Massenet Archive
SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2; RAVEL: Piano Concerto; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics
Pianist Andrew von Oeyen embraces his twin cultural loyalties with brilliant elan. SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 22; RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G Major; GERSHWIN: Second Rhapsody; MASSENET: Meditation from Thais (trans. Oeyen) – Andrew von Oeyen, p./ Prague Philharmonia/ Emmanuel Villaume – Warner Classics 019029508485, 66:05 (1/13/17) ****: Pianist Andrew von Oeyen (b. 1979) considers himself a Parisian-American, so little wonder that his debut album for Warner Classics (rec. 21-25 August 2015) embraces compositions – rather flashy and jazzy in their own respect – from both musical cultures. That Oeyen finds a natural, virtuoso vehicle in the 1868 Concerto No. 2 by Saint-Saens comes as little surprise – Andre Watts did much the same in early days when I heard him at Lewisohn Stadium in New York. Oeyen plays with requisite strength and optimism, dashing through the Bach prelude evolves into a lovely theme attributed to Gabriel Faure. The breadth of musical line and the plastic contours from the orchestra suggest that the several Artur Rubinstein renditions of the work served as models for the present reading. The second movement Allegro scherzando relies much on Saint-Saens’ great fondness for the fourth of the Chopin scherzos. […]
Rita Gorr Sings French Opera = Rita Gorr, sop./ Orch. du Theatre National de l’Opera/ Orch. de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire/ Andre Cluytens/ Georges Pretre – Guild
Belgian soprano Rita Gorr brings a powerful luster to six staples of the French operatic repertory.
“Fête à la Française” – A sonically refurbished collection of French romantic music of GUSTAVE CHARPENTIER, JULES MASSENET, CÉSAR FRANCK AND EDOUARD LALO – Decca Eloquence (2-CDs)
Outstanding performances from 50 years ago conducted by Albert Wolff, of fascinating out-of-the-way repertoire.
MASSENET: Don Quichotte (complete opera) – Ferruchio Furlanetto, bass (Don Quichotte) / Anna Kiknadze, mezzo-soprano (Dulcinée) / Andre Serov, bass-baritone (Sancho Pança) / Eleanora Vindau, soprano (Pedro)/ Soloists’ Ens. of the Mariinksy Academy of Young Singers / Mariinsky Orch. – Mariinsky (2 discs)
Very fine performances in sound that captures a true sense of the stage
Beecham at Seattle, Vol. 3 = Music of SIBELIUS; BEETHOVEN; MASSENET; SAINT-SAENS; BIZET; ROSSINI – Seattle Sym. – Pristine
The Old Master Beecham leads another rousing concert in Seattle, to the surprise of few who know him when he’s in his element.
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
