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Gabriel Fauré, Gérard Souzay, Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin - Fauré - Mélodies / Souzay · Ameling · Baldwin
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Gabriel FaurA©, GA©rard Souzay, Elly Ameling, Dalton Baldwin - FaurA© - MA©lodies / Souzay A· Ameling A· Baldwin

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Fauré - Mélodies / Souzay · Ameling · Baldwin
Music Price: $43.98 $25.97
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Artist(s)Gabriel Fauré, Gérard Souzay, Elly Ameling and Dalton Baldwin
StudioEMI Classics
Release DateJanuary 23, 1992
UPC Code077776407920
Buy this item$25.97 at Amazon.com
As of Jan 3 12:37 EST (details)
4 Audio CD, Usually ships in 24 hours,
 

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. No. 1. Le Papillon et la fleur
  2. No. 2. Mai
  3. No. 1. Dans les ruines d'une abbaye
  4. No. 2. Les Matelots
  5. No. 1. Puisqu'ici-bas
  6. No. 2. Tarentelle
Disc 2
  1. No. 1. Recontre
  2. No. 2. Toujours
  3. No. 3. Adieu
  4. No. 1. Les Berceaux
  5. No. 2. Notre amour
  6. No. 3. Le Secret
  7. No. 1. Chanson d'amour
  8. No. 2. La Fée aux chansons
  9. No. 1. Aurore
  10. No. 2. Fleur jetée
  11. No. 3. Le Pays des rêves
  12. No. 4. Les Roses d'Ispahan
  13. No. 1. Les Présents
  14. No. 2. Clair de Lune
  15. No. 1. Chanson de Shylock
  16. No. 2. Madrigal de Shylock
  17. No. 1. Mandoline
  18. No. 2. En sourdine
  19. No. 3. Green
  20. No. 4. A Clymène
  21. No. 5. C'est l'extase
Disc 3
  1. No. 1. Une Sainte en son auréole
  2. No. 2. Puisque l'aube grandit
  3. No. 3. La Lune blanche luit dans les bois
  4. No. 4. J'allais par des chemins perfides
  5. No. 5. J'ai presque peur, en vérité
  6. No. 6. Avant que tu ne t'en ailles
  7. No. 7. Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été
  8. No. 8. N'est-ce pas?
  9. No. 9. L'Hiver a cessé
  10. No. 1. Le Parfum impérissable
  11. No. 2. Arpège
  12. No. 1. Prison
  13. No. 2. Soir
  14. No. 1. Le plus doux Chemin
  15. No. 2. Le Ramier
Disc 4
  1. No. 1. Paradis
  2. No. 2. Prima verba
  3. No. 3. Roses ardentes
  4. No. 4. Comme Dieu rayonne
  5. No. 5. L'aube blanche
  6. No. 6. Eau vivante
  7. No. 7. Veilles-tu, ma senteur de soleil?
  8. No. 8. Dans un parfum de roses blanches
  9. No. 9. Crépuscule
  10. No. 10. O mort, poussière d'étoiles
  11. No. 1. Exaucement
  12. No. 2. Quand tu plonges tes yeux dans mes yeux
  13. No. 3. La messagère
  14. No. 4. Je me poserai sur ton cœur
  15. No. 5. Dans la Nymphée
  16. No. 6. Dans la pénombre
  17. No. 7. Il m'est cher, amour, le bandeau
  18. No. 8. Inscription sur le sable
  19. No. 1. Cygne sur l'eau
  20. No. 2. Reflets dans l'eau
  21. No. 3. Jardin nocturne
  22. No. 4. Danseuse
  23. No. 1. La mer est infinie
  24. No. 2. Je me suis embarqué
  25. No. 3. Diane Séléné
  26. No. 4. Vaisseaux, nous vous aurons aimés

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User Reviews

Average user review: 5.0 (8 reviews)

rating: 5 QuoteLe parfum d'extaseQuote
This 4-CD set receives five stars from me in spite of some flaws. I'll outline those flaws first.

Firstly (a flaw to me, perhaps not to others), I'm not very fond of Gérard Souzay's voice and vocal approach. He frequently sounds blustery and the timbre does not really appeal to me. Yet his commitment to these beautiful songs is impeccable, and he has a wealth of experience, beautifully authentic French (of course!) and occasionally the singing is very effective indeed. I agree that the "La bonne chanson" set is sensitive and moving - it's Souzay at his best. But in general... Souzay is not one of my favourite baritones.

