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Ombres: Women Composers of the Belle Époque
Laetitia Grimaldi (soprano)
Ammiel Bushakevitz (piano)
Talia Erdal (cello)
Notes and texts in French and English
rec. 24-26 February 2019, Jerusalem Music Centre, Israel
BIS BIS-2546 SACD [69:03]

The Belle Époque produced many fine French composers, some of whom are barely remembered today. Men like Ernest Reyer and Benjamin Godard can no longer claim to have much of a toehold on the fringe of the collective repertoire. The situation is far worse for female composers of the same period. Many of the pieces that were included on this disc involved exhumations of long forgotten publications of songs that lay buried in archives of one sort or another. These two artists are to be commended for their dedication in bringing to light many worthy discoveries that will enhance the song repertoire and rehabilitate the reputations of some very talented women.

The disc is programmed with each composer’s songs collected together. In auditioning the SACD there were times I felt this approach made some of the songs a little too unvaried and repetitive. One example is the section devoted to Armande de Polignac. We are given three of her excellent songs, but they would have been heard to better advantage had they been interspersed with some of the other composer’s works to avoid any sense of compositional monotony.

This release introduces me to the incandescent soprano of Laetitia Grimaldi. Her tone possesses impressive amplitude for a voice that is absolutely even throughout her range. Additionally, this voice is graced with subtle Café-au-lait colourings which are enormously evocative in this repertoire; one which requires nuance and delicacy to have a maximum effect. She is accompanied by Ammiel Bushakevitz who provides passionate support when required. He is particularly expressive when he explores the complex rain-like patterns of the song Un Soir. Together they make just over an hour of luminous musical pleasure.

Some of the highlights of this recording are the joyously spirited performance of Cécile Chaminade’s Villanelle, or her strongly accented paean to the city of Nice which is reminiscent of a vaudeville or boulevard song. Happily there are a handful of songs by Pauline Garcia-Viardot, possibly the most well-known name among these composers; yet even she is mostly remembered for being one of the most celebrated operatic singers of the 19th century rather than for her compositions. Meyerbeer wrote Le Prophète specifically for her and Berlioz created his enduring revision of Gluck’s Orphée et Euridice to showcase her gifts. Her talent for composing was no small thing. Les Deux Roses has a challenging vocal line which is a real test of the singer’s skill, as is the stirring Les étoiles. Ms. Grimaldi sails valiantly through both of them with the able support of Mr Bushakevitz. Inevtibaly there will be songs that do not appeal to all tastes. Personally I find the Ave Maria of Mélanie Bonins to lack direction and Cécille Chaminade’s L’anneau d’argent is built upon an overtly sentimental text which leaves my teeth a bit on edge. Still, there is a lot of fine musical material to discover on this recording. The recital concludes with a series of songs by the Irish-born Augusta Holmès who spent much of her life in France. Indeed, her spouse was the colourful poet Claude Catulle Mendès who was the librettist for Debussy’s incomplete opera Rodrigue et Chimène and Chabrier’s Gwendoline. Holmès turns out to be more artistically down-to earth than her partner. Her songs are distinctly pleasing, especially the concluding À Trianon which is a delightful Rococoesque tribute to the Minuet.

Mike Parr

Contents
Mélanie BONIS (1858-1937)
Invocation (2:42)
Élève-toi mon âme (2:50)
Songe (3:17)
Un soir (2:09)
Ave Maria (2:17)
Cécille CHAMINADE (1857-1944)
Villanelle (2:20)
L'Anneau d'Argent (1:56)
Nice-la-belle (3:08)
Armande de POLIGNAC (1876-1962)
Chant d'amour (5:08)
Jardin du roi (2:46)
Ne me regarde pas (3:07)
Juliette FOLVILLE (1870-1946)
Songe (2:21)
Pauline GARCIA-VIARDOT (1821-1910)
Les ombres de minuit (2:37)
Les deux roses (2:46)
Haï luli (3:31)
Les étoiles (3:21)
Marguerite Béclard D’HARCOURT (1884-1964)
Le rêve de la vallée (2:51)
Hélène-Frédérique DE FAYE-JOZIN (1871-1942)
Printemps (1:56)
Gabrielle FERRARI (1851-1921)
Chanson d'exil (4:17)
Augusta Mary Anne HOLMÈS (1847-1903)
C'est un oiseau du bois sauvage (3:50)
Les lavandières (3:36)
À Trianon (2:59)