Simon Keenlyside, the baritone on this recording, studied zoology at Cambridge and is known for his ability to imitate a vast repertoire of birdsong.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded live at Wigmore Hall in London on October 26, 2008.
Critical Reception
Maurice Ravel's "Histoires naturelles" (Natural Histories) caused controversy at its first performance, with fellow composers Fauré and Debussy expressing disapproval.
Compositional Technique
In Ravel's "Histoires naturelles", the piano preludes and postludes are designed to distill the essence of each song and act as emblems of the creature depicted.
Composition History
Gabriel Fauré's "Le Papillon et la fleur" (The butterfly and the flower) was his very first composition, written at age sixteen in his boarding school dining room.
Composition History
Hugo Wolf, a composer featured on this album, discovered the poetry of Eduard Mörike in the 1870s and set 53 of his poems to music in 1888.
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