# La Chronique du disque (June 2012)



## itywltmt (May 29, 2011)

En français



> *The rules will be kept simple:* _here's what I found, here's where I found it, here's a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions_.
> 
> Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will provide *two sets of marks *(letters A to D) on _sound quality (SQ)_ and on _overall impression (OI)_. These grades are entirely subjective, but here are some guidelines:
> 
> ...


My acquisitions for June

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Ambroise Thomas : Mignon
[1937 and 1945 performances]*​
Hugh Canning writes, "In the years after its premiere at the (old) Opéra-Comique in 1866, *Ambroise Thomas*' _Mignon _clocked up hundreds of performances, almost challenging Gounod's Faust as one of he most popular French operas of the 19th century before _Carmen_. By the second half of the 20th century, this enchantingly tuneful and sweetly sentimental work had all but disappeared from the repertoire." Montreal-born conductor *Wilfrid Pelletier* has a fond place in his heart for this opera - hearing it for the first time in person provided a life-changing experience. Associated with the Met as a conductor for 33 years, we have at least two performances of Mignion under his baton - a re-issued and remastered version from 1945 and an earlier version from 1937. From a performance standpoint, both have their merits - the ensemble for the 1945 recording has a few more recognizable names - but the recorded product remains technologically dated. Depending on where the singers are on the stage they are at times loud and at other times hard to hear - the later remastrered release is somewhat better in that regard, but not by much. The poor sound quality does affect the overall impression, though at times Pelletier and his orchestra transcend the technical difficulties. This is a recording for the opera enthustasts, who mean to discover an opera that has only had a few stagings in the last decade. *C+ for SQ, B- for OI*.

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Show Boat
[eMusic purchase]*​
In 1927, *Jerome Kern* and *Oscar Hammerstein II* premiered their adaptation of Edna Ferber's novel, _Show Boat_, in what is viewed by many as the first major Broadway production of its kind, a fore-runner of ambitious works like _West Side Story_ and _Sweeney Todd_. This recording is based on the the joint British Opera North/Royal Shakespeare Company production of 1989, which - in trun - follows the 1946 revival production of the work. It's all there: the great songs, the great musical interludes, performed by an all-British cast backed up by the National Symphony Orchestra of London. Willard White may not be Paul Robeson, but his _Ol' Man River_ is on the mark. Love this! *A for SQ, A for OI*.

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Winterreise
[eMusic purchase]*​
*Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau* passed away last month, and I could not resist acquiring one oif his many recordings of the Schubert quintessential lieder cycle as only he can sing it, accompanied by his longtime pianist, Gerald Moore. The performance is identified as "***, 1955"According to Gramophone , Fischer-Dieskau has made _seven _recordings with varying pianists, and this recording may have been his first of the lot (first of three with Moore at the piano). DFD's masterful mix of timbre, projection and emotion make this "his" song cycle - nobody comes close, and this digitally remastered version of the original is all that, and more! *A- for SQ, A for OI*.

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Louis Vierne: Complete Organ Symphonies
[Torrent download]*​
This year is the 75th anniversary of the passing of both *Charles Marie Widor* and *Louis Vierne*, the men who helped redefine French Organ repertoire with the introduction of the "Organ Symphony". Mr. Widor wrote ten, and Vierne 6, and all 6 are presented in this set, performed on three of Aristide Cavaille-Coll's organs in Rouen, Toulouse and Paris. *Ben Van Oosten* proves to be solid ion these expansive works, playing the three organs with equal panache. The download also includes two more sets of disks - the complete Suites and more organ works by Vierne. Worth the time to download! *A- for SQ, A- for OI*.

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The Voice of the Sparrow: The Very Best of Edith Piaf
[Torrent Download]​*
Her voice was moulded by a hard life and hard love. *Edith Piaf* has a unique voice and is a unique songstress which marked war-time and post-war French popular song with hits such as _l'hymne a l'amour_ and _Je ne regrette rien_. This album chronicles Piaf through the years, with just enough remastering for the recordings to maintain their nostalgic sound. A keeper. *B+ for SQ, A for OI*.

*June 29nd , 2012, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will be adding a new montage "The Powers of Two" to its Pod-O-Matic Podcast. Read our English and French commentaries June 29 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog.*


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