Reflections FC 063

€15.50

Compositions by Andrč Caplet, Luctor Ponse,
Rosy Wertheim, Matthijs Vermeulen, Jacques Ibert,
Henriėtte Bosmans, Francis Poulenc;
Irene Maessen-soprano
Eleonore Pameijer-flute
Marja Bon-piano


Marja Bon, Irene Maessen & Eleonore Pameijer

Between the two world wars, French influence on Dutch musical life grew enormously. Performances of modern French repertoire flourished. The climax was possibly the French Music Festival in 1922 in Amsterdam, attended by no less than Darius Milhaud and Maurice Ravel. Later, French music was championed by, among others, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, thanks to the efforts of conductors such as Pierre Monteux and Eduard van Beinum. France also attracted Dutch musicians during this period. Not only was Paris a magnet for artists from all over the world, the younger generation of Dutch composers wanted to end the hegemony of the German Romantic tradition in the Netherlands. This new orientation was partially responsible for composers such as Matthijs Vermeulen and Rosy Wertheim departing for Paris. In the Netherlands, the influential composer and teacher Willem Pijper introduced the French style to his students Piet Ketting, Rudolf Escher and Henriėtte Bosmans.

This CD of songs for soprano and piano is a reflection of that period. Next to the well-known Francis Poulenc are the lesser-known French composers Jacques Ibert and André Caplet. The latter two added a typically French instrument, the flute, to their songs, as did Rosy Wertheim. The Dutch contribution to this CD is partially in French (Vermeulen, Wertheim) and partially in Dutch (Bosmans). Literally on the edge of these two cultures is the Dutch- French composer Luctor Ponse, whose diverse oeuvre has recently been rediscovered.



Legendary Dutch soprano Elly Ameling on Irene Maessen:

The classical song enjoys more than ever the dedicated attention of a new generation of chamber music singers. These singers, male and female, master both the classical and romantic style, as well as the contemporary styles, and all the delightful and interesting trends that preceded the latter. I can tell you these facts-and I know what I'm talking about-but if you listen to soprano Irene Maessen and her fellow musicians, you will agree with me that the musical approach and the interpretation of the text will make listening to this CD a wonderful and meaningful experience. I wish you a lot of artistic pleasure, while listening to this music.
—Elly Ameling

Reviews

Jurjen Vis,
Het Financieele Dagblad (the Dutch Financial Times)
December 2, 2006

Soprano Irene Maessen has been one of Holland's most striking singers for more than twenty years. Her powers of persuasion easily place her beyond many of her colleagues, as in this wonderful collection of songs. The French sun of the 1940's permeates the songs of the Dutch composers Ponse, Wertheim and Bosmans. Matthijs Vermeulen's Les filles du roi d'Espagne (1917) is a thirst-quenching oasis among his otherwise impenetrable compositions. Tel jour, telle nuit (1937) is probably Poulenc's most convincing song cycle.

The poet Paul Eluard speaks as a man about love. Irene Maessen gives an entirely new dimension to these masculine songs, leaving the listener with a lump in the throat.


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