The Courrier

This CD brings together all the works for violin and piano. Mel Bonis leaves an important work of about three hundred pieces. The essential is composed between 1892 and 1914. His music, of postromantic style is well inscribed in his time. She is very varied, ranging from drama to humor, often vigorous and sensual, with impressive or orientalist expansions, always very well written and of great sensitivity. It is a personal writing and easily identifiable by the originality of harmonies and rhythms. A critic wrote in 1923 for the "Courrier des Musiciens": "I recall hearing a melody from the Melissis's composition at the Salon des Musiciens, which had given me infinite pleasure …

Remembered today for the Olympic Anthem, Spyridon Samaras was the most distinguished Greek composer of his day and the first to gain international recognition. By the time Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle was produced, Samaras was a well-established and much-admired opera composer in the Italian Romantic style. The narrative of the opera sees the mischievous plans of the Duke of Richelieu descending into a complex tangle of amorous deceptions, tests of faithfulness and the perils of dueling. The score for this world premiere recording has been painstakingly restored by Byron Fidetzis.

This live recording captures the great Senegalese band around the time of their finest recordings (Amadou-Tilo and Casamance au Clair de Lune) and offers some wonderful performances of their greatest hits, including "Salya" and "Emma." Their accompanying musicians are out in full force, though with the exception of the occasional cheesy synthesizer fill, they're largely reined in, providing the appropriately surging backdrop to the group's scintillating vocal harmonies and driving West African percussion.

Remembered today for the Olympic Anthem, Spyridon Samaras was the most distinguished Greek composer of his day and the first to gain international recognition.

Singer/songwriter Jacques Dutronc gained popularity in his native France with his provocative songs that matched the rebellious spirit of the '60s so well. Though he was absent from the musical scene for nearly a decade, pursuing a film career, he successfully returned to music in the early '80s and still remains one of the most popular performers in the French-speaking world. Dutronc started as a guitarist in the small rock group El Toro et les Cyclones, who recorded two singles. In 1965, he was asked by the manager of Françoise Hardy to write a few songs for her, so Dutronc composed "Le Temps de l'Amour" and "Va Pas Prendre un Tambour." Having proven himself a successful songwriter, Dutronc decided to pursue a solo career. It started in 1966 with such hits as "Et Moi et Moi, et Moi," "On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Dit Rien," "Les Play-Boys," and others. His 1968 song "Paris S'Eveille" became an instant classic of French pop music. In 1973, Dutronc successfully ventured into film acting, which would eventually bring him a Best Actor Cesar (a French equivalent to Oscar) for the leading role in Van Gogh.

Singer/songwriter Jacques Dutronc gained popularity in his native France with his provocative songs that matched the rebellious spirit of the '60s so well. Though he was absent from the musical scene for nearly a decade, pursuing a film career, he successfully returned to music in the early '80s and still remains one of the most popular performers in the French-speaking world. Dutronc started as a guitarist in the small rock group El Toro et les Cyclones, who recorded two singles. In 1965, he was asked by the manager of Françoise Hardy to write a few songs for her, so Dutronc composed "Le Temps de l'Amour" and "Va Pas Prendre un Tambour." Having proven himself a successful songwriter, Dutronc decided to pursue a solo career. It started in 1966 with such hits as "Et Moi et Moi, et Moi," "On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Dit Rien," "Les Play-Boys," and others. His 1968 song "Paris S'Eveille" became an instant classic of French pop music. In 1973, Dutronc successfully ventured into film acting, which would eventually bring him a Best Actor Cesar (a French equivalent to Oscar) for the leading role in Van Gogh. His musical career resumed in 1980 with the release of the album Guerre et Pets, the result of his collaboration with Serge Gainsbourg. It was followed by 1984 hit single "Merde in France." The 1987 album CQF Dutronc boasted the work of Earl Slick (David Bowie's guitarist), Jean-Jacques Burnel (Stranglers), and Etienne Daho, among others. After the successful 1992 tour, Dutronc released a live album and a collection of his old hits. His 1995 studio album Brèves Rencontres was produced and arranged by Erdal Kizilcay.

Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Trio is a late work (1923) which at once aroused the admiration of his contemporaries and is now regarded as one of the finest trios in the French repertory. The much less well-known Trio of Gabriel Pierné, premiered a year earlier, is characterised by its solid architecture, its great melodic richness, and a notably inventive rhythmic style.