Dominique Vidal

It's fascinating to hear this earlier treatment of the story so famously set by Massenet and Puccini; Patrick Fournillier conducts a very engaging performance. Picture and sound are good, as they are for all Disque Dom releases.

Patrick Artero a concocté avec ses acolytes un disque musicalement incorrect où Brel danse sur le jazz et autres tempi. Avec Giovanni Mirabassi au piano, Dominique Cravic et Vincent Artaud aux arrangements, le trompettiste bugliste dépouille les chansons de Brel de leurs mots et fait danser les mélodies du Grand Jacques. On redécouvre avec joie ses chansons que l'on croyait connaître par coeur.

Sigismond Neukomm or Sigismund Ritter von Neukomm after ennoblement as a knight (born Salzburg, 10 July 1778 - Paris, 3 April 1858) was an Austrian composer and pianist.
Neukomm first studied with the organist Weissauer and later studied theory under Michael Haydn, though his studies at Salzburg University were in philosophy and mathematics. He became honorary organist at the Salzburg University church in 1792, and was appointed chorus-master at the Salzburg court theater in 1796. Neukomm was kapellmeister at St. Petersburg's German theatre from 1804 to 1809, and in the 1810s he spent time in Brazil, South America, where he popularized the works of Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Mozart. He worked at D. João VI's court in Rio de Janeiro.

The opening credits of this disc refer to is as 'The other Manon'. Most opera fans will be familiar with the operas on the subject of Manon Lescaut by Puccini and Massenet, but this opera comique, dating from 1856, predates both of them, and was popular enough in its day. The story is very different in most respects from those of the more familiar operas; Manon and her friend Marguerite are seamstresses; she loves des Greeiux, but is persued by the Marquis d'Herigny, who is the commanding officer of her brother's regiment; he insists that her brother helps him to seduce her. This is achieved by putting des Grieux in the awkward position of being unable to settle a restaurant bill; to preserve his honour he obtains the money by enlisting in d'Herigny's regiment, thus putting him in his rival's power…
By Mrs. E. Watts (Barnsley England)

À l’instar des coffrets Nova, TSF, sa filiale jazz, propose un ensemble de 10 CD classés chronologiquement de 1999 à 2008. Il s’agit de représenter la « playlist » de la radio jazz, dernier enfant de la galaxie Frank Ténot.
Cette playlist fait la part belle aux musiciens français et on s’en réjouit.