MADEMOISELLE - Première Audience

Unknown Music of

DE 3496

1 DELOS DE 3496 NADIA BOULANDER DELOS DE 3496 NADIA BOULANDER DELOS DE 3496 NADIA BOULANDER DELOS DE 3496 NADIA BOULANDER MADEMOISELLE – Première Audience

Unknown Music of NADIA BOULANGER

SONGS: Versailles* ♦ J’ai frappé ♦ Chanson* ♦ Chanson ♦ Heures ternes* ♦ Le beau navire* ♦ Mon coeur* ♦ Doute ♦ Un grand sommeil noir* ♦ L’échange ♦ Soir d’hiver ♦ Ilda* ♦ Prière ♦ Cantique ♦ Poème d’amour* ♦ Extase* ♦ La mer* ♦ Aubade* ♦ Au bord de la route ♦ Le couteau ♦ Soleils couchants ♦ Élégie ♦ O schwöre nicht* ♦ Was will die einsame Thräne? ♦ Ach, die Augen sind es wieder* ♦ Écoutez la chanson bien douce

WORKS FOR PIANO: Vers la vie nouvelle ♦ Trois pièces pour piano* • • MADEMOISELLE - PREMIÈRE AUDIENCE MADEMOISELLE - PREMIÈRE AUDIENCE WORKS FOR CELLO AND PIANO: Trois pièces

WORKS FOR ORGAN: Trois improvisations ♦ Pièce sur des airs populaires flamands

Nicole Cabell, soprano • Alek Shrader, tenor Edwin Crossley-Mercer, baritone • Amit Peled, cello François-Henri Houbart, organ • Lucy Mauro, piano

A 2-CD Set • Total Playing Time: 1:48:27

* World Premiere Recordings

DE 3496 ORIGINAL ORIGINAL

DIGITAL © 2017 Delos Productions, Inc., DIGITAL P.O. Box 343, Sonoma, CA 95476-9998 (800) 364-0645 • (707) 996-3844 [email protected] • www.delosmusic.com MADEMOISELLE – Première Audience Unknown Music of NADIA BOULANGER

CD 1 (54:12) ‡ 4. Was will die einsame Thräne? (2:32) ‡ 5. Ach, die Augen sind es wieder* (2:09) SONGS † 6. Écoutez la chanson bien douce (6:03) † 1. Versailles* (3:05)

† 2. J’ai frappé (1:59) WORKS FOR PIANO ‡ 3. Chanson* (1:26) 7. Vers la vie nouvelle (4:30) ‡ 4. Chanson (2:02) Trois pièces pour piano* (3:22) † 5. Heures ternes* (2:49) 8. Pièce No. 1 in D Minor (1:05) † 6. Le beau navire* (3:04) 9. Pièce No. 2 in D Minor (1:26) † 7. Mon coeur* (3:05) 10. Pièce No. 3 in B Minor (0:51) § 8. Doute (2:47)

§ 9. Un grand sommeil noir* (2:02) WORKS FOR CELLO AND PIANO † 10. L’échange (3:24) Trois pièces (8:33) † 11. Soir d’hiver (3:40) 11. Modéré (3:14) † 12. Ilda* (3:29) 12. Sans vitesse et à l’aise (2:21) † 13. Prière (3:38) 13. Vite et nerveusement rythmé (2:58) ‡ 14. Cantique (2:03)

‡ 15. Poème d’amour* (3:50) WORKS FOR ORGAN † 16. Extase* (2:36) Trois improvisations (11:11) † 17. La mer* (2:53) 14. Prélude (5:22) § 18. Aubade* (2:00) 15. Petit Canon (2:32) § 19. Au bord de la route (2:18) 16. Improvisation (3:57) § 20. Le couteau (1:57) 17. Pièce sur des airs populaires

flamands (7:18) CD 2 (54:15)

† 1. Soleils couchants (2:24) * World Premiere Recordings † 2. Élégie (3:30) ‡ 3. O schwöre nicht* (2:03) Total Playing Time: 1:48:27 2 † Nicole Cabell, soprano Amit Peled, cello ‡ Alek Shrader, tenor François-Henri Houbart, organ § Edwin Crossley-Mercer, baritone Lucy Mauro, piano

“Nothing is better than music; when it takes quiry in 2013 from pianist Lucy Mauro, whose us out of time, it has done more for us than suggestion struck a resonant chord with me for a we have the right to hope for: it has broad- number of reasons. As the director of Delos, I’m ened the limits of our sorrowful life, it has lit thrilled, both personally and professionally, that up the sweetness of our hours of happiness we can help bring Mademoiselle’s own music by effacing the pettinesses that diminish us, to light, at last. One hearing convinced me that bringing us back pure and new to what was, singers and enthusiasts would be espe- what will be, what music has created for us. cially excited about the songs, thirteen of which are receiving world premiere recordings. “In music everything is prolonged, every- thing is edified, and when the enchantment I first met Nadia Boulanger in the summer of has ceased, we are still bathed in its clari- 1955, when I was her student at the American ty; solitude is accompanied by a new hope Conservatory in Fontainebleau, France. Her between pity for ourselves — which makes gray-white hair was drawn back into an ascetic us more indulgent and more understanding bun, and her eyes burned with the intensity of — and the certitude of finding something her devotion to music. She listened carefully as again, that which lives forever in music.” I played through piano works I was preparing — Nadia Boulanger, from the May for some competitions and pointed out a few 1919 issue of Le Monde Musical • quoted in musical connections she thought I might have The Tender Tyrant, Nadia Boulanger: A Life missed. She asked me many questions in her Devoted to Music by Alan Kendall French-accented English, and then said, to my delight, “You will go far!” But a couple of weeks he above quote represents the essence of later, without warning, I was stricken with para- the legendary Nadia Boulanger’s message lytic polio. And since polio targets those neu- Tto all who had the privilege of knowing romuscular areas most highly developed and and working with her, as I once did. It express- most strenuously in use immediately before the es the passion that drove “Mademoiselle,” as attack, the paralytic virus had destroyed my en- everyone called her, to be an inspired teacher, tire pianistic neuromuscular structure. and was the foundation of the high standards for which she was celebrated internationally. This Suddenly, I had become a worry to Mademoi- unique album of Mademoiselle’s unknown and selle rather than a student under her guidance. seldom-heard compositions began with an in- She began acting as my pro tem guardian, even 3 sending her own doctor to assess the damage call from him during one of our sessions). But along with the medical staff at the American since she was known by many to be a stern Hospital in . She communicated by ca- taskmaster, holding everyone to the highest ble and phone with my parents in Detroit and standards, I suspected that she was applying her suggested a place to recuperate. Once I was strongest criticism to her own compositions. She able, with assistance, to get to her apartment spoke lovingly of her teacher Gabriel Fauré, and at 36 rue Ballu – an address revered to this day when the time came for me to leave Paris, gave by many a classical musician – she invited me me a personal, autographed copy of his 13th there for some special study sessions. Nocturne, and asked me to stay in touch.

