On Mon, 5 Mar 2001, Molly McLinden wrote:
> Does anyone on this list know who publishes Messiaen's songs for dramatic
> soprano? I don't believe there is a fancy title: my voice teacher mentioned
> them to me ...wants me to learn them... I have no clue where I can find
> either the sheet music or a recording. If anyone can help, I'd appreciate
Messaien's "Poemes pour Mi" are designated as "pour grand soprano
dramatique et orchestre". It's a cycle of nine songs, in two books (I-IV
and V-IX), which include both tonal and atonal elements. If you're like
most people, when it comes to Messaien, you'll either adore it or detest
it love it or detest it and want to slap your teacher about the head
and shoulders with a soggy Erwartung score for even suggesting you sing
it. Unlike other works by Messaien (e.g., his Trois Melodies and his
Chants de Terre et de Ciel), you'll be hard pressed to find a recording of
"Poemes" by any singer you've actually heard of. And be warned: people
who sing Messiaen for a living tend to be specialists in weird modern
semitonal and atonal music. I think it's because singing too much of that
stuff totally destroys your ability to sing anything that even remotely
resembles an actual *tune*.
The publisher is Editions Durand (in Paris which,
unfortunately, means this score is going to cost beaucoup de francs), and
it was composed in 1936-1937; there is a version for soprano and piano, as
well. Durand was acquired last year by BMG Music Publishing, which may or
may not make it easier to get their music here in the U.S.
Enquiries to Durand & Cie.:
durand-eschig@w...
durand-eschig@w...
Recordings available:
Messaien: Harawi and Poemes pour Mi; the latter sung by Jacqueline Delman,
with Lucia Negro on piano. on the BIS label
Messaien: Poemes pour Mi, Sept Haikai, etc. This is the classic
orchestral recording, conducted by Pierre Boulez, and sung by Francoise
Pollet
Book two only is found on "Hans Zender Edition, vol 9 - Schoenberg,
Messiaen", sung by Judith Beckmann
Book one only is found on "A Concert Tribute to Olivier Messiaen"
performed by Teresa Hopkin
Felicity Palmer also recorded the less-often performed orchestral version
under Boulez about 25 years ago, but the LP was never reissued on CD.
Still, may be worth keeping an eye out for on LP (2nd hand).
KM
=====
My NEIL SHICOFF Website:
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
My Website:
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
-----
We're sitting in the opera house;
We're waiting for the curtain to arise
With wonders for our eyes,
A feeling of expectancy,
A certain kind of ecstasy,
Expectancy and ecstasy....Sh's's's.
- Charles Ives
|
|  |
