大象传媒

Today's concert was recorded in the Ulster Hall Belfast as part of the annual 大象传媒 Radio 3 Summer Invitation Concert series. Katherine Broderick, soprano, is joined by pianist, James Baillieu to perform songs by Debussy, Ravel and Barber. Debussy composed the songs from Proses lyrique in 1892-3. They are the only songs for which Debussy also wrote the words. Debussy's verse resembles the symbolist poetry of Baudelaire and Verlaine - the text does not match the quality of these great writers but the music is pure Debussy. Ravel's Histoires naturelles with texts by Jules Renard and premiered in 1907 present an almost surrealist world encompassed by some of Ravel's most beautiful music. Barber began writing the Hermitage Songs after his first trip to Ireland. They were premiered in 1953 and are settings of texts based on poems by Irish monks and scholars from the 8th to 13th centuries.

Debussy: Proses lyriques
Ravel: Histoires naturelles
Barber: Hermit Songs.