Destination Paris
Works by Cabral, Bizet, Lehár, Gounod, Rameau, Legrand, Lai et al
Gautier Capuçon (cello), Jérôme Ducros (piano); Orchestre de Chambre de Paris/Lionel Bringuier
Erato 5419772146 72:29 mins
‘Destination Paris’ reflects athletes’ and fans aspirations for the 2024 Olympics, due to be hosted by the French capital. The event is also the impetus for Gautier Capuçon’s chirpy collection of crossover musical postcards. The resulting potpourri spans several centuries, with an emphasis on popular song, whether from opera, cafe culture or film. It starts with Edith Piaf staple La foule and the Habanera from Carmen. By the time of the insouciant stroll through Joe Dessin’s Les Champs-Elysees the intent is clear. This is a light-hearted romp through French popular culture, with fromage aplenty.
Accompanied variously by pianist Jérôme Ducros and the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris under Lionel Bringuier, Capuçon is evidently having fun. He makes his cello sing characterfully, bringing out the melancholy of Kosma’s Les feuilles mortes, winsome passion of Aznavour’s La Bohème and exuberance of Ah, je veux vivre from Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette. Unsurprisingly, the ‘classical’ pieces fare well, from a funky approach to Rameau’s Danse des sauvages to the noble eloquence of Fauré’s Sicilienne. Ducros’s artful arrangements are effective, while his good-humoured playing endears, especially his deceptive nonchalance in Georges Brassens Les Copains d’abord.
The deeper cultural resonances of songs and themes by the likes of Michel Legrand and Richard Cocciante may elude non-native listeners. Ennio Morricone’s Chi Mai has been widely used in anglophone settings, but for the French it is associated with pet food commercials. Nonetheless, Gallic charm wins through and the Radio France children’s choir singing Jean-Jacques Goldman’s specially-composed, and decidedly catchy Pense à Nous provide an unexpected earworm. Christopher Dingle