# Do you like Ravel's songs? (yes, songs)



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

-Trois Chansons:






-Chansons madécasses:






-Cinq melodies populaires grecques:






and others... (of course, I love them )


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

Do you like Ravel's songs?

To die for! Particularly sung by women:






Ravel's _Sheherazade _(Janet Baker)


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

My favourite recording of Ravel songs:


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

I love the title of this thread.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Scheherazade. Norman is excellent, though not quite believable in context. And a recording by a Frenchwoman opera star whose name I can't remember... she sang the soprano lead in Massenet's Don Quixote (wrong spelling) too. Damn, it would be nice if I could remember a name once-in-a-while.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I do now!

things


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

I am obsessed with music for the voice and this period of French song is one of my favorite. Delicious! I admittedly have more discs by Faure and Debussy, but Ravel is not far behind... and I am working on fleshing out my collection with this:










this:










and more by the inimitable Gérard Souzay:










I love female singers on this repertoire as well as male: Barbara Hendricks, Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, and Susan Graham primary among these. I await in lustful anticipation for the exquisite Véronique Gens to finally come around to Ravel. She has already made brilliant recordings of Berlioz, Canteloube, Debussy, Faure, Poulenc, etc... Another singer who I am waiting to record Ravel's melodies is Sandrine Piau.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

And a recording by a Frenchwoman opera star whose name I can't remember... she sang the soprano lead in Massenet's Don Quixote (wrong spelling) too. Damn, it would be nice if I could remember a name once-in-a-while.

You're probably thinking of Mady Mesplé. She's on that ravel "Melodies" disc I posted above.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> And a recording by a Frenchwoman opera star whose name I can't remember... she sang the soprano lead in Massenet's Don Quixote (wrong spelling) too. Damn, it would be nice if I could remember a name once-in-a-while.
> 
> You're probably thinking of Mady Mesplé. She's on that ravel "Melodies" disc I posted above.


No, she ain't the one. The lady I'm thinking of may have died in the last few years... rats. I think she sang the female lead in the 2nd half of Les Troyens too... double rats.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Regine Crespin?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

I'd go as far as saying that Sheherazade in the orchestral version is my favourite Ravel composition.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I love Sheherazade and Don Quichotte, aside from that I still need to explore further this are of Ravel's oeuvre. Thanks for the suggestions all.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

This year I got Dame Janet Baker's recording & also have had for a while one by Dame Kiri. I aim to sink my teeth into these more in next few months. Ravel's _Madagascan Songs_ was one of the many song-cycles influenced strongly by Schoenberg's _Pierrot Lunaire_, which I finally "clicked" with this year. So more exciting discoveries to come, no doubt...


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## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

I forgot to mentn... _Sheherazade _was featured on my blog in November:
http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/433-three-song-cycles.html


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Histoires naturelles (after Renard) - never fails to put a smile on my face!


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## rojo (May 26, 2006)

Fantastique et merveilleux. Merci Maurice!

The music is wonderful and the lyrics are fascinating.

Thanks aleazk and subsequent posters. 

Will definitely be revisiting this thread.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

itywltmt said:


> My favourite recording of Ravel songs:


That is one helluva lineup!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

StlukesguildOhio said:


> Regine Crespin?


Thank you! You were first, but yes....

Glorious voice and a consummate musician! - Certainly 'that French woman' they were thinking about. Magnificent, here, in an old B&W French TV clip, Berlioz, "Le Spectre de la Rose" - she makes it sound and look utterly artless and effortless.... just amazing.





Deux Mélodies hébraïques ~ with Victioria de Los Angeles - one kind of heaven.
L'enigme eternelle




Kaddish





Well, I'm a big fan of fantastic singers, and the Ravel songs, imo, are some of his best works.

ADD: The Cinq mélodies populaires Grecques, with a little squib in the info that the tunes were from a musicological collection...




an oddity? the same, sung by Nikolos Spanos


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Tapkaara said:


> I love the title of this thread.


As in opposed to the type of question, "What is that Mozart song for Piano and winds?" Lol.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Yes, I _love_ them. I own nearly all of them. I'm only missing a few. This is the same for my Ravel collection in general. I'm only missing a few pieces from his entire compositional output. He really didn't composed that much, though.


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

I've never really listened to his songs much, I'm really glad you made this thread because now I'm checking them all out! A+ so far!


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

Stargazer said:


> I've never really listened to his songs much, I'm really glad you made this thread because now I'm checking them all out! A+ so far!


Next up: Henri Duparc?


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## Manok (Aug 29, 2011)

I've always found them an interesting listen.


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