Many years ago, I discovered a good hermeneutic for appreciating Ravel’s vocal music in a remarkable study of the composer by Norman Demuth. He suggested that they can be divided into three “distinct” categories. The first are the Chansons or Mélodies – or art songs, with piano accompaniment. Secondly, settings of found tunes where Ravel provided the piano accompaniment and thirdly, there are a few “elaborate” pieces that are devised for voices and a selection of instruments.
Signum have featured a largely chronological order over two discs, which makes for an interesting exploration of this repertoire. I consider here what for me are the highlights, with a couple of thoughts about one or two numbers that do not work, at least for me.
Ravel’s best known song cycle is Shéhérazade (1903) which takes its inspiration from the Tales of the Arabian Nights. The cycle presents three numbers that conjure up the exotic, mysterious, and sensual qualities of the stories. Ravel has infused them with impressionistic harmonies and a flexible vocal line that points up the evocative lyrics devised by Tristan Klingsor. The first, Asie, looks at the wonders of the orient, the second, La flûte enchantée majors on a woman listening to her lover playing the flute, whilst in the last, L’indifferent, the female singer attempts to gain the interest of a young stranger only to discover that he is gay. The performance here is pure magic. Every nuance of the imaginative and highly charged texts is captured by Paula Murrihy and Malcolm Martineau but not forgetting the evocative flute playing of Lisa Friend.
The Histoires naturelles (1906) caused a considerable scandal at the first performance. It is just not what the audience were expecting. The setting of animal poems by Jules Renard, are complimented by Ravel’s “biting humour and sarcasm.” Flora and fauna explored include The Peacock, The Cricket, The Swan, The Kingfisher, and The Guinea-hen. The vocal technique is typically declamation or conversational speech rather than a conventional singing style. The piano part is demanding with various onomatopoeic figurations such as the chirruping of the cricket and hints of Olivier Messiaen evoking the kingfisher. Baritone Simon Keenlyside gives a stunning performance of this most important offering from Maurice Ravel.
Turning to the folksong settings. The 5 Mélodies populaires grecques (1904-06) were based on anonymous texts translated from the Greek into French by Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi. Here Ravel combines simplicity with elegance, preserving the folk character through modal melodies and creating redolent textures. Also included on this album is the posthumously discovered 6th Greek folksong, Tripatos (three steps).
The Chants populaires date from 1909-10. Here he set several texts: Spanish, French, Italian, Hebraic, Scottish. Being a Scot, my favourite is Rabbie Burns’s Ye Banks and Braes! Magically, Ravel has caught the traditions and regional characteristics of these songs, applying his own distinctive modernist touch.
The first of the 2 Mélodies hébraïques (1914) seems to be like a liturgical chant rather than a song. The second, although enjoying a rhythmic ostinato in the piano, is spoilt by a vocal line with too many “Tra la las.”
Finally, the Chansons madécasses (1925-26) was a commission from the American philanthropist and patron of the arts, Elizabeth Spraque Coolidge. They include flute, cello, and piano accompaniments as this is what was stipulated. The texts were translations of original Madagascan verse. These tropical songs evoke tender love music, an aggressive war chant which caused a near riot at its premiere, and a sultry vesperal. Ravel’s outstanding lyrical imagination is reflected in Julie Boulianne’s performance.
Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–1898) was a French Symbolist poet whose works profoundly influenced modern literature and art. Known for his intricate, evocative language, Mallarmé explored themes of beauty, mystery, and the abstract. His innovative poem L'Après-midi d'un faune, inspired Claude Debussy’s early masterpiece. Ravel composed his 3 Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé in 1913, and dedicated them to Igor Stravinsky, Florent Schmitt and Erik Satie, respectively. These poems are hardly straightforward in French or English translation. The liner notes explain that Soupir is a “melancholy poem about autumn,” Placet futile “portrays a lovelorn abbot, who regrets that he will never appear naked on a Sevre teacup and will never become the princess’s lapdog, let alone her lover” and finally, Surgi de la croupe et du bond, a strange meditation on an empty vase that will never contain flowers. Enigmatic these songs may be, but what is not in doubt is the sheer beauty of Ravel’s setting. Mallarme’s elusive imagery is matched with innovative harmonies and flowing vocal lines. An ethereal, other worldly atmosphere is created by Julie Boulianne and the chamber musicians.
The last three songs on this album were also Ravel’s final major composition. Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1932-33) was originally slated to have been included in a commission for a score for a film exploring the life of the eponymous hero. They were to have been sung by the legendary bass Chaliapin. Sadly, Ravel did not submit them in time and was denied payment. The film company used the services of Jacques Ibert.
Ravel’s songs present a different
facet of Cervantes’s knight’s character. Off beat rhythms and a guitar like
accompaniment infuse the Chanson Romanesque. The following Chanson
épique” with its austere nods to modal melodies and organ like harmonies,
may reflect Don Quixote’s chivalric commitment. Finally, the more down to earth
Chanson à boire displays strong cross-rhythms and hints at the jota, a
Spanish courtship dance revealing the mortal desires of drink and sex. The
entire cycle makes a fitting close to Ravel’s career.
Other mélodies that caught my ear include the early Sainte (1896) with its extensive use of seventh and ninth chords, the rhythmically diverse Epigrammes de Clément Marot (1896-99) and the late and valedictory Rêves (1927). Finally, there is an excellent account of Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera (1907), full of Spanish (by way of Cuba) sunshine and anguish.
It would be invidious to pick out the “best” performance from this “bumper roster” of artists. The palm must, however, go to the pianist Malcolm Martineau who is busy for most of this album. It was a brilliant idea to have used such a wide range of talent, rather than just rely on one or two singers. Each bring their considerable talents to this repertoire, which is characterised by, as David Cox once wrote, “clarity, fastidiousness, wit, harmonic richness, and melodic subtlety.”
Track Listing:Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
CD1
Ballade de la reine morte d'aimer (c.1894)
Un grand sommeil noir (1895)
Sainte (1896)
Epigrammes de Clément Marot (1896-99)
Chanson du rouet (1898)
Si morne! (1898)
Manteau de fleurs (1903)
Shéhérazade (1903)
5 Mélodies populaires grecques (1904-6)
Noël des jouets (1905)
Histoires naturelles (1906)
CD2
Vocalise-étude en forme de habanera (1907)
Les grands vents venus d'outre-mer (1906)
Sur l'herbe (1907)
Tripatos (1909)
Chants populaires (1909-10)
3 Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé (1913)
2 Mélodies hébraïques (1914)
Trois chansons (1914-15)
Ronsard à son âme (1924)
Chansons madécasses (1925-26)
Rêves (1927)
Don Quichotte à Dulcinée (1932-33)
Lorna Anderson (soprano), Julie Boulianne (mezzo-soprano), John Chest (baritone), Sarah Dufresne (soprano), Dafydd Jones (tenor), Simon Keenlyside (baritone), Paula Murrihy (soprano); Nicky Spence (tenor), William Thomas (bass), Anna Stokes (flute), Julian Bliss (clarinet), Matt Glendening (clarinet), Cara Berridge (cello), Sacconi Quartet, Malcolm Martineau (piano)
rec. 2018-2024 Various Locations
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