It was the kindest, most reassuring, and inspira- It was in late 1970, some fifteen years later, when tional thing anyone could have done. First, she Mademoiselle and I met again. By then, against would make sure that I was comfortable, care- all odds, I had found a way to reconstruct a pia- fully arranging cushions so that I could be in a no-playing apparatus and was able to tour once semi-reclining position. Then she would sit at the again as a concert pianist. A European tour took piano and ask what I would like to “work on.” In me to Paris, where Mademoiselle came to hear those memorable sessions, we explored togeth- me play at the Salle Gaveau. Our emotional re- er the wonders of late Beethoven and other ma- union after the performance said it all. jor piano works, discussing structural and tonal relationships. I clung to our sessions — to the Little did I know that a few years later I would be opportunity to “live inside” great music — de- invited to record for Delos, the then-new Amer- spite my enormous loss. Over those months, I ican label, nor that I would eventually become learned of her devotion to her younger sister, involved in the “other side of the microphone” Lili, who had died in her early 20s, and who had work of recording production. Amelia Haygood probably been the source of Mademoiselle’s (1919-2007), Delos founder and my dear friend, special sensitivity to a seriously ill young person. loved the stories about Mademoiselle and would have been excited and honored, as I am, to be Mademoiselle made it clear to me that she releasing this special world premiere collection of considered Lili the talented in the Mademoiselle’s deeply affecting compositions. family. She was self-deprecating about her own — early compositions, almost as if they had been a youthful folly. Since she had been the revered teacher of some of the greatest 20th-century Discovering Nadia Boulanger’s beautiful music and , I wondered at her dismissal of her creating this tribute to such a legendary musician own work. Here were people like has involved the enthusiastic support of several asking her opinion or advice (she took a phone

4 people, including Alexandra Laederich of the Na- NOTES ON THE PROGRAM dia and International Center in Paris; Carol Rosenberger at Delos; Stephen Schmidt, pi- Upon hearing the almost entirely unknown mu- anist and conductor as well as a former student sic of Nadia Boulanger revealed in this release, of Boulanger; and Michael Benchetrit of Columbia one could only wish that “Mademoiselle” hadn’t Artists Management (who happened to grow up stopped composing. If only she had listened near Boulanger’s famous rue Ballu home). to none other than Gabriel Fauré, her former teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, when she With the aid of my university (West Virginia Univer- visited him many years later. She recounted that sity) and state research grants, this exciting project he said to her, “I’m not sure you did the right included not only recording Boulanger’s music, thing in giving up composition.” We at Delos but also transcribing eleven of her unpublished can only agree with him ... strongly! works (eight songs and three piano pieces) from her manuscripts and incorporating Boulanger’s But Mademoiselle could not be convinced that revisions to her published songs in preparation for her own compositions were worth performing this recording and future publications. and promoting. Alexandra Laederich (men- tioned above) provided us with a telling quote, In a sense, music tells the real story of a compos- spoken late in Boulanger’s life in response to er’s life. While Nadia Boulanger composed for a query about her compositions: “I realized only a comparatively short time in her 92 years, that my music had the worst of all faults: that from 1901-1922, her works offer a rare look into it was useless, and fortunately I did not leave her life from her teenage years to her mid-thir- it to anyone else to tell me!” Yet Ms. Laederich ties. After 1922, Nadia Boulanger stopped com- also pointed out that Boulanger “… had made posing altogether and devoted herself to her sure to retain all her manuscripts, as well as the students, becoming one of the most influentialproof corrections and first editions of her works. teachers of the 20th century. Her music, how- Thus it is possible today to make her works ever, represents in part what made her such a public and to leave it to us to appreciate them.” renowned teacher: an impeccable command of Could she therefore have hoped that her music musical language and a keen sense of color and would eventually find its way into the standard sensitivity to conveying emotion through music. repertoire? As she once said, “Music was not invented by the composer, but found.” In Nadia Boulanger’s One could definitely characterize Boulanger as music, we find not just glimpses of the musician a “Renaissance woman” of sorts, with boundless she became, but gems – and indeed, a treasure. musical curiosity and a seemingly endless array — Lucy Mauro of practical skills. Born into a highly musical family, she was a true prodigy and consistently

5 brilliant student, quickly mastering every area ever lived.” She continued teaching until just a of musical study germane to composition. As few months before her death in 1979. a performer, she first made a name for herself as a concert pianist and accompanist; also as a And now, at long last, the fruits of Mademoi- marvelous organist. She later became known as selle’s own compositional labors can be sa- a pioneering woman conductor of both choral vored by the musical public at large. The works and orchestral works, both in her native Paris on this album comprise her complete oeuvre and abroad. – published and unpublished – in these genres: songs, solo piano, cello and piano, and organ. She began teaching (privately) at age sixteen, winning her first official academic appointment Boulanger’s other works during the years she at twenty. Renowned for her keen intellect, lofty composed are various choral pieces (unac- standards and charismatic teaching style, she companied, with piano, and with orchestra); a successfully taught all of the various musical dis- concerto for piano and orchestra, and another ciplines that composers must master. She was orchestral work; sketches of three pieces for a founding member (and later director) of the two pianos; and eight songs plus an opera that American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, which were composed in collaboration with her men- drew her into the American musical scene. She tor . In addition, she also orches- toured widely – both performing and lectur- trated some of her songs. But while she pro- ing – in the United States, where she also spent duced some transcriptions after 1922, no other the World War II years, teaching at several top original compositions are extant. schools and conservatories (including Juilliard) and conducting the nation’s most distinguished An early 20th-century composer, Nadia Bou- orchestras. langer wrote meticulously crafted works in a late romantic style: essentially tonal, with often Boulanger’s teaching career – spanning 75-plus profuse chromatic elements and occasional years and nearly 1,200 students from around the dissonance, as quite a few of her contemporar- world – remains the stuff of legend. American ies did. Her music at times also shows impres- music would not be what it is today without her: sionistic elements and the influence of Debussy to name but a few, she taught , and Fauré. Yet her music is highly original, re- , , , vealing a compositional voice that was entirely and … also , her own. Her works convey a convincing array who summed up her place in music history of moods, effects, and potent emotions – while thusly: “So far as musical pedagogy is concerned revealing a keen sense of , color, and – and by extension of musical creation – Nadia artistic impact. Boulanger is the most influential person who

6 The organ works are performed on the great practiced later in life, such as juxtaposing works Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Madeleine church from a variety of periods that demonstrate un- in Paris. Built in 1845-46, it’s one of the most derlying connections. For example, each of the famous organs that Mademoiselle played as a three singers on this album performs published substitute organist during the time she com- as well as unpublished songs, drawn variously posed for that instrument. While the Madeleine from Boulanger’s early, middle, and later works. organ has undergone updates and additions since then, organist François-Henri Houbart NOTE: To read more comments from Alexan- performed the works for this recording as dra Laederich of the Nadia and Lili Boulanger closely as possible to the way Boulanger would International Center in the original French, with have heard (and played) them in the early English translations, go to the special Nadia twentieth century. It’s interesting to note that Boulanger page on the Delos website at she had her own compact Cavaillé-Coll instru- delosmusic.com/mademoiselle. ment at her rue Ballu apartment.

