The Songs of the Boulanger Sisters

courtesy of PIAS

This coming Friday harmonia mundi musique will release a three-CD album entitled Les Heures Claires. The title is taken from a cycle of eight songs based on poems by Émile Verhaeren, which was composed jointly by Nadia Boulanger and Raoul Pugno. In fact, the three CDs, taken as a whole, account for all of the compositions of songs by not only Nadia but also her sister Lili. As usual, Amazon.com has created a Web page for processing pre-orders.

The primary performers contributing to this collection are pianist Anne de Fornel and mezzo Lucile Richardot. There are also performances that account for two other vocal ranges, provided by soprano Raquel Camarinha and baritone Stéphane Degout. The repertoire also includes songs that require accompaniment by string instruments, and they are accounted for by violinist Sarah Nemtanu and cellist Emmanuelle Bertrand.

Some readers may recall that this was not my first contact with the songs of the two Boulanger sisters. A little over three years ago Avie Records released its latest album of tenor Nicholas Phan, entitled Clairières. The title was inspired by Lili’s only song cycle, a collection of thirteen songs, entitled Clairières dans le ciel (clearings in the sky), for voice and piano setting poems by Francis Jammes and composed in 1914. This is Camarinha’s primary contribution to the more comprehensive harmonia mundi release.

My guess is that most readers will be more satisfied with the 21 tracks on Phan’s album than with the “encyclopedic” account of the 63 tracks of Les Heures Claires. On the other hand both vocalists and those that write about vocal performances (like myself) are probably interested in expanding their repertoire. They will definitely benefit from the larger collection. Personally, whenever I listen to a vocal recital, I like to be able to consult a recording that will serve as a point of reference, even if there are weaknesses in the vocalist’s approach to the music. Given that I have not yet experienced a Phan recital that included any selections by either of the Boulanger sisters, I shall probably guide my listening experiences through the “complete works” account of Les Heures Claires.