Gabriel Fauré - Requiem!

Yay, only two month to wait.

Thank you for posting it Joanna

Vandea

Does anyone know how this project came about? Philippe has been avoiding the mainstream works for all these years but this is one of the most popular works of classical music.

I am looking forward to the release very much but it’s still a little puzzling.

I hope there will be a promotion video. Oh, I can hardly wait!!

In any case the CD is already presale on the website of Fnac

This attempt to compete with soprano in the Pie Jesu can be very exciting

Available for pre-order from Amazon UK

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or Presto Classical + some more info:

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It's an announcement from VIRGIN:

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This is nearly unbearable beautiful.

Any reason for the two different CD covers?

Maybe a single! I think it´s the photo from amazon´s mp3 version of Pie Jesu.

that explains it...

Quote :

This is nearly unbearable beautiful.

I fully agree with you Duffy !

When you listen to Pie Jesu, it is not a boy's voice, it is not an angel's voice It is Philippe's voice and I love it

It touches the heart and comes from the soul.

Some months ago I read an interview. Philippe wondered whether he would be able to keep the "aigus" while developing his voice towards the low register. Now he has given the answer himself. I wouldn't have expected such a high and and at the same time soft
note anymore. I think, they registered that in February? Let's see what the next surprise will be....

I'm downloading the album from iTunes as I type strange how some albums seem to be released on iTunes (at least in Norway) before the official release date...in this case iTunes claims the album was released today. I'm not complaining though!!

All Pie Jesu on YT:

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A beautiful recording! - Only there's way too little of Philippe on this CD. - Just "pie Jesu" which lasts a tiny 3 minutes 37 seconds... They're sheer bliss though... And by the way: it IS physically available in the shops already!

Here is the first review of the NDR:

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It seems they like it !

Duffy

Thank you so much for sharing this!


Philippe about "Pie Jesu":

Quote :

"Das war ein Traum, diese Arie aufzunehmen, aber ich hatte ein bisschen Angst. Denn diese Arie ist für ein Kind geschrieben, und natürlich ist sie ein bisschen hoch für einen Countertenor. Was diese Arie so schwierig macht: Wenn Sie zu viel machen, töten Sie die Musik. Aber wenn Sie nicht genug machen, töten Sie die Musik auch."

"Es ist ein sehr idealistisches Stück mit vielen Farben, aber nicht rot oder sehr aggressiv, sondern es ist ein Blau", erklärt Jaroussky. "Es klingt ein bisschen traurig, aber auch mit Hoffnung darin, mit Licht."

" It was a dream, to record this aria, but I was a bit afraid. Because this aria was written for a child and of course, it is a little to high for a countertenor.
What is so difficult in this aria: if you do too much, you will kill the music. But if you do not enough, you will kill the music, too. "

" It is an very idealistic piece with a lot of colours, but not red or very aggressive - no, it is blue. "
" It sound a little sad, but also with hope in it, with light."


Sorry for my schreckliches English.

Artaserse

Artaserse, thank you for the translation! Your English is very good indeed!
By the way, don't you think that M. Jaroussky's singing of this piece is really quite 'blue' - just like moonlight?! (Sorry for the commonplace...)

idubrov,

yes, "blue" like water is "blue", not typical blue, but "blue" of sparkling water springing up...

In English blue also means sad and melancholy.

This critic was in a german newspaper today (Bremen) a friend of mine send it to me.

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A very nice critique. The headline in particular is quite complimentary!

Vandea,

Thank you

Artaserse,
Thank you for the translation from German. Your English was beautiful. It is the first that I read about Philippe's words about Pie Jesu - in english - and it explains why his voice is so "white". It is incredible and beyond angellic. Of course his voice is very versatile and can sing a variety of roles, moods and colors, but for this....perfect!
Thank you and also Thanks Philippe!
Maria

Blue also means clear, cool, water, sky. Not just sad. I am Dutch, and the adjective blue has no sad association for me whatsoever. But purity, transparance, coolness, clarity, infinity.


This is a Requiem Mass. Catholics do not only mourn the departure of their dead, we also celebrate that they have gone to be with God, and we hope that God may forgive them, welcome them, and embrace them. The dead go home.

That is the Pie Jesu. We plead with him. Ask for his mercy. No better advocate for that than Philippes voice. Or that of an innocent boy. And he's done it: I've never heard anyone mature resemble a treble so much.

Here is a criticism that hurts me but I am not qualified enough to judge
Is there anyone among you a more professional to say what he (she) thinks
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Another review. Only one word about Philippe but I think it is meant to be a compliment. What do you think?

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"otherworldly" DOES sound like a compliment there!

It's a thoroughly private opinion of the CD; quite smart, though:

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In Holland, critic Jan van Laar wrote in Elsevier: (my translation-so not perfect))

Gabriel Faure, (1845-1924) was refined even at a young age. His "Elegie" (1880, orchestrated in 1895) for cello and orchestra is harmonically open, with a multitude of tender details. No wonder that we can hear soloist Eric Picard hear sighing with enjoyment.
The "Cantique de Jean Racine" is even older (1865) but filled with Faurean inflections. For "Super Flumina Babylonis" (1863) this is even a first recording.