In assembling the works for this album, the artists WORKS PRESENTED IN THIS ALBUM suggested that rather than presenting the pieces (especially the songs) in chronological order, they SONGS should be arranged in a way that allows listeners to experience and enjoy Boulanger’s beautiful Among the songs included here, Boulanger’s music for its intrinsic – not its historic – value. piece “Soir d’hiver” is the only setting of her own text. For the other texts, she selected They also created a program sequence that the verses of such famous poets as Heinrich further reflects some of the variety and intima- Heine, , and as well cy of salon concerts: then-popular home en- as those of contemporary French poets – some tertainment events that Boulanger participated of whom were family friends with political views in many times, and that were an integral part of that weren’t necessarily in keeping with her her performing career. own, mostly conservative leanings. (The music critic and socialist author , four Some songs are presented together as Nadia of whose texts she set, is one such example.) Boulanger originally programmed them: some- The three German songs with texts by Heinrich times for premieres, either in their original form Heine were also translated into French, but with piano or in her orchestrated versions for are performed in the original German for this salon and public concerts. The arrangement of recording (Boulanger composed these par- works was also guided by the types of teaching ticular songs in a 19th-century German style). and concert programming that Mademoiselle Mademoiselle’s choices of poetic themes are

7 wide-ranging, and often reveal religious inspi- • ration. Her first song, “Extase,” was composed in 1901, when she was just fourteen years old; O Versailles, by this faded afternoon, her final effort in the genre, “J’ai frappé,” came Why does the memory of you obsess me in 1922, when she was thirty-five. like this? The passion of summer is passing, and here Comes the bygone season leaning toward us. CD 1 I want to see again throughout a quiet day Your murky waters strewn with SONGS A singed foliage, And to breathe again, 1. Versailles – 1906, published, text by Albert During a sweet, golden evening, Samain. A simple, gently undulating piano Your beauty more touching at the decline of part underscores the almost impressionistically the year. dreamy and melancholic text. Like a great lily you die, Noble and sad, without sound; Ô Versailles, par cette après-midi fanée, And your tired worn-out water at the edge of Pourquoi ton souvenir m’obsède-t-il ainsi? Moldy ponds Les ardeurs de l’été s’éloignent, et voici Flows, gently like that of a sob Que s’incline vers nous la saison surannée. In the night. Je veux revoir au long d’une calme journée Tes eaux glauques que jonche 2. J’ai frappé (I knocked) – 1922, published, Un feuillage roussi, text by Jean-François Bourguignon. Dissonant Et respirer encore, piano chords and doleful vocal phrases alternate Un soir d’or adouci, with more lyrical passages, as the brief text’s Ta beauté plus touchante au déclin de l’année. mood-shifts lead to a desolate finish. Comme un grand lys tu meurs, Noble et triste, sans bruit; Ma main a frappé les portes closes Et ton onde épuisée au bord Et d’autres mains au loin ont répondu. Moisi des vasques Mon front a frappé les portes closes S’écoule, douce ainsi qu’un sanglot Et d’autres fronts au loin ont répondu. Dans la nuit. Mon coeur a frappé les portes closes Mais l’écho de mon coeur seul a répondu.

8 • Tirez les rideaux, tirez les rideaux! Qui voudra de mon âme? My hand knocked on the closed doors And other hands in the distance answered. Aimez-vous! Ah ah! ah ah! ah ah! My forehead knocked on the closed doors Amours et baisers, ah la belle, And other foreheads in the distance responded. Ah ah! ah la plus belle, c’est toi! My heart knocked on the closed doors But only the echo of my heart answered. •

3. Chanson (Song) – 1909, published, text by The lilacs are in plenty, Georges Delaquys. This is a love song with a Hide and seek sense of joyful intoxication – reminiscent of a And the roses are pretty, , in both structure and effect. Hide!

Les lilas sont en folie, Draw the curtains, draw the curtains! Cache-cache And under the green leaves Et les roses sont jolies, Hide! Cachez-vous. Ah ah! Ah ah! Ah ah! Tirez les rideaux, tirez les rideaux! Et sous les vertes feuilles Lilacs and rosebushes Ah ah! Cachez-vous! Beautiful one, Ah, ah! Ah ah! The most beautiful, it is you! Ah ah! Ah ah! Ah ah! Fine lords and beautiful ladies, Lilas et rosiers Ah ah! Love, love, La belle, Ah ah! Ah ah! In your lace attire, La plus belle, c’est toi! Love.

Beaux seigneurs et dames belles, Draw the curtains, draw the curtains! Aime, aime, Who will want my soul? Dans vos atours de dentelles, Aimez-vous. Love! Ah ah! Ah ah! Ah ah! Loves and kisses, ah beautiful one! Ah ah! Ah the most beautiful, it is you!

9 4. Chanson (Song) – 1922, published, text by Your songs were white Camille Mauclair. The piano sets an irritated, rueful Mine is the color of blood; tone, later punctuated by crashing chords as the She sold my heart, singer gives voice to bitter feelings of betrayal. Oh peddler She sold my heart Elle a vendu mon cœur While having fun. Pour une chanson: Vends mon cœur à la place, And now sing my heart Ô colporteur In the squares, À la place de la chanson. At the crossroads, You will cause crying, peddler Tes chansons étaint blanches, While telling of my great love. La mienne est couleur de sang; Elle a vendu mon cœur, While she will cause to laugh Ô colporteur, The people who had come to her wedding, Elle a vendu mon cœur While singing the song for fun, En s’amusant. For which she had sold my heart.

Et maintenant chante mon cœur 5. Heures ternes (Dull hours)– 1910, unpub- Sur les places, lished, text by , programmed Aux carrefours, by Boulanger with "Le beau navire." The piano Tu ferras pleurer colporteur creates an opening tone of quiet desolation, En racontant mon grand amour. growing in intensity as the singer expresses fa- talistic grief over lost hopes and bygone illusions. Pendant qu’elle fera rire Voici d’anciens désirs qui passent, Les gents à sa noce venus Encor des songes de lassés, En chantant la chanson pour rire, Encor des rêves qui se lassent; Pour qui elle a mon cœur vendu. Voilà les jours d’espoir passés! • En qui faut-il fuir aujourd’hui! She sold my heart Il n’y a plus d’étoile aucune: For a song: Mais de la glace sur l’ennui Sell my heart instead, Et des linges bleus sous la lune. Oh peddler Instead of the song. Encor des sanglots pris au piège! Voyez les malades sans feu,

10 Et les agneaux brouter la neige; Si lourd, si tranquille et si brave Ayez pitié de tout, mon Dieu! Le beau navire au rêve clair Porte son espoir sur la mer Moi, j’attends un peu de réveil, Comme un fanal à son étrave. Moi, j’attends que le sommeil passe, Moi, j’attends un peu de soleil Au loin, le ciel est plein d’extase Sur mes mains que la lune glace. Et de féerie et plein de jour, Et c’est mon âme qui s’embrase • Et défaille vers tant d’amour;

Here are the old desires that pass, Mon âme seule qui désire Again, dreams of tired people, A toutes voiles, son reveil, Again, dreams that weary themselves; Et qui luit comme un beau navire, These the days of past hope! Dans le sillage du soleil!

