Mirages: The Art of French Song

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Williams’s voice, with its smooth production and clear, unforced high notes, is well suited to the French mélodie, while his pronunciation is excellent. The Poulenc and Honegger songs are particularly... — BBC Music Magazine, March 2022, 3 out of 5 stars (Performance) / 4 out of 5 stars (Recording) More…

Release Date: 21st Jan 2022
Catalogue No: CHRCD159
Label: Champs Hill Records
Length: 72 minutes

Presto Editor's Choice

January 2022

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Usually despatched within 1 working day

Fauré: Mirages, Op. 113

Work length13:39

$4.00

$5.60

$7.00

Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Cygne sur l'eau

Track length3:18

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

II. Reflets dans l'eau

Track length4:35

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III. Jardin nocturne

Track length3:00

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IV. Danseuse

Track length2:46

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Caplet: Cinq Ballades Francaises

Work length15:06

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$8.75

Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Cloche d’aube

Track length4:29

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II. La Ronde

Track length1:23

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III. Notre chaumière en Yveline

Track length2:37

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IV. Songe d’une nuit d’été

Track length2:28

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V. L’adieu en barque

Track length4:09

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Honegger: Petit Cours de Morale

Work length4:18

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$8.75

Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Jeanne

Track length0:35

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II. Adèle

Track length0:45

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III. Cécile

Track length0:58

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IV. Irène

Track length0:52

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V. Rosemonde

Track length1:08

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Ravel: Don Quichotte à Dulcinée

Work length6:47

$3.00

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Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Chanson Romanesque

Track length1:56

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II. Chanson Épique

Track length2:56

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III. Chanson à boire

Track length1:55

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Williams, Roderick: Les ténèbres de l'amour

Work length14:02

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Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. La dure épreuve va finir

Track length3:23

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II. Va, chanson à tire-d’aile

Track length3:07

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III. Hier, on parlait de choses et d’autres

Track length4:52

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IV. Nous sommes en les temps infâmes

Track length2:40

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Honegger: Saluste du Bartas

Work length8:05

$6.00

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$10.50

Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Le château du Bartas

Track length1:10

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II. Tout le long de la Baïse

Track length1:26

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III. Le départ

Track length1:10

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IV. Le promenade

Track length1:30

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V. Nérac en fête

Track length0:49

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VI. Duo

Track length2:00

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Poulenc: Deux poèmes de Guillaume Apollinaire

Work length6:02

$2.00

$2.80

$3.50

Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Dans le jardin d’Anna

Track length3:05

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II. Allons plus vite

Track length2:57

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Poulenc: Parisiana

Work length2:17

$2.00

$2.80

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Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

I. Jouer du bugle

Track length1:23

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$1.75

II. Vous n'écrivez plus?

Track length0:54

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Debussy: Beau Soir

Work length2:30

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Roderick Williams, Roger Vignoles

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About

In their latest release for Champs Hill Records, distinguished baritone Roderick Williams and acclaimed pianist Roger Vignoles join forces once again to offer a stunning recording, this time inspired by their critically acclaimed Wigmore Hall recital of French Song. Williams and Vignoles guide the listener through much-loved and lesser-known songs by the most celebrated French song composers, and others perhaps less well-known to English audiences. 'One of the particular joys of recording for Champs Hill is to be allowed to programme discs with freedom,' comments Williams. 'We assembled the programme as one would a recital programme, contrasting the delicate austerity of late Faureģ with the rich sonority of Caplet. We hoped the resulting shape would resemble an evening’s song recital, in which the first half begins gently, grows into something more voluptuous before finishing with a riotous drinking song to lead to the interval; the second begins with a challenging contemporary piece before the reward of great fun, and the whole evening ends with hilarity, mischief and bravura. And not to forget a brief encore, a nod to the most quintessential of French early-twentieth-century composers. To create and record this programme in such charming, relaxed surroundings was a treat; we hope you will enjoy listening in the same quixotic mood.'

Williams and Vignoles’ prior releases for Champs Hill include Brahms’ only song cycle, Die Schone Magelone (2017, CHR108). BBC Music Magazine said: 'Williams delivers the narration naturally, while proving once again to be a thoughtful exponent of sung text, an interpreter consistently attentive to its meaning. As an accompanist, Vignoles is every bit as engaged, his delicate and resourceful playing joining with Williams’ vocalism to point up significant detail. 'Prior to this, Williams and Vignoles joined Joan Rodgers CBE to present Wolf's Italian songbook (2013, CHR054). In their review, Gramophone commented: 'Inspired by Vignoles humorous relish and luminous delivery of touch, Rodgers and Williams form a persuasive duo.'

Reviews

March 2022

Williams’s voice, with its smooth production and clear, unforced high notes, is well suited to the French mélodie, while his pronunciation is excellent. The Poulenc and Honegger songs are particularly successful, aided by Roger Vignoles’s alert accompaniments, and it’s good to hear Honegger in his more unbuttoned, tonal moods.

March 2022

The performances are excellent. Mirages gets one of its finest outings on disc, discreetly erotic and beautifully understated.

January 2022

a real box of delights, with plenty of variety of mood and numerous relative rarities (including Honegger's Petit Cours de Morale and Saluste du Bartas) sitting cheek-by jowl with much-loved songs by Ravel, Fauré and Debussy. Williams brings plenty of swagger and humour to the more extrovert numbers, particularly Honegger's quirky morality-tales and Don Quichotte's drinking-song.

15th January 2022

Opening with the sensual mystery of late Fauré – four songs, including Reflets dans l’eau and Danseuse – the duo steer gracefully to atmospheric ballads by Debussy’s friend André Caplet, spiky Arthur Honegger miniatures and Ravel in Spanish mood (Don Quichotte à Dulcinée).

Mirages: The Art of French Song

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