Melinda’s Music Recs: Joyce & Fauré

One thing I’m always encouraging my students to do is to listen to more music, specifically music outside their current comfort zone, and especially to more classical music. Not only does this serve to broaden their tastes and to find more things beautiful in the world, but it also feeds their ambitions, strengthens their ears, and improves their natural musicianship. To that end, I’ve decided to begin making regular music recommendations here at the studio blog, in the hopes that this might inspire not only our students, but their families as well!

While my first recommendation probably seems like a no-brainer (everyone knows we love Joyce!), I’d like to explain why I’m choosing this album first in particular, among her fairly impressive catalogue. Also an apparent no-brainer is Joyce singing Handel and Rossini, repertoire for which she’s unquestionably renowned. These selections are beautiful, just as you’d expect.

But the real draw for me in this album is its small selection of songs by Gabriel Fauré. As a classical voice student, I was introduced to Fauré in the context of beginning French repertoire, sung mostly by underclassmen, pretty, but lacking in substance. That is what I thought at the time. If I was forced to sing French (my worst language as a student–I’m working on it now!), I preferred the unexpected twists of Poulenc or the impressionism of Debussy. What I ignored during those early years of my own musical development was the depth of feeling and delicate perfection of Fauré’s mélodies, many settings of the same texts I loved from Debussy, yet had rolled my eyes over in Fauré’s hands.

Didonato, Joyce: Songs Of Fauré, Hanh & Head; Arias By Rossini And Handel

In this album, Joyce graces us with Fauré’s Cinq mélodies “de Venise”, composed to five poems by Paul Verlaine: “Mandoline” (from Fêtes galantes); “En sourdine” (from Fêtes galantes); “Green” (from Romances sans paroles); “À Clymène” (from Fêtes galantes); “C’est l’extase” (from Romances sans paroles). Each performance is a treasure, but I’m particularly enamored with Joyce’s interpretation of “En sourdine,” probably my favorite piece of the bunch to begin with, I suppose, but absolutely transcendent here. I’ve spent entire commutes listening to just this song on repeat, and I’m sure I’ll do it again.

Also notable on this album is a selection of songs by 20th-century British composer Michael Head, 3 Songs of Venice (you’re seeing the theme here, right?) whose moody sensibility flows beautifully into the melodic relief of Fauré’s cycle.

The album is available digitally at both Amazon and iTunes. But before you head over to buy (which I dearly hope you will), I first must give credit where credit is due! It was a student who hipped me to the gloriousness of this Joyce D album in particular (thanks, Sage!), so before you dismiss this as boring adult drivel, remember that it came from a 16-year-old. The future is bright, my friends, bright indeed.