In whom must we flee today! Prends-la cette âme illuminée There is no more star: Et prends aussi, prends à pleins bras But ice on boredom Ainsi le veut la destinée And blue cloths under the moon. Ma vie a jamais entraînée Vers toi qui m’appelle là-bas! Again sobs trapped! • See the sick without fire, And the lambs graze on the snow; So heavy, so peaceful and so brave Pity all, my God! The beautiful ship with the clear dream

Carries his hope on the sea Me, I await a little alarm, As a beacon to his bow. Me, I await that sleep passes, Me, I await a little sunlight, In the distance, the sky is full of ecstasy On my hands that the moon ices. And enchantment and full of day, And it is my soul that sets itself ablaze 6. Le beau navire (The beautiful ship) – 1910, And swoons toward so much love; published, text by Georges Delaquys (music based on the earlier "Poème d’amour"). This ro- My soul alone which desires mantic song depicts a wistfully dreamy – then ec- In full sail, its awakening, static – allegory of a soul being borne by a lovely And which shines like a beautiful ship, ship to the prospect of love at journey’s end. In the wake of the sun!

11 Take it this soul illuminated • And take also, take with both arms This is how fate wants it My heart, trembling of tomorrows, My life forever pulled Is like a bird in your hands Toward you who calls me there! Who is frightened and shivers.

7. Mon coeur (My heart) – 1906, unpublished, He is so timid that one must text by . Piano and voice alike speak Only speak to him not too loudly with sorrowful reflection of a vulnerable heart’s So that without fear he lets go. fragility, barely tempered by a sense of uncertain hope. A word is enough to upset him, A glance makes him quiver inside Mon coeur, tremblant des lendemains, An inexpressible bitterness. Est comme un oiseau dans tes mains Qui s’effarouche et qui frissonne. And only your breath, When you talk to him gently, Il est si timide qu’il faut Makes him tremble like a feather. Ne lui parler que pas trop haut Pour que sans crainte il s’abandonne. And when you would make him suffer Until bleeding, until dying, Un mot suffit à le navrer, You could keep doubting it, Un regard en lui fait vibrer And of his pain only know Une inexprimable amertume. Of a tear fallen one evening On your glove stained with a drop. Et ton haleine seulement, Quand tu lui parles doucement, 8. Doute (Doubt) – 1922, published, text by Le fait trembler comme une plume. Camille Mauclair. The piano sets a poignant mood, reflected at first by the singer, until we Et quand tu le ferais souffrir hear a dissonance-supported outcry of dashed Jusqu’à saigner, jusqu’à mourir, hopes and the futility of waiting for lost love to Tu pourrais en garder le doute, return. Et de sa peine ne savoir Qu’une larme tombée un soir Il y a si longtemps Sur ton gant taché d’une goutte. Que ton âme est en chemin, A ce que m’ont dit les anges, Vers moi qui l’attends

12 En joignant les mains, 9. Un grand sommeil noir (A long black Il y a si longtemps sleep) – 1906, unpublished, text by Paul Ver- Que peut-être elle perdit la route laine. The music softly expresses tragic feelings Puisque je ne vois rien of hopelessness, interrupted by an angry out- Au lointain des quatre chemins burst before sinking back into black depression. Qui font croix au carrefour du doute. Voici venir le souffle froid Un grand sommeil noir Qui chasse oiseaux, soleil et feuilles, Tombe sur ma vie: Et ramène brouillard et deuil Dormez, tout espoir, Sur mon espoir et sur ma foi: Dormez, toute envie! Faudra-t-il m’en aller comme un qui n’attend Et s’en retourne, en la nullité de la nuit, Je ne vois plus rien, Vers la maison et vers l’ennui? Je perds la mémoire Du mal et du bien • Ô la triste histoire!

It has been for so long Je suis un berceau That your soul is on the way, Qu’une main balance According to what the angels told me, Au creux d’un caveau: To me who waits for it Silence, silence! With clasped hands, • It has been for so long That maybe she lost the road A long black sleep Since I do not see anything Falls on my life: In the distance beyond the four paths Sleep, all hope, Which make a cross at the crossroads Sleep, all desire! of doubt. Here comes the cold breath I do not see anything anymore, Which chases away birds, sun and leaves, I lose the memory And brings back fog and mourning Of the bad and the good On my hope and my faith: O sad story! Will I need to go away as one who does not wait And returns in the nullity of the night, I am a cradle To the house and to the boredom? That a hand is rocking In the hollow of a vault, Silence, silence!

13 10. L’échange (The exchange) – 1922, pub- Hers as pure as an angel. lished, text by Camille Mauclair. An ominously plodding, minor-hued sense of grief builds into a Exchange, sad exchange, dissonant surge of anger at the unfair exchange of Iron ring for gold ring. pure love for betrayal. Once he had wept enough on his knees Lorsqu’il fut ivre et désolé Once she had said all her sweet words, D’avoir donné le plus beau de son âme Those she had learned in her childhood, A des gens méchants ou pressés Or guessed in pain. Il donna le reste à une pauvre femme He went away to sing elsewhere, Qui lui donna la sienne en échange Leaving his poor lover La sienne pure comme un ange. Who died of her waiting She brayed during the last hour. Échange, triste échange, Anneau de fer contre anneau d’or. Exchange, sad exchange, He cried for her as if she were an angel, Lorsqu’il eut bien pleuré sur ses genoux Iron ring for gold ring Lorsqu’elle eut dit tous ses mots doux, As if he still loved her. Ceux qu’elle avait appris dans son enfance, Ou devinés dans la douleur. 11. Soir d’hiver (Winter evening) – 1914- Il s’en alla chanter ailleurs, 15, published, text by the composer. A song of En quittant sa pauvre amante contrasts: empty sadness at first, then dissonant Qui mourut de son attente outrage from the mother of an infant whose fa- Elle hénit en derniere heure. ther has abandoned them. Échange, triste échange, Une jeune femme berce son enfant. Il la pleura comme un ange, Elle est seule, elle pleure, mais elle chante, Anneau de fer contre anneau d’or Car il faut bien qu’il entende Comme s’il l’aimait encor. La chanson douce et tendre pour • qu’il s’endorme. “Voici Noël, mon petit enfant bleu. Once he was drunk and sorry Les cloches sonneront To have given the best of his soul Pour que tu sois joyeux." To the vicious people He gave the rest to a poor woman Celui qu’elle aime est parti... Who gave him hers in return Et la chanson s’arrête!

14 Elle dit: And does he know that I live?“ “Où est-il à cette heure? She cries so simply Entend-il ma voix? That the heart aches. Et sait-il que je vis?" She gazes at her son Elle pleure si simplement And looks if he resembles Que le coeur en a mal. The one she awaits tirelessly Elle regarde son fils With all her soul, with all her tenderness! Et cherche s’il ressemble À celui qu'elle attend inlassablement, She cries, but she hopes! De toute son âme, de toute sa tendresse! She hears from afar the Victory, She imagines the merciless fight, Elle pleure, mais elle espère! But she believes in Justice, Elle entend de loin la Victoire, She knows that a whole life is given, Elle devine la lutte sans merci, Joyous and proud, and she waits, Mais elle croit à la Justice, By this cradle so small, Elle sait que toute une vie s’est donnée, That holds the heart of a man. Joyeuse et fière, et elle attend, Auprès de ce berceau si petit, 12. Ilda – 1906, unpublished, text by Al- Qui tient le coeur d’un homme. bert Samain. This is a gentle musical study • in cool Nordic melancholia as evoked by a woman’s mysterious and inscrutable face and demeanor. A young woman rocks her child. She is alone, she cries, but she sings, Pâle comme un matin de septembre en Norvège, Because he should hear Elle avait la douceur magnétique du nord; The sweet and soft song for him to fall asleep. Tout s’apaisait près d’elle en un tacite accord,

Comme le bruit des pas s’étouffe dans la neige. “Here is Christmas, my little blue child.

