Re: Recent Purchases
Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 3:48 pm
I have to agree with Fergus here, Jared. The contributions of the French to the world of music is one of the greatest glories we have. From the 14th century Guillaume de Machaut through the miracles of the French Baroque to the revolutionary (and still quite startling) achievements of Debussy and Ravel to a 20th century master like Messaien, France has given us so much to be grateful for. Here are some of my favourite works (and some recommended recordings as well).Jared wrote:you know Fergus, I just don't seam to understand what all the hype is about the Faure Requiem.. seriously, I've listened to several versions in the vain hope that it might be my way into French choral music (hey, French CM full stop!) but I've always been quite underwhelmed... :-//fergus wrote:
Guillaume Machaut: Messe de Notre Dame (as performed by The Hilliard Ensemble and conducted by Paul Hillier and available on Hyperion)
Guillaume Dufay: Motets (as performed by Cantica Symphonia and conducted by Giuseppe Maletto and available on Glossa)
Jean-Baptiste Lully: Atys (as performed by Les Arts Florissants and conducted by William Christie and available on Harmonia Mundi)
Francois Couperin: Lecons de Tenebres (as performed by Les Arts Florissants and conducted by William Christie and available on Harmonia Mundi)
Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Te Deum (as performed by Les Arts Florissants and conducted by William Christie and available on Harmonia Mundi)
Jean-Philippe Rameau: Caster et Pollux (as performed by Les Arts Florissants and conducted by William Christie and available on Harmonia Mundi)
Hector Berlioz: Les Nuits de'ete (as performed by Regine Crespin and LOrchestre de la Suisse Romande and conducted by Ernest Ansermet and available on Decca)
Gabriel Faure: Requiem (both the 1893 and the 1901 versions as conducted by Philippe Herreweghe and available on Harmonia Mundi)
Claude Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande (as performed by the VPO and conducted by Claudio Abbado and available on DG)
Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloe (as performed by the BSO and conducted by Charles Munch and available on RCA)
Francois Poulenc: Gloria (as performed by Polyphony and the Britten Symphonia and conducted by Stephen Layton and available on Hyperion)
Henri Dutilleux: Cello Concerto (as performed by Mstislav Rostropovich with the Orchestre de Paris and available on EMI)
Olivier Messaien: Turangalila-Symphonie (as performed by the Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille and conducted by Myung-Whun Chung and available on DG)