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Franck's Songs...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 02/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

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This is a very authentic recording of Franck's songs on the extremely earnest--not to say nationalistic--Belgian label Musique en Wallonie--(Wallonie, of course, being the French-speaking southern half of Belgium).



It's said that the best French cuisine (not to mention beer) is actually found in Wallonie; and this type of proud cultural heritage dates back a ways: for example, it can be found around the turn of the 19th Century in Conrad's novella Heart of Darkness wherein the Walloons under Leopold II were proudly extracting ivory from the Congo...

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa

Heart of Darkness (Norton Critical Editions)



The CD label Musique en Wallonie features eccentric Walloon material, e.g. Adolphe Biarent:

Adolphe Biarent: Symphonic Works

Francois-Joseph Fetis: Grand Sextet / Sonatas for Piano 4-Hands

Adolphe Biarent: Piano Quintet in G# minor / Cello Sonata in F# minor .



On this disc of Franck mélodies, the accompanist performs on an original Érard piano of 1875.



Nice booklet provides French-English texts of the poems, with photo of Franck and Art Nouveau reproduction of original song publication.



See too:

Cesar Franck: Piano Works

Les Angélus: French Sacred Music for Soprano and Organ

Duparc - Complete Songs / Delunsch, Le Texier

The Songs of Chausson / Lott · Murray · McGreevy · Trakas · Chilingirian Quartet · G. Johnson

L'Invitation au Voyage: Mélodies from La belle époque

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