The bells will ring Son visage, par un étrange sortilège, So that you will be happy.” Avait pris dès l’enfance et gardait sans efforts Un peu de la beauté sublime qu’ont les morts; The one whom she loves is gone Et le rire semblait près d’elle sacrilège. And the song stops!

She says: Triste avec passion, sur l’eau de ses grands yeux “Where is he at this hour? Le songe errait comme un rameur silencieux. Does he hear my voice? Tout ce qui la touchait s’imprégnait d’un mystère.

15 Et si douce, enroulant ses boucles à ses doigts, Vous m’avez fait perdre la paix, et pourtant Avec une pudeur farouche de sa voix, Je vous ai aimée d’une charité éternelle… Elle vivait pour la volupté de se taire. Peut-être si Dieu, qui nous entend certainement, • M’avait créé selon elle, On aurait été bien heureux! Mais ce n’est pas pour être heureux, Pale as a September morning in Norway, Ce n’est pas pour cela que je l’ai attirée She had the magnetic sweetness of the north; Qu’elle vive sur mes volontés comme elle veut! All things calmed down beside her in a Je n’en demande pas tant, et s’il vous agrée. silent agreement, Simplement douce ou tendre ou pas, Like the sound of footsteps muffled in the snow. Soyez-moi Marie et mon cœur vivra. Her face, by a strange spell, • Had taken since childhood and kept effortlessly A bit of the sublime beauty that the dead have; O Mary! be me Mary, and my heart will live And laughter seemed near her a sacrilege. Who shall separate me from the love of Mary? The darkness would not prevent me Sad with passion, on the water of her wide eyes From feeling her sweetness. O Mary, The dream wandered like a silent rower. You made me lose peace, and yet Everything touching her was immersed in a mystery. I have loved you with an everlasting charity… Perhaps if God, who hears us certainly, And so gentle, wrapping her curls around her fingers, Had created me according to her, With the shy modesty of her voice, One would have been happy! She was living for the delight of staying silent. But it is not to be happy, It is not for that reason that I draw her to me 13. Prière (Prayer) – 1909, published, text by May she live out my wishes as she wants! Henri Bataille, programmed by Boulanger with I do not ask so much, and if it pleases you. "Cantique." The first of this program’s quasi-sa- Simply sweet or tender or not, cred songs, this piece is especially lovely: filled Be me Mary, and my heart will live. with a sense of yearning for the holy ecstasy that can only come from the gift of the Virgin 14. Cantique (Canticle) – 1909, published, Mary’s spirit, in whatever form it may take. text by Maurice Maeterlinck. Another religious inspiration, this song evokes a simple sense of Ô Marie! soyez-moi Marie, et mon cœur vivra - Qui me séparera de l’amour de Marie? assurance: a gentle affirmation that love con quers all. Les ténèbres ne m’empêcheraient pas De sentir sa douceur. Ô Marie,

16 À toute âme qui pleure, love that only the sacrament of Holy Commu- À tout péché qui passe, nion can bring. J’ouvre au sein des étoiles Mes mains pleines de grâces. Je veux que mon sang, goutte à goutte, Monte à ta lèvre lentement. Il n’est péché qui vive Comme un flot limpide et calmant, Quand l’amour a parlé; De ton coeur il prendra la route. Il n’est âme qui meure Bois-le: mon âme y sera toute Quand l’amour a pleuré. Dans un suprême enivrement, Car le seul mal que je redoute, Et si l’amour s’égare C’est de survivre à mon tourment, Aux sentiers d’ici-bas, Ses larmes me retrouvent Bois-le sans honte et sans peurs vaines: Et ne s’égarent pas... Ce trésor sacré de mes veines, • Toi seule pourras la tarir.

For every soul that cries, Avec mon coeur, avec mon âme, For every sin that passes, Ce sang que ta bouche réclame, I open within the stars Bois-le! car j’ai soif de mourir! My hands full of graces. •

There is no sin which lasts I want that my blood, drop by drop, When love has spoken; Go up to your lips slowly. There is no soul that dies As a limpid stream and calming, When love has cried. From your heart it will take the path. And if love goes astray On paths here below, Drink it: my soul there will be all In a supreme intoxication, Her tears find me And do not get lost. Because the only evil I dread, Is to survive my torment, 15. Poème d’amour (Poem of love) – 1907, unpublished, text by Armande Silvestre (later Drink it without shame and vain fears: reworked to become "Le beau navire"). This This sacred treasure of my veins, Only you will be able to run dry. soft but confident expression of religious fervor perhaps speaks of the “supreme intoxication” of 17 With my heart, with my soul, Seemed to question in a confused murmur This blood that your mouth claims, The waves of the seas, the waves of the seas, Drink it! for I am thirsty to die! the fires of the sky.

16. Extase (Ecstasy) – 1901, unpublished, text And the stars of gold, infinite legions by Victor Hugo; composed on Mademoiselle’s Aloud, in a whisper, with a thousand , fourteenth birthday. The singer basks serenely Said, inclining their crowns of fire; in the wondrous beauties of nature, before re- And the blue waves, that nothing governs alizing – as a sparkling piano affirms – a rapture nor stops, of faith in the God of all creation. Said bending the foam of their crest: It is the Lord, the Lord God! J’étais seul près des flots, par une nuit d’étoiles. Pas un nuage aux cieux, sur les mers pas de 17. La mer (The sea) – 1910, published, text voiles. by Paul Verlaine. Another serenely calm, then Mes yeux plongeaient plus loin que le monde, rhapsodic confirmation of God in nature, -em le monde réel. bodied – as in the previous song – by the rest- Et les bois, et les monts, et toute la nature, less, yet constant sea (wondrously portrayed Semblaient interroger dans un confus murmure by the piano) as it extols the eternal rewards Les flots des mers, les flots des mers, les feux of faith. du ciel. La mer est plus belle Et les étoiles d’or, légions infinies, Que les cathédrales, À voix haute, à voix basse, avec mille Nourrice fidèle, harmonies, Berceuse de râles, Disaient, en inclinant leurs couronnes de feu; La mer qui prie Et les flots bleus, que rien ne gouverne et La Vierge Marie! n’arrête, Disaient en recourbant l’écume de leur crête: Elle a tous les dons C’est le Seigneur, le seigneur Dieu! Terribles et doux. • J’entends ses pardons Gronder ses courroux. Cette immensité I was alone near the waves, by a night of stars. N’a rien d’entêté. Not a cloud in the skies, on the seas no sails. My eyes viewed beyond the world, the real world. O! si patiente, And the woods, and mountains, and all of nature, Même quand méchante!

