Delibes reviews
French Music for the Stage
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra/Neeme Järvi (Chandos)
Delibes: Ballet Suites
Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Neeme Järvi (Chandos)
French Arias
Petr Nekoranec (tenor); Zuzana Markova (soprano); Czech Philharmonic/Christopher Franklin (Supraphon)
'Mirages' - Arias & songs sung by Sabine Devieilhe and friends
The concept of cultural appropriation was mercifully unknown to the composers of 19th-century France. We can therefore sit back and enjoy their daydreams in Mirages, compiled around visions of faraway or imaginary lands and people, dominated by Oriental exoticism. Sabine Devieilhe’s voice is shown off to stunning effect as she and her colleagues bring together the (sometimes) kitschier side of eastern longings and the lingering influence of such sounds on more intriguing music.