Boulanger

Die französische Sopranistin Sandrine Piau liebt es, Sprachen und Welten verschiedener Komponisten und Dichter um ein Thema herum zu vermischen; hier treffen Schubert, Liszt, Wolf und Clara Schumann auf Lili Boulanger, Duparc und Debussy.

Compositions from both East and West here bring together the powerful voices of six women composers from contrasting cultures. Their music ranges from the Romantic period via Impressionism and Neoclassicism to the present. Vivid impressions alternate with absolute music, strict sonata forms with free forms full of delicate musical poetry.

Now that the whole world is literally and figuratively shaken up, we want to reach people with special music from a time in which everything was also at risk: the period after the First World War. We want to convey an artistic message in which quality and content are central and not the volatility of social media.

Forget This Night explores impermanence and desire through songs by Lili Boulanger, Karol Szymanowski, and Grażyna Bacewicz. The heart of the program is Clairières dans le ciel, Lili Boulanger’s only song cycle and an overlooked masterpiece of the genre, which maps the interior emotional landscape of someone deeply in love—from blissful awe to the devastation of abandonment. The cycle is framed by songs of Szymanowski (a contemporary of Boulanger who was also writing music of simmering passion across the continent against the backdrop of the First World War) and Bacewicz, of a generation later, who treats the same themes in songs of fresh directness and aching lyricism.

Pianist Antonio Oyarzabal takes us on a journey through the work of thirteen different female composers, most of them pianists. Their pieces have been a real source of motivation and inspiration for him. Here he pays tribute to the names and work of these women, unfairly and sadly neglected, in the shadow of compositions written by men.

“UPHEAVAL” is an exceptional project in several aspects. First, it presents four compositions for cello and piano written by female composers from the first part of the 20th century, challenging the cultural norms of the day and secondly, the title “Upheaval”, also refers to the tumultuous period around the First World War. The works featured on this recording are Henriëtta Bosmansʼ Sonata for Cello and Piano (1919), Dora Pejačevićʼs Sonata for Cello and Piano (1913), Nadia Boulangerʼs Trois pièces (1914), and Lili Boulangerʼs Nocturne (1911), were all written over an eight-year period in France, the Netherlands, and Croatia.

On his second album for Sony Classical violinist Luka Faulisi presents a highly individual interpretation of Vivaldi's pioneering masterpiece, 'The Four Seasons'. The violinist's cinematic approach to 'The Four Seasons' involved encouraging members of the orchestra to engage with the composer's onomatopoeic animal and nature sounds and adding percussion not found in the original scores.

A Profound Tribute to Reflection and ResilienceIn the Mirror is an exquisite collection of works by contemporary women composers, masterfully interpreted by cellist Heather Tuach and pianist Yoko Misumi, both members of the celebrated Greenwich Trio.

Although Charles Koechlin led an — one could state — almost ‘conventional’ life as a composer, studying at the Paris Conservatoire with Massenet and Fauré and subsequently earning his money as a teacher and composer, his interests stretched long ways beyond just composing. He had a wide range of interests, which can also be assumed to have affected his compositional style. These interests, for instance, included French folksong, Bach chorales, the “Jungle Book”, photography, and most noticeably, astronomy, with the young Koechlin having had aspirations of becoming an astrologist.

ATMA Classique is pleased to present Femmes de légende, the solo debut album by pianist Élisabeth Pion, featuring works by three giants of the 20th century, Debussy, Dutilleux, and Boulanger, along with “Femmes de légende” by late-Romantic composer Mel (Mélanie) Bonis, and the “Berceuse” from opera The Exterminating Angel by Thomas Adès.