18 Un souffle ami hante Which laugh there, lighter, La vague, et nous chante: It had shades of blue. "Vous sans espérance, Pinks, grays and greens Mourez sans souffrance!" More beautiful than all, Better than we! Et puis sous les cieux Qui s’y rient plus clairs, 8. Aubade (Dawn serenade) – 1902, unpub- Elle a des airs bleus. lished, text by Louis Tiercelin. This piece speaks Roses, gris et verts – with tranquil contentment – of romantic love Plus belle que tous, as ushered in by the return of springtime, even Meilleure que nous! if the season’s promise should prove false. • Le printemps fleurit les buissons; Les nids palpitent de chansons The sea is more beautiful Et de bruits d’ailes; Than the cathedrals, Au soleil on voit voltiger Nurse faithful, L’escadron joyeux et léger. Lullaby of groans, The sea which prays Adieu le coin du feu si doux, The Virgin Mary! Lorsque j’embrassais entre nous

Vos lèvres roses! It has all the gifts L’amour courra par les chemins Terrible and sweet. Où nous prendrons à pleines mains I hear its pardons Lilas et roses. Rumbling its wrath. This immensity L’hiver a passé doucement Has no insistence. Et sans mêler aucun tourment

A notre ivresse; O! so patient, Malgré moi j’ai peur de printemps! Even when evil! M’aimerez-vous encore longtemps, A friendly breath haunts Enchanteresse? The wave, and to us sings: “You without hope, • Die without suffering!” The springtime flowers the shrubs; And under the skies The nests flutter with songs

19 And the sound of wings; Et il est mort de son attente. In the sun is seen flitting The joyful and light flock. Cet homme en avait assez Avec lui le joyau mourra Farewell fireside so sweet, Monsieur, madame, il se fait tard, Between us when I kissed Un signe de croix et passez. Your pink lips! • Love will run by the paths Where we will take handfuls of This man did not want to live anymore Lilacs and roses. Come along, what are you getting involved in?

Sir, Madam, truly, The winter passed slowly This man had had enough. And without mixing any torment With our drunkenness; His heart was like a stone In spite of myself, I’m afraid of spring! But if someone had opened it Will you love me still, for long, Perhaps in this heart of a lover Enchantress? Would he have seen the diamond.

19. Au bord de la route (At the Roadside) But the stone was so heavy – 1922, published, text by Camille Mauclair. A That he lay down on the road doleful piano supports the sad tale of a man’s Squeezing his hands on it tragic life, pointlessly lived without love. And he died in his waiting.

Cet homme ne voulait plus vivre This man had had enough Voyons de quoi vous mêlez vous? With him the jewel will die Monsieur, madame, en vérité, Sir, Madam, it is getting late, Cet homme en avait assez. A sign of the cross and go. Son cœur était comme une pierre 20. Le couteau (The knife) – 1922, published, Mais si quelqu’un l’avait ouvert text by Camille Mauclair (subtitled “Populaire”). Peut-être dans ce cœur d’amant A relentlessly pounding piano enhances the po- Aurait-il vu le diamante. etry’s lament at unrequited love’s “knife” planted in a grieving heart – wounding a man who does Mais la pierre était si pesante not want to let go of his love or his pain. Qu’il s’est couché sur le chemin En serrant sur elle ses mains

20 J’ai un couteau dans l'coeur. Knife, remain in my heart Une belle l’a planté. If the most beautiful planted you there. J’ai un couteau dans l'coeur I am willing to die because of her, Et ne peux l’ôter. But I do not want to forget her.

C'couteau c’est l’amour d’elle. Une belle l’a planté. CD 2 Tout mon coeur sortirait Avec tout mon regret. SONGS

Il y faut un baiser. 1. Soleils couchants (Sunsets) – 1907, pub- Une belle l’a planté. lished, text by Paul Verlaine, programmed by Un baiser sur le coeur Boulanger with "Élégie." This delicate, then more Mais ell’ne veut l’donner. forceful musical panorama of the setting sun has a pervasive sense of melancholy as the sinking red Couteau, reste en mon coeur orb seems to take the day’s “strange dreams” along Si la plus belle t’y a planté. with it. J’veux bien me mourir d’elle Mais j’veux pas l’oublier. Une aube affaiblie • Verse par les champs La mélancolie Des soleils couchants. I have a knife in my heart. La mélancolie A beauty planted it. Berce de doux chants I have a knife in my heart Mon coeur qui s’oublie And cannot remove it. Aux soleils couchants.

Et d’étranges rêves, This knife is the love of her. Comme des soleils A beauty planted it. Couchants sur les grèves, All my heart would go out Fantômes vermeils, With all my regret. Défilent sans trêves,

Défilent, pareils It requires a kiss there. À des grands soleils A beauty planted it. Couchants sur les grèves. A kiss on the heart But she does not want to give it.

21 • Tout l’espace languit de fièvres. Du fond des coeurs mystérieux A feeble dawn S’en viennent mourir sur les lèvres Pours through the fields Des mots qui font fermer les yeux. The melancholy Of sunsets. Et de ma bouche où s’évapore The melancholy Le parfum des bonheurs derniers Lulls of sweet songs Et de mon coeur vibrant encore My heart which forgets itself S’élèvent de vagues pitiés. At sunsets And strange dreams, Pour tous ceux-là, qui, sur la terre Like suns Par un tel soir tendant les bras Setting on the shores, N’ont point dans leur coeur solitaire Ruby ghosts, Un nom à sangloter tout bas. Process unceasingly, Process, similar • To the great suns Setting on the shores. A sweetness splendid and somber Floats under the starry sky. 2. Élégie (Elegy) – 1906, published, text by Al- It looks as if above in the shadow bert Samain. The almost impressionistic music A paradise has collapsed. evokes images of dark splendor under starry skies, recalling sensual memories of love – and And it is like the ardent fragrance, inspiring pity for those earthbound souls who The feverish fragrance in the black air have no beloved name to remember. Of a lover’s hair Unraveled through the night. Une douceur splendide et sombre Flotte sous le ciel étoilé. All space languishes in fevers. On dirait que là-haut dans l’ombre From the depths of the mysterious hearts Un paradis s’est écroulé. Coming to die on the lips Words which closed the eyes. Et c’est comme l’odeur ardente, L’odeur fiévreuse dans l’air noir And from my mouth, where evaporates D’une chevelure d’amante The scent of the past pleasures Dénouée à travers le soir. And from my still vibrant heart Arises vague pities.

22 For all of those, who, on earth O swear, darling, evermore, By such an evening arms outstretched I’ll take you at your simple word! Have not in their lonely heart I sink down upon your breast, A name to sob quietly. And I believe, that I am blessed; I believe, darling, that you love me, 3. O schwöre nicht (O swear not) – 1908, Even much longer than forever. published, text by . This is a study in musical contrasts, as piano and singer 4. Was will die einsame Thräne (What alike move from blithely doubting the sincerity means this lonely tear?) – 1908, published, of a woman’s words to joyfully accepting them text by Heinrich Heine. As both voice and piano as true evidence of unending love. rise in volume and intensity, we may hear their expression as a growing realization: It’s futile to O schwöre nicht und küsse nur, cry over lost pleasures and love. Ich glaube keinem Weiberschwur! Dein Wort ist süß, doch süßer ist Was will die einsame Thräne? Der Kuß, den ich dir abgeküßt! Sie trübt mir ja den Blick. Den hab ich, und dran glaub ich auch, Sie blieb aus alten Zeiten Das Wort ist eitel Dunst und Hauch. In meinem Auge zurück.

