The French mélodie, a genre of setting poetic texts to music, emerged partly due to a French poetic revival led by figures like Baudelaire and Verlaine.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Paris at Salle Colonne from June 16-21, 2014, with Etienne Collard as producer and Frédéric Briant as balance engineer.
Composer Biography
Henri Duparc, a significant figure in French mélodie, had to stop composing due to a mental illness, despite having studied with César Franck.
Composition History
Fauré discovered the poetry of Verlaine in the 1880s through Robert de Montesquiou, at a time when Verlaine was not widely known and had a controversial reputation.
Composition History
Fauré's "Après un rêve" (After a dream) was likely inspired by his broken engagement to Marianne Viardot, daughter of the famous singer Pauline Viardot.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Poulenc was deeply moved by the poetry of Louise de Vilmorin, describing her as beautiful, having a limp, and writing French of innate purity.
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