La Passion D'augustine

After his Mass for a New Century and his Requiem, the French composer and organist Frédéric Ledroit has written a new Saint John Passion for soloists and large orchestra, first performed in 2018 in Germany by the interpreters of this recording. The composer writes: “… It will be too long here to describe the integration of symbolism and figurative forms included in this work, which was rewritten several times. To point out only one example, probably the most strange and immediately perceptible by the listener: the role of Saint John, successively represented by three singers, contralto, mezzo-soprano, and then soprano, from bass to treble, in this order in the score. Voices are raising as the action progresses. Exactly like Dante crawling into hell before flying in Paradise.”

The turn of the first millennium was experienced by people of that time not with fear that the world was coming to an end, but rather with hope that the world would be renewed, as 'the promise of a new Spring'. Thus, Christ's Passion came to symbolise the resurrection of the Church; a great reformation began. Seen in that context the lyric poem La Passion de Clermont takes on its full meaning. Brice Duisit performs vocals and vièle à archet.

La Passion de Simone is an oratorio for solo soprano, choir, orchestra, and electronics by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Originally premiered in a stage version directed by Peter Sellars, this oratorio about the life and work of French philosopher Simone Weil, has been developed in a new version for live video by Jean-Baptiste Barriere. This new version premiered at the occasion of the 60th birthday celebration of Kaija Saariaho, offered to her as a surprise gift in Helsinki’s Musikkitalo earlier this month.

This special project features the finest opera arias recorded by Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux for Naïve, ranging from Vivaldi, Handel and Mozart to Saint-Saëns, Massenet and Berlioz. It gathers tracks from 6 recordings released between 2003 and 2012, resulting from collaborations with some of the finest orchestras of the time: Il Complesso Barocco, Ensemble Matheus, Les Violons du Roy, Orchestre National de France. Only one motto for Marie-Nicole: passion!

Kaija Saariaho's La Passion de Simone, an oratorio about the life and thoughts of Simone Weil for soprano solo, choir, orchestra and electronics, is now being released for the first time on CD. La Passion de Simone is not only the most important work by Kaija Saariaho (even she herself said so), but this recording features top performers including soprano Dawn Upshaw and Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Tapiola Chamber Choir.

La partition (manuscrit d'Uppsala, 1667) que viennent de restituer Martin Gester et son frère le musicologue Jean-Luc Gester est de tout premier ordre. On ne sait qui l'a écrite, mais celui qui le fit est un grand assurément. Climat sensuel et doloriste, beauté de l'écriture, raffinement de l'expression. Les solistes vocaux groupés autour de Gester sont épatants, chantant comme un madrigal spirituel cette passion de chambre.

Founded in 1906, Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix des Bois (Little Singers of the Wooden Cross) are renowned as one of the world's most established children's choirs. Founded by Paul Berthier and Pierre Martin, two students on vacation at l'Abbeye de Tamie, the Paris-based traveling choir broke tradition with its lack of affiliation to a particular parish or cathedral. Directed by Father Fernand Maillet, they soon developed an international presence thanks to performances at the Vatican and an appearance in the 1945 film La Cage aux Rossignols, and continued to remain active throughout the 20th century, with singer/songwriter Matthieu Chédid, Les Prêtres' Charles Troesch, and Olympic rowing champion Adrien Hardy among some of their famous former members. By its centenary year, which was celebrated by a France2 show featuring duets with the likes of Tina Arena, Lara Fabian, and Nolwenn Leroy, the choir school had developed into a full-time educational institution, combining regular studies with a global touring schedule.

La Discotheque Ideale Classique brings together the masterpieces of 47 composers (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Ravel, Wagner …) performed by the greatest artists of the prestigious Erato-Warner Classics catalog. The 100 CDs of the box, which contain more than 100 hours of listening, allow you to rediscover the essential works of the classical repertoire.

La Discotheque Ideale Classique brings together the masterpieces of 47 composers (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Handel, Ravel, Wagner …) performed by the greatest artists of the prestigious Erato-Warner Classics catalog. The 100 CDs of the box, which contain more than 100 hours of listening, allow you to rediscover the essential works of the classical repertoire.