# Canteloube's Chants d'Auvergne



## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Joseph Canteloube (1879-1957): Songs of the Auvergne. Let's discuss this masterpiece, as I feel it is one of the most beautiful and important vocal works of the present era. I have two versions of it, the first one being a Musical Heritage 2-CD reissue of the Vanguard recording with Netania Davrath singing, and this one, with Nagano and Dawn Upshaw.










Both are good; the earlier Vanguard recording is well-respected. Also it is available as a Vanguard Silverline DVD in hi-rez 5.1 surround. I'd like to get that one.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I have the Upshaw recording. my wife and I are planning a trip to France this summer. I'll give it a spin for inspiration. Upshaw's voice sounds so fresh


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

I wouldn't think there is much 'to discuss' about these. It is interesting to know that many of these folk song arrangements were done one at a time, or several at a time, at intervals over spans of Canteloube's life. (I'm actually ignorant of anything else this composer wrote!)

Like you, I and many others think the entire collection a bundle of really beautiful 'simple' songs (they became popular as they were released), and it is very good they've been given mention if anyone noticing the post was unaware of them.

Pure and simple pleasure, they; they cover a range of moods, of course, and are a lovely and charming set of songs for soprano and orchestra.

It is to be hoped your post brings this music to those who did not yet know of it.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Davrath had a girlish, almost vibratoless tone and a charming spontaneity that brought out the folk origins of the songs. No other version seems like real competition for hers on those terms. Other singers with lusher voices - Kiri te Kanawa comes to mind - embody more of the sensuous luxuriance of the orchestrations. It's interesting and beautiful hybrid music, naive and sophisticated, in which the disparate styles never sound incongruous. 

I once met a fellow whose family came from the Auvergne region. He said it's really lovely country. I'm enchanted by the Auvergne dialect - not much like the French we're familiar with - and I've sometimes wondered what the original songs sounded like before they were canteloubated. And what else did Canteloube write? Something, surely. You don't just get out of bed one morning and decide to exhibit a mastery of orchestration, unless perhaps your name is Korngold.


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## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

It would be interesting if some company could stage his opera Vercingetorix just once - and film the performance for dvd.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I think Von Stade sung these too and they are supposed to be pretty good .


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## DonAlfonso (Oct 4, 2014)

Woodduck said:


> Davrath had a girlish, almost vibratoless tone and a charming spontaneity that brought out the folk origins of the songs. No other version seems like real competition for hers on those terms. Other singers with lusher voices - Kiri te Kanawa comes to mind - embody more of the sensuous luxuriance of the orchestrations. It's interesting and beautiful hybrid music, naive and sophisticated, in which the disparate styles never sound incongruous.
> 
> I once met a fellow whose family came from the Auvergne region. He said it's really lovely country. I'm enchanted by the Auvergne dialect - not much like the French we're familiar with - and I've sometimes wondered what the original songs sounded like before they were canteloubated. And what else did Canteloube write? Something, surely. You don't just get out of bed one morning and decide to exhibit a mastery of orchestration, unless perhaps your name is Korngold.


Every year I holiday at my sister's house in a small village in Charente - not too far from the Auvergne so we have traveled there a couple of times. It is indeed lovely,and quite dramatic - the Chaîne des Puys is an alignment of about 80 ancient volcanoes in an area about 30km(20 miles) long.

France still has about 70 spoken dialects and the locals tell me that up to their grandfathers' day they couldn't understand the language being spoken 75km away.

I love the Kiri te Kanawa version - lush, as you say.


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## Guest (Jan 19, 2015)

I have Veronique Gens on Naxos. Quite nice but I can't compare. Interestingly, my discs include a few tracks from Chants de France and Chants paysans-Quercy, which seem similar to Chants d'Auvergne. Also Triptyque from 1914.

I also have a few other works by Canteloube:
- Suite "Dans la montagne" - for violin and piano from 1905
- Poème - for violin and orchestra from 1918
- Rustiques - a wind trio from 1930

I really like "Dans la montagne" and would be interested in other works by him. I didn't know about the opera. ArkivMusic doesn't show it or any other works by Canteloube.


