MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Berlioz: Harold In Italy / Les Nuits d'ete

"Though the sound of Les Musiciens in full flight is a blast, the most seductive moments in Marc Minkowski's X-rated Berlioz are found in the catch of a breath or the faint purr of a pianissimo double-bass." The Independent on Sunday, 13th November 2011

"the performance at times acquires the quality of chamber music. Whether that is what Berlioz, who had a weakness for huge orchestras, would have wanted is another matter, but it is a welcome change...von Otter is inevitably more coarse-grained than she was on her earlier recording of the songs with James Levine and the Berlin Philharmonic in the mid-1990s, but Minkowski folds the accompaniments around her so delicately, it seems buoyant and fresh." The Guardian, 24th November 2011 ****

"these Berlioz performances capitalise on the clarity of texture and tonality that the "period" instruments of Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble can so effectively conjure up...the glint to the orchestral sonority that Berlioz's clever manipulation of his instrumental forces could so distinctively elicit is given an extra sparkle, limpidity and freshness." The Telegraph, 1st December 2011 ****

"Berlioz's orchestration is rendered with such clarity of definition in terms of individual and blended instrumental colours, and...the partnership between orchestra and the solo viola is on a more equal footing than can sometimes be the norm...Tamestit's viola, warm of tone and expressively malleable as it is in his hands, cuts a dash as the music's Romantic hero...von Otter's mature insight...[is] matched by the orchestra's eloquent, atmospheric, limpid support." Gramophone Magazine, February 2012

"Minkowski gives [Harold] an energetic, crisp, emphatic reading. The sinewy sound of the Louvre players' period instruments, though, lends it a rougher, almost folkier texture, against which the viola's individual voice stands out more sharply than usual...von Otter, less bright than in her previous recording, has gained depth of feeling and soaring, plangent tone to become a worthy match for Janet Baker and Regine Crespin" BBC Music Magazine, Orchestral Choice March 2012 *****

"this performance enables Antoine Tamestit's every inflection to be felt over the startingly translucent sonorities of Marc Minkowski's Musiciens du Louvre. Berlioz's flair as an orchestrator gains so much from using period instruments. This disc sounds stunning...von Otter's voice never feels strained over such a carefully balanced accompaniment...These are the most enjoyable versions of both works I've heard in years" The Arts Desk, 18th February 2012

"[Tamestit] catches well the balance between the solo aspects of his role and integration within the programmatic surroundings, but self-effacement sometimes inclines too far towards anonymity...[von Otter's] forlorn sense of loss and regret conjures rare intimacy and intensity, admirably supported by the delicacy and colour of the orchestra. The winning subtlety of the vocal items readily transports the disc into the must-hear category." International Record Review, February 2012

Les Nuits d'été, the most famous cycle of melodies for soprano and orchestra composed by Berlioz, and Harold en Italie, a symphony where the viola is especially prominent, are among the most beautiful and accomplished works of the French composer.

"This live recording from the Opera at Versailles preserves stunning performances of two of Berlioz's greatest works: the Lord Byron-inspired symphonic poem with viola solo Harold in Italy and the song cycle Les Nuits d'Été to poems by Theophile Gautier. Celebrated and beloved mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter finds colours in her voice to evoke the varied imagery of Gautier's poems: her voice resonates with remembered delight, resignation and nostalgia. Hers is a voice of experience and melancholy acceptance and brings a deeply moving quality to these marvellous works. To close the disc Von Otter is joined by Tamestit's viola in the aria from La Damnation de Faust where the two musicians are intertwined in amorous dialogue, spinning the long phrases of this strange lullaby into the memory." (Keith)

"Though the sound of Les Musiciens in full flight is a blast, the most seductive moments in Marc Minkowski's X-rated Berlioz are found in the catch of a breath or the faint purr of a pianissimo double-bass." The Independent on Sunday, 13th November 2011

"the performance at times acquires the quality of chamber music. Whether that is what Berlioz, who had a weakness for huge orchestras, would have wanted is another matter, but it is a welcome change...von Otter is inevitably more coarse-grained than she was on her earlier recording of the songs with James Levine and the Berlin Philharmonic in the mid-1990s, but Minkowski folds the accompaniments around her so delicately, it seems buoyant and fresh." The Guardian, 24th November 2011 ****

"These Berlioz performances capitalise on the clarity of texture and tonality that the "period" instruments of Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble can so effectively conjure up...the glint to the orchestral sonority that Berlioz's clever manipulation of his instrumental forces could so distinctively elicit is given an extra sparkle, limpidity and freshness." The Telegraph, 1st December 2011 ****

This new recording offers Anne Sofie von Otter's second recording of Les Nuits d'été. The first one, on Deutsche Gramophon but now deleted, has always been a landmark recording. As some conductors or instrumentalists record several times their masterpieces, the Swedish mezzo-soprano, who has recorded exclusively for Naïve since 2010, is now offering a new vision of the work, where inspiration and technique have evolved. But intensity and emotion are still at an outstanding level. This is of course her first recording of the work with period instruments and with long-time partner Marc Minkowski. Over the past few years they performed this piece many times together. Especially at the Proms 2007 - about which the Guardian wrote "Anne Sofie von Otter was the soloist in a restrained, yet at times unbearably intense performance of Berlioz's Les Nuits d'été. The playing was exquisite, a reminder that Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble is, quite simply, one of the greatest orchestras in the world."

The other work of the recording, Harold en Italie, the second of Berlioz' fours symphonies, features one of the most renowned viola players of the time, Antoine Tamestit. His warm sound is especially underlined is this work composed by Berlioz for Paganini and much inspired by the years the composer spent in Italy.

This new release is offered in a splendid packaging, with a 76-page color booklet including an essay, an excerpt from Berlioz's Mémoires, paintings and pictures that evoke Italy.