O schwöre, Liebchen, immerfort, Sie hatte viel leuchtende Schwestern, Ich glaube dir aufs bloße Wort! Die alle zerflossen sind, An deinen Busen sink ich hin, Mit meinen Qualen und Freuden Und glaube, daß ich selig bin; Zerflossen in Nacht und Wind. Ich glaube, Liebchen, ewiglich, Und noch viel länger, liebst du mich. Wie Nebel sind auch zerflossen • Die blauen Sternelein, Die mir jene Freuden und Qualen Gelächelt ins Herz hinein. O do not swear, only kiss I believe no woman’s oath! Ach, meine Liebe selber Your words are sweet, but sweeter still Zerfloß wie eitel Hauch! Is the kiss, that I kissed you with! Du alte, einsame Träne, That I have, and I also believe in it, Zerfließe jetzunder auch! A word is naught but misty breeze. •

23 What means this lonely tear? Bin verändert heimgekehret. It so clouds my gaze. For so long it has remained Von den weißen, schönen Armen trapped deep within my eye. Fest und liebevoll umschlossen, Lieg ich jetzt an ihrem Herzen, She had many shining sisters, Dumpfen Sinnes und verdroßen. Who have all melted away, • Flowing into night and wind. With my torments and joys. Oh, there again are the eyes, That once greeted me so sweetly, The little blue stars, And there again are the lips, Like mist, have also faded That sweetened my life! Smiling into my heart. Through my joys and sorrows Also there’s again the voice, That once I loved to hear! Oh, my love itself But I’m no longer the same, Melted away like vain breath! As changed, I return home. Now, you old and lonely tear, Melt away too! Firmly and lovingly embraced, By those lovely, pale arms 5. Ach, die Augen sind es wieder (Oh, there I lie now at her heart, again are the eyes) – 1908, published, text by Sullen and of gloomy spirit. Heinrich Heine. An upbeat piano supports the poet’s sweet and happy memories – but the 6. Écoutez la chanson bien douce (Listen mood turns dark and ominous when, upon his to the very sweet song) – 1905, unpublished, return home, he realizes that his feelings for his text by Paul Verlaine. A gentle, lighthearted former beloved have changed. feeling again pervades the song’s opening verse before the music turns momentarily dark- Ach, die Augen sind es wieder, er, as if regretful. But then the opening mood Die mich einst so lieblich grüßten, returns as we are wistfully reminded to sing Und es sind die Lippen wieder, sweet songs, even in times of suffering. Die das Leben mir versüßten! Écoutez la chanson bien douce Auch die Stimme ist es wieder, Qui ne pleure que pour vous plaire, Die ich einst so gern gehöret! Elle est discrète, elle est légère: Nur ich selber bins nicht wieder, Un frisson d’eau sur de la mousse!

24 La voix vous fut connue (et chère?) The voice was known to you (and dear?) Mais à présent elle est voilée But now it is veiled Comme une veuve désolée, Like a desolate widow Pourtant comme elle encore fière, Yet like her, it is still proud,

Et dans les longs plis de son voile, And in the long folds of her veil, Qui palpite aux brises d’automne. Which flutter in the autumn breezes. Cache et montre au cœur qui s’étonne Hides and shows to the heart which is surprised, La vérité comme une étoile. The truth like a star.

Elle dit, la voix reconnue, It says, the voice recognized, Que la bonté c’est notre vie, That goodness is our life, Que de la haine et de l’envie That of hatred and of envy Rien ne reste, la mort venue. Nothing remains, once death is come.

Elle parle aussi de la gloire It speaks also of the glory D’être simple sans plus attendre, To be simple without more expectation, Et de noces d’or et du tendre And weddings of the gold and the tender Bonheur d’une paix sans victoire. Happiness of a peace without victory.

Accueillez la voix qui persiste Welcome the voice that persists Dans son naïf épithalame. In its innocent epithalamium, Allez, rien n’est meilleur à l’âme Come, nothing is better for the soul Que de faire une âme moins triste! Than to make a soul less sad!

Elle est en peine et de passage, It is in pain and passing through, L’âme qui souffre sans colère, The soul that suffers without anger, Et comme sa morale est claire! And how clear is its morality! Écoutez la chanson bien sage. Listen to the very wise song. • Translations of French song texts by Lucy Mauro Listen to the very sweet song and German song texts by Lindsay Koob. Which cries only for your pleasure, It is discreet, it is light: A shiver of water on the moss!

25 WORKS FOR SOLO PIANO and renaming the work Diptyque. In this perfor- mance, Amit Peled plays a French cello – a Vuil- 7. Vers la vie nouvelle (Toward the New Life), laume, ca. 1865: the “Servais Stradivarius Copy.” 1917, published in 1919. Written for a charita- ble organization, “The Society for Regenera- The opening piece is mournfully somber: a tion,” this masterly piece first projects a somberyearning, achingly romantic work that still aura of utter gloom, evoking World War I’s ef- seems to end on a vaguely positive note. The fects of devastation and displacement. But the second also projects a sorrowful tone, seeming minor-key despair lifts, gradually pierced by to take on an almost Celtic harmonic flavor. The rays of major-key relief and fresh hope. third piece in C-sharp Minor is lively, with an underlying sense of nervous agitation, some- 8, 9, 10. Trois pièces pour piano, 1914, unpub- what atypical of Boulanger’s other composi- lished. This charming trio of miniature pieces – the tions. A fascinating rhythmic anomaly appears first two in D Minor, the third in B Minor – all seem in the slower middle section, where the com- very “French” in style and sound. The first casts a poser employs an irregular 5/4 meter. In this sadly pensive, but not-too-serious mood. Despite final piece, Boulanger manages the exchange its mostly minor tonality, the next piece is quite of melodic material between cello and piano in lively and harmonically ingenious, with the saucy, a particularly adroit manner. almost flippant nature that Parisian composers of the day captured so well. The final, brief number WORKS FOR ORGAN expresses a breezy, almost-poignant air. One might say that all three can perhaps be heard as 14, 15, 16. Boulanger composed Trois improvi- musical evocations of the commedia dell’ arte fig- sations (Three Improvisations) for organ in 1911 ures Pierrot and Columbine, who had long since for the Anthologie des Maîtres Contemporains de become entrenched in French culture. l’Orgue, (Anthology of Contemporary Masters of the Organ). The three movements are Prélude, WORKS FOR CELLO AND PIANO Petit Canon, and Improvisation. 11, 12, 13. Trois pièces: “Modéré,” “Sans vitesse The first piece, “Prélude,” reflects a somewhat et à l’aise” and “Vite et nerveusement rythmé” celestial nature, with a questing upper melody were composed in 1914. The first two of these floating over a bed of shifting three-chord figu- are Boulanger’s reworkings of two earlier organ rations; it also contains a contrasting, less-insis- pieces from 1911 (“Improvisation” and “Petit tent central episode. The second, “Petit canon,” Canon”), also heard in this album. Published in is a cunningly interwoven tapestry of related 1919, Boulanger later omitted the second of the polyphonic themes and textures. Much of the three pieces, presenting just the first and third final piece, “Improvisation,” revolves around

26 a rather mystery-laden melody that develops beneath an airy and persistent tonal umbrella.

