Reynaldo Hahn - Songs (Susan Graham; Roger Vignoles)

Information

Composer: Reynaldo Hahn

1. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 14. À Chloris
2. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 15. Le rossignol des lilas
3. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 5. L'énamourée
4. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 9. Trois Jours de vendange
5. 10 Études latines: 5. Lydé
6. 10 Études latines: 7. Tyndaris
7. 10 Études latines: 10. Phyllis
8. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 13. Les fontaines
9. 12 Rondels: 10. L'automne
10. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 10. Infidélité
11. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 12. Dans la nuit
12. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 16. D'une prison...
13. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 1. Quand la nuit n'est pas étoilée
14. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 10. Fumée
15. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 11. Le printemps
16. 9 Mélodies retrouvées: 1. Je me souviens
17. 20 Mélodies, 2e recueil: 7. Quand je fus pris au pavillon
18. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 4. Paysage
19. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 11. Fêtes galantes
20. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 19. Nocturne
21. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 3. Mai
22. 7 Chansons grises: 5. L'heure exquise
23. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 8. Offrande
24. 20 Mélodies, 1er recueil: 2. Si mes vers avaient des ailes

Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano

Roger Vignoles, piano

Date: 1998

Label: Sony Classical

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Review

Born in the wrong place (Venezuela) at the right time (1875), Reynaldo Hahn was transferred to Paris – which he quickly recognised as his spiritual home – at the age of three. By the turn of the century he was an ornament to the French capital’s social and musical life, and continued on until after the Second World War, as conductor, administrator, pianist, singer and composer.

This multi-talented figure left his mark on French operetta and the mélodie in particular, and if ultimately he is considered a minor master, he was a master nevertheless. This appealing collection includes his most famous songs (‘Si mes vers avaient des ailes’ – written when he was 13, and ‘L’heure exquise’), as well as 22 others, all immaculately crafted and finely imagined both for voice and piano, with the two conjoining in an effortless union.

Susan Graham has the fullness and variety of tone to do these songs justice, and if her interpretations are a touch impersonal her French is good, though not especially characterful. The lower and middle registers of her voice are particularly fine, though it’s a well-integrated instrument overall, and she sings superbly in tune. Roger Vignoles is the measured and attentive accompanist.

— George Hall

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Reynaldo Hahn (9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer best known for his elegant art songs. Moved to Paris as a child, he studied at the Conservatoire under Jules Massenet and later served as music critic for Le Figaro before becoming director of the Paris Opéra in 1945. Hahn composed operettas, ballets, incidental music and piano works, with Ciboulette (1923) among his most successful stage works. Inspired by literary figures such as Marcel Proust, he created music admired for its lyricism and refinement. His song Si mes vers avaient des ailes remains a concert favourite.

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Susan Graham (born July 23, 1960, Roswell, New Mexico) is an American mezzo-soprano. She studied the piano for 13 years and is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of Music. Her operatic roles include ones by Berlioz, Handel and Mozart. She has also premièred several roles in contemporary operas. Graham is a noted champion of the French song repertoire and of songs by contemporary American composers. She received multiple rewards for her recordings, such as Best Classical Vocal Performance Grammy 2005 for her Ives' Songs album. She is a US delegate for UNESCO.

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Roger Vignoles (born 12 July 1945) is a renowned British pianist and accompanist celebrated for his expressive playing and sensitivity to text. He has performed in major venues worldwide, including Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall, and regularly appears at leading international festivals. Vignoles has collaborated with many esteemed singers such as Bernarda Fink, Susan Graham, Roderick Williams and Florian Boesch, and his extensive discography spans works by Strauss, Britten, and Hahn. A passionate educator, he teaches globally and holds positions at the Royal College of Music and Magdalene College, Cambridge.

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