Hélène Sio J'veux Tout Savoir

Mange Tout, Blancmange's follow-up to Happy Families, appeared in 1984. Typical of many second albums, the production is a little glossier, the sound a little less fresh. On Mange Tout, Arthur and Luscombe stick to the pattern they established on their debut, alternating catchy, sequencer-heavy pop with downtempo ballads. Sitar and tabla flavorings continue to play a significant role, as does co-conspirator David Rhodes' guitar. Also typical of many sophomore efforts, Mange Tout at times runs short of material. While the singles "Don't Tell Me" and "Blind Vision" are nigh irresistible, the similar "That's Love That It Is" gets to be a bit much. And though the B-side boasts the nifty a cappella "See the Train" and the pleasing (if disturbingly Thompson Twins-like) "My Baby," a couple of the songs carry the stench of filler. The album's closer - a synth-heavy, nearly eight-minute take on ABBA's "The Day Before You Came" - isn't terrible, just inexplicable.

The music of Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, an immediate successor to Rameau and one of the most prominent members of the Parisian musical scene in the middle 18th century, has not been recorded often. He composed in the major genres of the day, including opera, grand motet, and trio sonata, but the odd little sacred motets featured on this album stand aside from all of these.

November 2016, 10 years of OTPMD. Vincent Bertholet, still resolute, finally realises his old dream of a ‘real’ orchestra. And thus was born the project to expand the known horizon. The orchestra became XXL by assembling accomplices from the first hour, who had never really disappeared from view, and an English string section met along the way.

A celebrated child prodigy in ’30s and ’40s Paris and New York, Canadian pianist-composer André Mathieu fell into obscurity soon after his death at just 39. The music he left behind is breathtaking—concertos and symphonic works that mine a rich seam of Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Poulenc. Alain Lefèvre made a celebrated recording of the Concerto No. 3 in 2017, but its arrangement here for two pianos reveals Mathieu’s genius for harmony and melody in fabulous detail. And genius is no exaggeration: Mathieu completed the concerto at 14. However, the dreamy, post-Impressionist orchestral Rhapsodie romantique, which opens this album, shows Mathieu at even greater creative heights. Mercier and Lefèvre’s performance of this two-piano version is mesmerizing.

Mange Tout, Blancmange's follow-up to Happy Families, appeared in 1984. Typical of many second albums, the production is a little glossier, the sound a little less fresh. On Mange Tout, Arthur and Luscombe stick to the pattern they established on their debut, alternating catchy, sequencer-heavy pop with downtempo ballads. Sitar and tabla flavorings continue to play a significant role, as does co-conspirator David Rhodes' guitar. Also typical of many sophomore efforts, Mange Tout at times runs short of material. While the singles "Don't Tell Me" and "Blind Vision" are nigh irresistible, the similar "That's Love That It Is" gets to be a bit much. And though the B-side boasts the nifty a cappella "See the Train" and the pleasing (if disturbingly Thompson Twins-like) "My Baby," a couple of the songs carry the stench of filler. The album's closer - a synth-heavy, nearly eight-minute take on ABBA's "The Day Before You Came" - isn't terrible, just inexplicable.