Bru Zane Compositrices: New Light on French Romantic Women Composers

Review I’ve really enjoyed wading through often fascinating repertoire from 19th and early 20th composers mostly little known (Mel Bonis, Charlotte Sohy), delivered with gusto by a range of French singers, pianists, string players, and four orchestras. ... each disc includes at least one bigger splash, from Nadia Boulanger’s rather frightening cantata “La Sirène” to Cécile Chaminade’s hugely appealing ballet suite “Callirhoé”.The Times 17 March 2023 . --The Sunday Times This kind of meticulously assembled survey, expertly performed and beautifully presented with scrupulous documentation (though without texts and translations for the many songs) does far more for the cause of these unjustly overlooked composers than any number of books making grand claims about their importance; those championing their British equivalents would do well to follow its example. --The Guardian 4* Compositrices review ― five stars for survey of French women composers Eight discs of orchestral works, chamber music and songs contain some real discoveries ‘Compositrices’ gathers works by 21 composers Compositrices review ― The discoveries come tumbling forth, as if there is no limit to the neglected women composers who could be included in this ambitious project. Over the past decade, Bru Zane has been championing a rediscovery of forgotten French romantic music, especially operas, but here it has excelled itself. Across eight discs, more than 165 works provide a wide-angle panorama of the achievements of French women composers in the period 1800-1920. There are some real discoveries. Among the works getting their first recordings are Charlotte Sohy’s passionately heated Symphony in C sharp minor, the seductive salon music of Jeanne Danglas’s L’Amour s’éveille and La Sirène, a dramatic scene for three singers and orchestra by famed teacher Nadia Boulanger, showing she could compose with the best of them. New light is shone on composers such as Cécile Chaminade and Pauline Viardot. Although the orchestral works will attract the most attention, the selection includes chamber music, notably a fine Piano Trio by Louise Farrenc, piano solos and many songs. A recital of delicately sensuous melodies by Augusta Holmès, Marthe Bracquemond, Madeleine Lemariey and others, exquisitely sung by tenor Cyrille Dubois with effortless forays into the vocal stratosphere, is a high point. A run of children’s piano pieces and easy piano duets, though, outstays its welcome. Performances range from good to excellent. The accompanying notes are thorough. Of the 21 composers here, most are little known. All deserve to be known better. ‘Compositrices: New Light on French Romantic Women Composers’ is released by Palazzetto Bru Zane. --Financial Times 5* Product Description Women composers had great difficulty in making their voices heard and gaining recognition during their lifetimes. Even today, they are all too rarely heard in the concert hall or the opera house. That situation obviously cries out for a change in attitude, but then come the questions: all right, let’s programme women composers, but which ones, and which of their works? In this eight-CD set featuring several hundred performers, the Palazzetto Bru Zane offers its initial answer as far as nineteenth-century France is concerned. The selections range over chamber music, orchestral works, piano pieces and songs. They highlight twenty-one female creators, from already identified personalities like Hélène de Montgeroult, Louise Farrenc, Pauline Viardot, Marie Jaëll and Mel Bonis to such completely unknown figures as Charlotte Sohy, Madeleine Jaeger, Marthe Grumbach, Jeanne Danglas, Hedwige Chrétien and Madeleine Lemariey. From now on, there will be no excuse for ignoring Romantic women composers.