La vie d'une rose: Songs by Jules Massenet

Featuring

Sally Silver
Richard Bonynge
Christine Tocci
Jules Massenet

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Compositional Technique

Massenet's songs are diverse in form, evolving from traditional romances to include freer structures, a type of Sprechstimme, and the addition of instruments like the cello.

Composer's Artistic Vision

A large majority of the hundred or so known dedicatees for Massenet's songs were women, including singers, wives of collaborators, and 'society singers'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Massenet, known for his operas, considered himself more at home composing songs in salons, describing himself as a 'bourgeois artist at the fireside'.

Recording & Production

This album is the second disc curated by Sally Silver, the soprano, and Richard Bonynge, the pianist, for SOMM Recordings, featuring 25 mélodies by Massenet.

Performer Biography

Richard Bonynge, the pianist on this album, is a renowned conductor who has led performances at most of the world's opera houses and is a scholar of bel canto.

Composer Biography

Jules Massenet, the composer, wrote approximately 285 songs, which form an essential part of his musical output.

Compositional Technique

Massenet considered the text and musical support as two inseparable elements in his songs, aiming for an 'osmosis' to transform ambience, atmosphere, or emotion.