Various Composers - French Cello Encores 'Apres Un Reve' [Maisky /Hovora] 

I like these encore recitals, they really fill a gap that is hard to obtain any other way, and besides, most of these are transcriptions of French Melodies, Maisky seems to revel in albums like this, not everything is successful, of course there are some duds, and maybe that's to do with the choice of repertoire, but there's enough hits to make this a valuable disc in any collection, and certainly a well filled disc [over 78 minutes], and for once maybe there's too much music!, and maybe being a little judicious could have cut out the duds, raising the average quality higher, of course you can always skip any tracks you don't like, but i'm the sort of person that believes an album is an album for a purpose, and i listen to everything on a disc, maybe the less impressive pieces will rub off on me.

Mischa Maisky is Latvian, he is now 65, he recorded this disc in 1999, the front cover photo [by Suzie Maeder] is a very excellent one, a great head and shoulders portrait of Maisky, whatever he's wearing i love it, it actually looks like the stuff that divides a box of chocolates from an upper and lower layer!, or a tin of biscuits or something, it's a perfectly posed shot, nicely balanced, and the lettering perfectly complements the picture, and the DG logo is unobtrusive, a disc that's made all the more desirable by its visuals.

The tracks that i really liked were 1 & 9-11, and instead of discussing each one, i would rather give a more major synopsis of the one i found to have touched me the most, which is track 10 Massenet's Elegie,

10 Massenet / Elegie - Originally a vocal piece, but Massenet re-composed it for cello and orchestra, and here it's presented for just cello and piano, it only lasts barely over 2 minutes [2:09], but what an impression it makes, it certainly sounds tragic in nature, the 'weeping' of the cello with a backdrop of the 'tolling' of the piano, the vocals represent Electra's outpouring of grief at the tomb of Agamemnon, which include the words, 'The carefree sun has gone out..., and likewise my heart is gloomy and cold', Maisky brings out this grief perfectly, making the cello sing in sadness, the opening tune is so touching [0:00-0:40], and then a middle section, which initially sounds more upbeat [0:41-1:10], but soon plunges back into depression, the opening tune comes back [1:10-1:29], this time sounding even more forlorn, and at the end there's almost a sense of acceptance, it's a beautiful piece, full of real pathos, and a joy to get to know today.

Here's Kassandra Dimopoulou playing Massenet's Elegie on YouTube.

Various Composers - Violin Showpieces [Bell/Litton-Royal Philharmonic Orchestra] 

Here's a lovely selection of shorter pieces for violin and orchestra, playing from 5 minutes to 17 minutes, but most around the 10 minute mark, and by six different Composers, a nice variety of pieces, if there's one gripe with the disc, it's that a seventh piece could have been added with no trouble.

Joshua Bell is an American Violinist, born in 1967, and is now 43, not the boy wonder anymore, he made this recording in 1991 when he was 23, the front booklet picture shows a black and white of Joshua Bell [photo by Dan Winters].

All these pieces are wonderful, each giving off their own respective flavour, the piece that i really swooned over was Massenet's meditation, it's the shortest piece on the disc [5:12], it was composed as an Intermezzo in the Opera Thais, it's so gentle and sweet [many would say syrupy], very romantic, passionate and lyrical, the harp features quite prominently throughout, it holds the opening strumming, very effective, and the violin plays high and endearing [0:09], it's almost a duet to begin with, as the orchestra is very quiet, the music swells as the orchestral strings play with more passion [1:30], and the solo violin responds likewise [1:51], 

Here's Sarah Chang playing the Meditation by Massenet on YouTube.

Various Composers - Popular Tenor Opera Arias [Alagna/ Armstrong-The London Philharmonic]

I bought this disc in the mid nineties when it first came out, it was one of the very first Opera Aria discs i ever bought, i was new to the medium, and it made an impression on me, and even though i don't listen to this disc as much as in the early days, it still gets wheeled out now and again, and i enjoy the experience.

I have quite an aversion to listening to full Operas, but a bunch of the best bits called Arias are fun, also i have developed a real love for female Opera singers, but the male counterparts not so much, i think Opera Composers [mostly men], gave their best songs to the ladies, men have a greater tendency to be the scoundrels of the Opera.

Roberto Alagna is a superstar Tenor, born in France in 1963, he is now 47 years old, he made this recording in 1995, the booklet is a fairly basic visual shot [by Sheila Rock], this i believe was Alagna's introductory recording, showing off his voice in a bunch of famous Arias.

I like these compilation discs, there's usually a nice variety of Arias, lots of different styles to enjoy, on this listen i liked tracks 3-4, 7 & 10, and especially track 3 'Pourquoi me reveiller?' from Massenet's Werther, it's a gentle yet sad lament, with low sad strings, and a harp motoring quietly in the background, while Werther / Alagna sings,

Why awaken me, o breath of spring?

Why awaken me?

After the first verse / chorus, the quiet harp motors up a slight notch, and the beautiful sweet high violins come in [1:37+], and the second verse starts,

Tomorrow, into the valley, will come the traveller

remembering my former glory

There's just a deep sadness in these words, Werther knows he's lost the love of his life [Charlotte], words and music are touchingly executed, the Aria only lasts 3 minutes, and yet it's packed full of emotion, there's an Aria on this disc for every mood and feeling.

Here's Jonas Kaufmann singing the Massenet Arias 'Pourquoi me reveiller?' on YouTube, from the Opera Werther.

Various Composers - French Soprano Opera Arias [Kanawa/Tate-Orchestra Of The Royal Opera House Covent Garden]

Kiri Te Kanawa has a very distinctive voice, you can tell it's her singing, although her voice sometimes gets in the way, maybe it's too distinctive!, sometimes you want to get into the character of the role, but her voice remains the same.

This recital of French Opera arias is special, i remember playing this disc extensively on a holiday in Cornwall, and i really got to deeply know some of these arias there, the booklet is nice, a lovely blue-tinged photo by David Scheinmann.

I love the Massenet aria from Le Cid, 'Pleurez pleurez mes yeux' [weep weep my eyes], the Heroine is Chimene, she is torn between her love for Rodrigo, and for her Father [whom Rodrigo has killed in a duel], she laments her deep sadness, the aria starts off with an introduction by the clarinet [0:00-0:44], very reminiscent of a Bellini aria, those smooth clarinet lines keep coming back later in the aria [1:18-1:38 etc], and are a wonderful feature that make this aria justly famous, there's a happier episode in the middle, where Chimene reminisces on earlier days, with a caress of the harp, and the clarinet as backing [3:16-3:59], and Chemine gets more passionate, and so do the strings, a lovely sad aria.

Here's Angela Gheorghiu singing this aria on YouTube.