; Se
j’étais rayon [2.03]; Je n’ose pas [2.16]; Puisque vous est
revenue [1.50]; Enfant rêve encore [2.53]; Feuillets d’Album
Op. 2 no.2 [3.40]; Chanson du Pêcheur - Lamento [3.41]; Tristesse
[2.22]; La vallon natal [3.59]
LATE NEWS
Nimbus (Wyastone) will be publishing the songs at between £1.99 and £2.25. Multi score discounts will apply. See here for further information.