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ALPHA899
Originally recorded in 2022
Classical
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About
Véronique Gens’s version of La Voix humaine has been eagerly awaited! This ‘lyric tragedy in one act’ might have been written for her, so ideally suited are her feeling for language and her dramatic intensity to Poulenc’s monologue on a text by Jean Cocteau, composed in 1958. This is a far cry from the ‘light’ Poulenc of the 1920s. Cocteau paid him the highest compliment: ‘Dear Francis, you have fixed, once and for all, the way to speak my text.’
Véronique Gens confesses that she had always wanted to perform and record this piece; now she has achieved her ambition, in close partnership with the Orchestre National de Lille under its music director Alexandre Bloch. Also featured on the album is the Sinfonietta: this is in fact a genuine symphony, but, as Nicolas Southon writes, ‘there is no denying that the work – commissioned by the BBC in 1947 – has a freshness and a freedom of tone that justify its title’.
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Reviews
International Classical Music Award 2024 Nomination in the Assorted Programs category
“… Her [Gens] singing itself is never in question. She and conductor Alexandre Bloc work very well together, pacing the work for maximum effect… The sound is warm and intimate. As a filler we are given Poulenc Sinfonietta, a charming, rollicking piece with some dark overtones, splendidly played by the orchestra…”
Shortlisted for the Gramophone Opera Award
“… Véronique Gens makes it [ The role of ‘Elle’ her own for our time by dialling down the hauteur and desperation, at least to begin with, and leaning into the lyrical strength of Poulenc's lines… you'll want to hear Gens.”
“… The recording offers an excellent balance between piano and violin, captured with clarity and warmth. The Janácek and Bartók are uniformly impressive, but the Brahms will likely divide opinion.”
“… Overall, a highly impressive La Voix Humaine and an enjoyable Sinfonietta.”
Performance **** Recording ****
“… a new benchmark … More than ably supported by the Orchestre National de Lille under Alexandre Bloch, Gens spans the gamut of emotions, puzzled, hopeful, coquettish, desperately pleading, defiant and, ultimately broken. Every nuance of the text is clear, yet delivered entirely naturally… Gens’s mesmerising performance deserves plaudits aplently.”
Editor’s Choice – Opera
‘… an outstanding recording, and very highly recommended.”
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