Stephen Layton - Half Monk - Half Rascal (Francis Poulenc) (2012)
BAND/ARTIST: Stephen Layton
- Title: Half Monk - Half Rascal (Francis Poulenc)
- Year Of Release: 2012
- Label: OUR Recordings
- Genre: Classical
- Quality: flac lossless (tracks) +Booklet
- Total Time: 00:56:11
- Total Size: 207 mb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
01. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 1. La blanche neige (The White Snow)
02. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 2. A peine defiguree (Hardly disfigured)
03. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 3. Par une nuit nouvelle (A new night)
04. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 4. Tous les droits (Every right)
05. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 5. Belle et ressemblante (Beautiful and lifelike)
06. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 6. Marie (Marie)
07. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 7. Luire (Gleaming)
08. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 1. Salut, Dame Sainte (Modere, mais sans lenteur)
09. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 2. Tout puissant, tres saint (Majestueux et eclatant)
10. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 3. Seigneur, je vous en prie (Tres expressif et fervent)
11. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 4. O mes tres chers freres (Bien calme)
12. Ave Verum Corpus
13. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 1. De grandes cuillers de neige
14. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 2. La bonne neige
15. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 3. Bois meurtri
16. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 4. La nuit le froid la solitude
17. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: I. O Jesu
18. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: II. O proles
19. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: III. Laus Regi
20. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: IV. Si quaeris
21. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 1. Margoton va t'a l'iau
22. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 2. La belle se sied au pied de la tour
23. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 3. Pilons l'orge
24. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 4. Clic, clac, dansez sabots
25. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 5. C'est la petit' fill' du prince
26. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 6. La belle si nous etions
27. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 7. Ah! mon beau laboureur
28. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 8. Les tisserands
29. Chanson a Boire
The title of the album featuring Stephen Layton and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Half Monk, Half Rascal, seems to set up a dichotomy between the piety of the composer's religious music and the whimsicality of his secular works. With a few exceptions in the Chansons français, whose perky tempos stand out, there is not much stylistic contrast between the sacred and secular pieces until the rascally Chanson à boire, which closes the album. That ultimately doesn't matter much, though, because, taken simply as collection of Poulenc's a cappella choral music, the album is largely successful and engaging. These are popular works spanning the composer's career that are likely to be familiar to Poulenc enthusiasts and include the cycles Sept chansons, Un soir de neige, and Chansons françaises, and two groups for men's voices, Quatres petites prières de Saint François d'Assise and Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue. Layton pays exquisitely close attention to the details of the scores, especially subtleties of dynamics, and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble aptly follows his lead. Even so, the performances don't always achieve the kind of idiomatic Gallic nuance, the intense emotional focus that characterizes the most memorable performance of Poulenc. In "La blanche neige," for instance, the performance misses the swirling sweep that the sensual melismas cry out for. The men's voices in Quatre petites prières come closest to conveying the composer's passion. The ensemble can't be faulted on technique; its tone is pure and well blended. The sound is clean and clear, with a warm ambience.
01. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 1. La blanche neige (The White Snow)
02. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 2. A peine defiguree (Hardly disfigured)
03. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 3. Par une nuit nouvelle (A new night)
04. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 4. Tous les droits (Every right)
05. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 5. Belle et ressemblante (Beautiful and lifelike)
06. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 6. Marie (Marie)
07. 7 Chansons, FP 81: No. 7. Luire (Gleaming)
08. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 1. Salut, Dame Sainte (Modere, mais sans lenteur)
09. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 2. Tout puissant, tres saint (Majestueux et eclatant)
10. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 3. Seigneur, je vous en prie (Tres expressif et fervent)
11. 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise, FP 142: No. 4. O mes tres chers freres (Bien calme)
12. Ave Verum Corpus
13. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 1. De grandes cuillers de neige
14. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 2. La bonne neige
15. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 3. Bois meurtri
16. Un soir de neige, FP 126: No. 4. La nuit le froid la solitude
17. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: I. O Jesu
18. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: II. O proles
19. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: III. Laus Regi
20. Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue, FP 172: IV. Si quaeris
21. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 1. Margoton va t'a l'iau
22. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 2. La belle se sied au pied de la tour
23. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 3. Pilons l'orge
24. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 4. Clic, clac, dansez sabots
25. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 5. C'est la petit' fill' du prince
26. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 6. La belle si nous etions
27. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 7. Ah! mon beau laboureur
28. Chansons francaises, FP 130: No. 8. Les tisserands
29. Chanson a Boire
The title of the album featuring Stephen Layton and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble, Half Monk, Half Rascal, seems to set up a dichotomy between the piety of the composer's religious music and the whimsicality of his secular works. With a few exceptions in the Chansons français, whose perky tempos stand out, there is not much stylistic contrast between the sacred and secular pieces until the rascally Chanson à boire, which closes the album. That ultimately doesn't matter much, though, because, taken simply as collection of Poulenc's a cappella choral music, the album is largely successful and engaging. These are popular works spanning the composer's career that are likely to be familiar to Poulenc enthusiasts and include the cycles Sept chansons, Un soir de neige, and Chansons françaises, and two groups for men's voices, Quatres petites prières de Saint François d'Assise and Laudes de Saint Antoine de Padoue. Layton pays exquisitely close attention to the details of the scores, especially subtleties of dynamics, and the Danish National Vocal Ensemble aptly follows his lead. Even so, the performances don't always achieve the kind of idiomatic Gallic nuance, the intense emotional focus that characterizes the most memorable performance of Poulenc. In "La blanche neige," for instance, the performance misses the swirling sweep that the sensual melismas cry out for. The men's voices in Quatre petites prières come closest to conveying the composer's passion. The ensemble can't be faulted on technique; its tone is pure and well blended. The sound is clean and clear, with a warm ambience.
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