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## Badinerie (May 3, 2008)

albertfallickwang said:


> I think Von Stade sung these too and they are supposed to be pretty good .


Its pretty darn good. I like the Veronique Gens one, but Victoria de los Angeles is the one I like best. It was one of my wake up recordings in the darker days of my time in 1980's South London..


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The "Chants d'Auverge" are not written in any French dialect, but in Occitan (the 'langue d'oc' in French) a different language also coming from Latin. I would also love to get a modern performance of _Vercingetorix_, and a recording of the performance... Let's see.

Georges Thill premiered the opera, and we can watch him hear with Canteloube himself at the piano:


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

I used to have the te Kanawa version until one day .... in the dim an distant past when there were record shops even in small towns .... I commented on this disc to the record shop owner who straight away popped on the version by Victoria de los Angeles.

I can still remember the sensation that I experienced in the first couple of seconds - it was as if someone was running their fingers down my spine, my eyes filled with tears, and I felt someone singing who was trying to engage with me. Victoria was singing to me!

That was it - I bought the Victoria de los Angeles version and I had no need for the te Kanawa version again. Each to their own, but IMHO, one is by a very good singer and the other is by an extraordinary performer


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I do rate rate te Kanawa as one of the best, however at Christmas I did receive f the Vanguard recording with Netania Davrath and I think it's of the best.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

One of my favourite quotes is: "Others including Kiri Te Kanawa flatten these songs like a trodden snail with an excess of operatic weight"

Read more: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2005/Feb05/Canteloube_Gens_RB.htm#ixzz3PGoOFWKQ

but if people prefer te Kanawa to VDLA or Davrath, then so be it


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

It was De Los Angeles who probably put the songs "on the map" so to speak, in the UK at least. Her version of _Bailero_ was used in a Dubonnet advert back in the late sixties and consequently her first LP of selected songs(coupled with Chausson's _Poeme de l'amour et de la mer_) became a big hit and a top seller.

I tend to prefer those performances that lean towards performances that bring out the folk songs' roots, rather than those that treat them more operatically, and hence I prefer De Los Angeles, Davrath, Von Stade and Jill Gomez to say Te Kanawa. I haven't heard Upshaw, but I would imagine she too brings out the folk elements.

Has anyone heard Madeleine Grey, to whom Canteloube dedicated some of the songs? Her versions also take the former view.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Woodduck said:


> Davrath had a girlish, almost vibratoless tone and a charming spontaneity that brought out the folk origins of the songs. No other version seems like real competition for hers on those terms. Other singers with lusher voices - Kiri te Kanawa comes to mind - embody more of the sensuous luxuriance of the orchestrations. It's interesting and beautiful hybrid music, naive and sophisticated, in which the disparate styles never sound incongruous.
> 
> I once met a fellow whose family came from the Auvergne region. He said it's really lovely country. I'm enchanted by the Auvergne dialect - not much like the French we're familiar with - and I've sometimes wondered what the original songs sounded like before they were canteloubated. And what else did Canteloube write? Something, surely. You don't just get out of bed one morning and decide to exhibit a mastery of orchestration, unless perhaps your name is Korngold.


It is also said that Davrath has more accurate pronunciation of the dialect; I suppose this could be sub-classed under "folk elements."

There is also a certain "old fashioned" quality to her soprano, like you might hear in the 1930s or in early recordings. I'm glad to see this version garners such respect, as it is the one I "imprinted' on, and also one I decided to keep after hearing others.


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## PeteW (Dec 20, 2014)

Can't claim to know too much about it, but I do have Arleen Auger singing the Bailero - i do like her voice and performance of it compared to others. v beautiful.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

SimonNZ said:


> It would be interesting if some company could stage his opera Vercingetorix just once - and film the performance for dvd.


I can envision a regie directed performance with all the appearances of the _Asterix_ cartoons -- 'barbarians' in plaid pants


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