Secondly, as other reviews have mentioned, no translations are included. However, the full text of each song is contained in the accompanying booklet, and for those who don't read French well enough to translate, there are translations on-line of all of the poems set by Fauré. I agree this is not an ideal solution, and that the boxed set would have been improved by translations.

Thirdly, one is sometimes overwhelmed by the balance of the voice compared to that of the piano - this is particularly noticeable in Souzay's singing. However, the piano is still audible. The solution is mostly to turn down the volume for one or two tracks.

Let me now explain why, in spite of the above faults, I still consider this a superb set.

Firstly, the truly lovely singing of Elly Ameling. What a gloriously pretty sound - and I mean "pretty" without any denigration whatsoever. It's not JUST pretty - it's beautiful as well. This is a lovely gleaming sound, perfectly placed, and with a wealth of intrinsic and elegant interpretation that is native to Elly Ameling's singing. She's a miracle - no matter what she sings, it sounds "sung in" and perfectly understood, perfectly interpreted. (I admit Ms Ameling's French is slightly accented at times, but it's completely understandable and very good. It doesn't impair the performance of these songs at all.)

Secondly, Dalton Baldwin's playing is sensitive and impassioned in turns - always lyrical, always attuned to the requirements of each song. What a huge amount of work must have gone into this mammoth 4-CD task!

Thirdly, these vocal compositions are exquisite. Several of them are justly famous as works of genius, and fall so delightfully upon the ear that it seems they have always existed, perfect and full of wonder... that Fauré plucked them out of semi-existence to give them reality.

Fourthly... it's 4CDs of Fauré's vocal works. For those who love French vocal music, it's an extravagant delight to have such a thorough and wide-ranging collection. For singing students, how marvellous to have such a collection to hand to help when choosing songs. For fellow singers, what joy to have all of these songs in such a fine collection in order to note details and particularly admirable points.

In short - this is a set I wouldn't be without. While it's not flawless, it's full of delights. Ameling's singing of "La rose" is one of the highlights, and Fauré's three exquisite duets are all represented here. Highly recommended. May 18, 2007

rating: 5 QuoteSuperb chansoms. Superb Ameling. Buy It.Quote
This EMI Classics package of four CD's for the price of two (plus) is really the way I like to buy classic recordings, where the complete set covers all of a single especially interesting grouping of works. This set, like the comparable one on Debussy, is simply grand, especially, as noted by other reviewers, with the contribution of Ameling, a soprano from whom not much is heard of today, but who, in her prime, was on top of her game.

My only objection to the package is that while the notes five the French text of the songs and the author of the text, there is no translation. Otherwise, this is a super buy. February 28, 2007

rating: 5 QuoteGreat!!!Quote
The music on this compilation is beautiful. It is also beautifully sung. Amelling is amazing, as always!!! June 19, 2006

rating: 5 QuoteA delightful programmeQuote
Faure was a genius and his songs are some of the most beautiful ever written, being animated by the spirit of beauty itself (Ms Venus:-).)

The performers did an outstanding job singing this repertoire, and especially Elly Ameling's performance is pure *delight*
- honestly-.

I hope others will enjoy it as much as I have.

Highly recommended. January 20, 2006

rating: 5 QuoteLimpid, refined, elegant music.Quote
This famous set provides on 4 CDs the complete songs (mélodies, he preferred to call them) by Faure. They are entrusted to the native French baritone, the Dutch soprano, and their accompanist Dalton Baldwin, and were recorded in the early 1970s. The set is not inexpensive, so I shall try to outline its merits. The music itself is enthralling. Faure set, over a period of sixty years, texts by French poets. Limpid, refined, elegant music, it repays repetition and close listening. One reviewer has suggested that no listener will want to listen to umpteen of these mélodies in one sitting, but I have never had too much of them. If slow tempi and arpeggio accompaniments begin to pall, listen to "Nell" (CD 2, Track 4). The performers satisfy on all counts. Souzay's contribution reflect a life time's association with the music, and a tradition that goes back through his teachers to the time of Faure himself. His definitive version of "La bonne Chanson" is especially fine. If his style is more suited to the impassioned, ardent items, it balances well with the cooler, more detached singing of Elly Ameling. So that you will not be disappointed, I should also mention that translations of the texts are not provided. I also wish that the balance had been better engineered. Sometimes Souzay seems to have the microphone in his mouth, and always the piano seems too distant. These are but minor flaws, however, in a long necklace of priceless pearls. April 4, 2001

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