And a worthwile one, too. Paavo Järvi conducts Choir and Orchestre de Paris furthermore in the "Pavane"and the "Requiem". Blissfull examples of a praiseworthy repertoire. The soloist are special. Matthias Goerne as a bariton, with a little too much German vibrato and countertenor Philippe Jaroussky almost witchy ("hekserig") in the "Pie Jesu".
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I must say: te last person I would compare Philippe to would be the old mean witch from Hansl and Gretl, but maybe he just meant to say bewitching, like enchanting, or putting a spell over the listener. That I can wholeheartedly agree with. But that would rather be put as: "betoverend" (bezaubernd) . Hekserig is no compliment in dutch. A "heks" is eine Hexe. A witch. Melusine. Someone who sold their soul to the Devil. A Faust.

Well, at least it is original. Something different than the obligatory "angel". Philippe can safely accept the angel comparison though: angels DO have emotions. That's how the whole devil problem came into existence! Because this group of angels, lead by Lucifer, got jealous of the love God felt for the humans, who they considered to be lower lifeforms, so they rebelled against God. (I don't exactly know for sure whether that story is told in Revelations or in Enoch, but it is very old literature. )

Or maybe the critic meant something along the lines of "eerie" or "uncanny" - supernatural and therefore a bit frightening?

Another very happy reviewer -
"Fauré’s understated Requiem is another iconic work which has suffered by dint of its popularity; too many dodgy amateur performances convinced me that I never wanted to hear it again. And then a fresh-sounding recording turns up, and makes you realise that there is something special going on here......

The surprise in Paavo Järvi’s live recording of the full orchestral version is counter tenor Philippe Jaroussky’s solo in the Pie Jesu, a gamble which comes off beautifully; Jaroussky’s otherworldly vocal perfect for this work.

Read the full review at:
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From Altamusica note 4/4

In addition to the complete commented above Chamber music, Virgin published a very captivating version of the Requiem, with Paavo Järvi at the head of the choir and the Orchestre de Paris with Philippe Jaroussky and Matthias Gœrne in standouts. A bold voice choice, but the osmosis is perfect, both two singers have the music fitted to the body.
Järvi also surprised by a depth and delicacy there success where it does expected it not necessarily. The Orchestre de Paris is perfect. Éric Picard plays the Elégie for cello with a sober and real emotion.

To Artemis
thank you to take a look to the translation Merci Merci...

@ rikkapijemy

Thanks for your note. If you could put the original French text here , I could take a look at it for you ...

A.

@ Artemis
Parallèlement à l’intégrale de musique de chambre commentée plus haut, Virgin publie une très attachante version du Requiem, avec Paavo Järvi à la tête du Chœur et de l’Orchestre de Paris, avec Philippe Jaroussky et Matthias Gœrne en solistes. Un choix vocal audacieux, mais l’osmose se révèle parfaite, tant les deux chanteurs ont la musique chevillée au corps.

Järvi aussi étonne par une vraie réussite en profondeur et en délicatesse là où on ne l’attendait pas forcément. L’Orchestre de Paris est parfait. Éric Picard joue l’Elégie pour violoncelle avec une émotion sobre et vraie

Merci vous êtez une mère pour moi!

Steady on, young Rikkapijemy - for me to be your "maman" I would have had to be sexually active at a verrrr-y early age!

Here you are:

Alongside all the chamber music commented on above, Virgin has published a very engaging version of the Requiem with Paavo Järvi conducting the Choeur and Orchestre de Paris and Philippe Jaroussky and Matthias Goerne as soloists. A bold vocal choice but both singers are in such collusion with the music that the osmosis proves to be perfect.

Järvi also surprises with great success in depth and delicacy where one would not necessarily have expected to find it. The Orchestre de Paris is perfect. Eric Picard plays the Elegy for Cello with restrained and genuine emotion.

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"The soprano voice is sung here (for unexplained reasons) by a countertenor, and though Jaroussky has a striking voice, he sings with a free, almost pop style in the "Pie Jesu" that seems apart from Jarvi's otherwise sober approach."

What? Pop style?

Fortunately also a better one:
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I reckon review n° 1 must have been written by serenaluce or her alter ego, arpeggio - they're always banging on ad nauseam about Philippe's "pop" style!

I agree with Artemis, Serenaluce seems pretty obsessed about Philippe and she's always repeating the same about his supposed pop style...I usually play the "Vedrò con mio diletto" rendition in 2007 awards and she keeps coming back to that video to comment everytime the same, a real troll!! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Hehe, that is the best example for the case " want to write something , but miss ideas because stupid".
Otherwise, the people don´t understand the real meaning of the word " pop" and repeat any minds of someone else. Poor people.

Och, well, one can just re-define "pop style" as "a style that is not unpleasantla artificial.
I mean, come on: Those singer famous for "baroque singing" who have incredible tension in their jaw (some altos, won´t mention names), shaking lip, do trills with the underlip (you know who does this), create their sound by building much too much pressure (too many to name do this), CTs who sound nice but grimace so much that you understand why they made castratos practice in front of a mirror, etc., etc. - they do not sound popular. At least they´re not popular with me. They sound fake, false for me. For me the real art is to make the singing sound natural, as if it was easy - not make it seem difficult only because one uses a bad, erroneous or distorted technique. Balance, elegance, an enhancement of nature, please! PhJ does that. No-one would want to see a ballet dance who makes it look as if earth was pulling him down and it was extremely difficult to dance, hm? Then why like that in singers? A singer has to practice until art seems natural.

Good point Astarto! That's where Philippe's magic lies! (among other things!)