17. Pièce pour orgue sur des airs popu- laires flamands (Piece for organ on popular Flemish airs) dates from 1915. Mademoiselle dedicated this work “à ma petite Lili” ("for my little Lili"), and she performed its premiere in March 1915 for the Union des Femmes Profes- seurs et Compositeurs de Musique: one of the very few occasions that Mademoiselle associ- ated with any feminist organizations or causes. This very impressive piece has the sound and feel of an anthem, with something of an emphatic, insistent air to the essentially homophonic firstdemia di Santa Cecilia, the New York Philhar- section. This transitions into a polyphonic episode monic, the Cleveland Orchestra and the BBC before the opening textures return, leading into an . Nicole Cabell’s recordings have re- ancient-sounding modal interlude before a dra- ceived the 2007 Georg Solti Orphée d’Or from matic – even heroic – finish makes the rafters ring.the French Académie du Disque Lyrique and an Echo Klassik Award in Germany. — Notes by Lindsay Koob and Lucy Mauro

The brilliant lyric tenor Alek Shrader continues Soprano Nicole Cabell, the 2005 Winner of to impress audiences with the “luxury of his phras- the BBC Singer of the World Competition in ing, the clarity of his diction and the sensitivity and Cardiff, is one of today’s most sought-after lyric expressiveness of his characterizations.” Mr. Shrad- sopranos. Ms. Cabell is heard in opera houses er’s 2015-2016 season began with performances around the world, including the Grand Théâtre of Alfredo in La Traviata with Opera Philadelphia, de Genève, Royal Opera House, Covent Gar- followed by a return to the San Francisco Opera den, Metropolitan Opera, the Lyric Opera of to sing David in Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Opéra Nation- Nürnberg. Later in the season he sang Count Al- al de Paris, and Deutsche Oper , among maviva in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Lyric many others. In concert, she has appeared in Opera and Tom Rakewell in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s New York, , Chicago, Cincinnati, Toron- Progress with the Pittsburgh Opera. Highlights of to, Atlanta, San Diego and St Petersburg – and the 2016-2017 season include a solo recital at her orchestral performances include the Acca- Wigmore Hall, Ferrando in Così fan tutte in Ovie-

27 Los Angeles Philharmonic with Gustavo Du- damel, the Paris Opera, Moscow’s Dom Musiki, Carnegie Hall, Aix-en-Provence, Opéra de Lille, the Paris Opera, Bayerischer Rundfunkorches- ter, the Orchestre Nationale de France, and the do, Endimione in Martin y Soler’s Diana’s Garden Berliner Philharmoniker. Edwin Crossley-Mercer with the Minnesota Opera, Ramiro in La Cener- is the recipient of the 2007 HSBC Foundation entola with the Arizona Opera, and a return to Award and the Lili and Nadia Boulanger Prize. the Santa Fe Opera as Oronte in Handel’s Alcina. Israeli cellist Amit Peled, a musician of pro- Baritone Edwin Crossley-Mercer has won found artistry and charismatic stage presence, worldwide acclaim for his opera and concert is acclaimed internationally as one of the most performances. As one critic wrote: “Edwin Cross- exciting instrumentalists on the concert stage ley-Mercer makes us appreciate the great French today. Recognized by Musical America as one baritone tradition again with his original singing, of the key influences in today’s performing arts precise expression and simple vocal beauty. His industry, Peled often surprises audiences with timbre reminds us of a young Gérard Souzay; the ways in which he breaks down barriers be- one need say no more.” (Jean-Charles Hoffelé, tween performers and the public, making clas- Concert Classique.) Mr. Crossley-Mercer’s recent sical music more accessible to wider audiences. opera and concert appearances include perfor- Mr. Peled has performed as a soloist with many mances at the Staatsoper in Munich, Opera du orchestras and in the world’s major concert Rhin, Teatro Petruzzelli in Italy, the Dallas Opera, halls, including Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully

28 1979, succeeding Camille Saint-Saëns, Théodore Dubois, and Gabriel Fauré. As a soloist, he has giv- en more than 1300 concerts and recitals through- out , the United States, Canada, and Japan. He is also recognized as one of today’s greatest im- provisers. François-Henri Houbart is a soloist at Ra- dio France and a member of the artistic committee of the International Organ Competition of Chartres as well as the author of a book on the cathedral or- gan in his native city of Orléans. He has made more than seventy recordings, and his awards include an Officier of l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Médaille de Vermeil of the City of Paris. Hall, New York; Salle Gaveau, Paris; Wigmore Hall, London; Konzerthaus, Berlin; and Tel Aviv’s Mann Auditorium. Mr. Peled plays the historic cello of Pablo Casals. Mrs. Marta Casals Istomin, the widow of Maestro Casals, personally hand- ed him the instrument, a Goffriller, ca. 1733.

Organist François-Henri Houbart has been the organiste titulaire at the Madeleine in Paris since

The Journal of Singing calls pianist Lucy Mauro “a perfect partner, whether called upon for thun- dering power or the tenderest whisper.” Her re- cordings of the music of Margaret Ruthven Lang

29 for Delos have been hailed in Gramophone (New at the Esterházy Festival in Austria and on Thom- Love Must Rise) and American Record Guide as Hampson’s national radio program Song of (From the Unforgetting Skies) and selected as a America. Her latest publication, Master Singers: Recording of the Year 2011 by MusicWeb Inter- Advice from the Stage from Oxford University national (Love Is Everywhere), which called it “the Press, includes interviews with many of today’s revelation of the year” and a 2013 Naxos Critics’ top opera singers. She currently serves on the Choice (From the Unforgetting Skies), among music faculty at West Virginia University. other recognitions. Lucy Mauro has been heard

Mademoiselle playing her home organ at rue Ballu, circa 1920

30 Special thanks to Alexandra Laederich, Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Stephen Schmidt, Carole Ardant, Brandon Morgan, William Zino, Ryan McNeil, Alex Creel, Beth Royall and Juliette Duthoit.

This recording was made possible in part by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with approval from the West Virginia Commission on the Arts.

Recording Dates/Venues:

Nicole Cabell: December 16-19, 2015, Bloch Hall, West Virginia University (WVU) Alek Shrader: May 20-21, 2016, Bloch Hall, WVU Edwin Crossley-Mercer: April 2-3, 2016, Bloch Hall, WVU Amit Peled: September 10, 2016, Bloch Hall, WVU Lucy Mauro (solo piano): July 28, 2016, Bloch Hall, WVU François-Henri Houbart: October 12, 2015, The Madeleine Church, Paris

Executive Producer: Carol Rosenberger Producer: Lucy Mauro Co-producer: Michael Benchetrit Recording Engineer and Co-Producer: Mark Benincosa, II Booklet Editors: Lindsay Koob and Anne Maley Art Design/Layout: Lonnie Kunkel Piano Technician: Tim Richards; Piano: Steinway Organ: Cavaillé-Coll Photography: Nicole Cabell by Erika Dufour; Alek Shrader by Peter Schaaf; Edwin Crossley-Mercer by Vikram Pathak; Amit Peled by Marshall Clarke; Lucy Mauro by David Bess Cover photo: rue Ballu, circa 1955. © Centre international Nadia et Lili Boulanger

© 2017 Delos Productions, Inc., P.O. Box 343, Sonoma, CA 95476-9998 (707) 996-3844 • Fax (707) 320-0600 • (800) 364-0645 [email protected] • www.delosmusic.com Made in USA

31 The Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Madeleine Church DE 3496 32