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Douce France
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo soprano), Bengt Forsberg (piano), Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Awards:
-
Grammy Awards, 57th Awards (2014), Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
A pair of discs to warm any Francophile's heart...Disc one is devoted to an alluring collection of melodies...However, this goes beyond a usual traversal of the genre...[for the second disc]...
Douce France
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo soprano), Bengt Forsberg (piano), Antoine Tamestit (viola)
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Grammy Awards, 57th Awards (2014), Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
A pair of discs to warm any Francophile's heart...Disc one is devoted to an alluring collection of melodies...However, this goes beyond a usual traversal of the genre...[for the second disc]...
About
A loving tribute to French Song, by one of the greatest voices. With exceptional sensibility and understanding of the French language, the renowned Swedish singer pays a loving homage to French melody and song. Known for her artistic journeys which transcend the borders of musical genre, Anne Sofie von Otter’s collaborations include those with Elvis Costello and Brad Mehldau, with whom she recorded her ‘Love Songs’ album on Naïve.
Anne Sofie von Otter here presents a unique panorama of French song spanning two centuries, from the melodies of Fauré and Debussy to the classic songs of Piaf, Trenet, Barbara, Ferré, Montand and Moustaki. United by a shared beauty of language and emotively simple melody, each work is a timeless treasure encapsulating French tradition and spirit. All captured with the legendary class of the great Anne Sofie von Otter.
Contents and tracklist
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: May 2013
- Recording Venue: Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: May 2013
- Recording Venue: Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg, Bjorn Gafvert
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: May 2013
- Recording Venue: Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Antoine Tamestit, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Antoine Tamestit, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: February 2013
- Recording Venue: Berwaldhallen, Sveriges Radio AB, Stockholm, Sweden
- Anne Sofie von Otter, Bengt Forsberg
- Recorded: May 2013
- Recording Venue: Atlantis Studio, Stockholm, Sweden
Awards and reviews
January 2014
A pair of discs to warm any Francophile's heart...Disc one is devoted to an alluring collection of melodies...However, this goes beyond a usual traversal of the genre...[for the second disc] Von Otter has the flexibility to allow darker and breathier hues into her voice
February 2014
All listeners, whichever direction they are coming from, should expect a voyage of discovery...Only a singer with von Otter's near-native grasp of the French language and style could bring this off...Against the odds, this two-CD set is a double pleasure.
March 2014
Her voice may not be in the first flush of youth, but her sung French is so good, and her sense of idiom so secure, that there's a great deal to enjoy here - especially as the songs have been chosen with such obvious care...No doubts-here - assuming the repertoire appeals, this is a joy.
10th November 2013
Von Otter's voice has a greater mellowness, and just the right hint of huskiness, to conjure the salon atmosphere – think of Proust – of so many of these intimate songs.
New York Times 4th December 2013
Her approach is sometimes a tad lugubrious for my taste, but the songs are irresistible.
