Hector Berlioz's songs are certainly the most overlooked area of his output, even though they demonstrate no less color, eccentricity, or Romantic boldness than his work in other genres. Alpha Productions' Hector Berlioz: La Belle Voyageuse collects 15 of Berlioz's songs and submits them to a period treatment, or at least to a period instrument, namely an original 1836 square piano manufactured by Ignace Pleyel. In some cases Berlioz provides for optional, extra voices to complement the lead, resulting in a pseudo-part song ...
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Hector Berlioz's songs are certainly the most overlooked area of his output, even though they demonstrate no less color, eccentricity, or Romantic boldness than his work in other genres. Alpha Productions' Hector Berlioz: La Belle Voyageuse collects 15 of Berlioz's songs and submits them to a period treatment, or at least to a period instrument, namely an original 1836 square piano manufactured by Ignace Pleyel. In some cases Berlioz provides for optional, extra voices to complement the lead, resulting in a pseudo-part song-like texture. In such cases, bass baritone Jerôme Correas is joined by three tenors and a second baritone to fill out the extra parts. He is also partnered by horn player Claude Maury and cellist Christophe Coin when additional parts for instruments are required. Correas is a good French baritone with a nice, pear-shaped approach to vowels and a sometimes warm personality, although in a fair amount of instances he seems a bit too preoccupied with the business of singing to really...
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