Clair-Obscur Sandrine Piau, Orchestre Victor Hugo & Jean-François Verdier

• Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871 - 1942):
• 1Zemlinsky: Waldgespräch07:03
• Richard Strauss (1864 - 1949):
• 2Strauss: Morgen!, Op. 27 No. 403:42
• 3Strauss: Meinem Kinde, Op. 37 No. 302:40
• Alban Berg (1885 - 1935): Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder:
• 4Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: I. Nacht03:45
• 5Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: II. Schilflied02:07
• 6Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: III. Die Nachtigall01:53
• 7Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: IV. Traumgekrönt02:20
• 8Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: V. Im Zimmer01:11
• 9Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: VI. Liebesode01:37
• 10Berg: Sieben Früher Lieder: VII. Sommertage01:34
• Richard Strauss: Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder:
• 11Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder: I. Frühling03:08
• 12Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder: II. September04:53
• 13Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder: III. Beim Schlafengehen05:07
• 14Strauss: Vier Letzte Lieder: IV. Im Abendrot06:47
• Richard Strauss:
• 15Strauss: Malven02:55
• Total Runtime50:42

Info for Clair-Obscur

‘The dreamer! That double of our existence, that chiaroscuro of the thinking being’, wrote Gaston Bachelard in 1961. ‘The old is dying, the new cannot be born, and in that chiaroscuro, monsters appear’, adds Antonio Gramsci. Sandrine Piau has chosen to use these two quotations as an epigraph to her new recording: ‘My family and friends know about this obsession that never leaves me completely. The antagonism between light and darkness. The chiaroscuro, the space in between . . .’ This programme, recorded with the Orchestre Victor Hugo under its conductor Jean-François Verdier, who is also principal clarinettist of the Paris Opéra, travels between the chilly Rhenish forest of Waldgespräch, a ballad by Zemlinsky composed for soprano and small ensemble in 1895, the night of the first of Berg’s Seven Early Songs (1905-08), and the sunlight of Richard Strauss’s Morgen, which are followed by the Four Last Songs, composed in 1948, the first two of which, Frühling and September (evoking spring and autumn respectively) are also, as Sandrine Piau concludes, ‘the seasons of life’.

Sandrine Piau, soprano
Orchestre Victor Hugo
Jean-François Verdier, conductor

Sandrine Piau
A renowned figure in the world of baroque music, French soprano Sandrine Piau regularly performs with celebrated conductors such as William Christie, Philippe Herreweghe, Christophe Rousset, Gustav Lleonhardt, Ivor Bolton, Ton Koopman, René Jacobs, Marc Minkowski and Nikolaus Harnoncourt.

Sandrine Piau embraces different roles on international stages. The roles she has previously performed include Cleopatra (Giulio Cesare), Morgana (Alcina) at the Opéra de Paris, Dalinda (Ariodante) at the Salzburg Festival, Alcina, Mélisande, Sandrina, (La Finta Giardiniera), Sœur Constance (Dialogue des Carmélites) at the Monnaie, Alcina and Dalinda (Ariodante) in Amsterdam, Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), Donna Anna (Don Giovanni) and Sœur Constance at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, and Despina (Cosi fan tutte) and Tytiana (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) at the Festival d’Aix en Provence.

As a celebrated recital singer of both French and German repertoire, Sandrine Piau performs with renowned accompanists including Jos van Immerseel, Roger Vignoles and Susan Manoff.

She regularly gives recitals and has appeared in concert in New York, Paris, London, Tokyo, Munich, Zurich, and Salzburg, and recently in Hamburg for the opening of the Elbphilharmonie.

In recent years she has performed at the Salzburg Festival, Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Covent Garden Festival, Musikverein, Salle Pleyel, Festival de Saint Denis, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Teatro Communale in both Florence and Bologna and with the world’s most prestigious orchestras including Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris and Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Sandrine Piau has an extensive discography, including four CDs of Haendel and Mozart and two recitals albums; “Apres un rêve” and “Evocations”, which she recorded with renowned accompanist Susan Manoff, with whom she has a privileged relationship and performs regularly. Together they have performed in Europe, across America, in Japan and most recently at Wigmore Hall. ‘Desperate Heroines’, a stunning selection of Mozart’s arias recorded with the Orchestre du Mozarteum Salzburg and Ivor Bolton, has been a critically acclaimed recording.

Sandrine Piau now records exclusively for “Alpha Classics” and her first CD under this label, released in 2018, is a recital disc recorded with Susan Manoff entitled “Chimère”.The disc includes a selection of German Lieder, French Mélodies, and Art Songs.

The 2018/19 season saw her return to the Lincoln Centre with Les Arts Florissants, tour Europe with the Freibüger Barockorchester, her ‘Desperate Lovers’ tour of Europe with the Concert d’Astrée and her return to the Salzburg Festival with Alcina (Morgana).

The 2019/20 season includes Les Arts Florissants’ 40th anniversary tour, a European Tour with Teodor Currentzis and a return to the Festival d’Aix en Provence for the creation ‘Innocence’ by Kaija Saariaho.

Sandrine Piau was given the title of Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres in 2006 and was named “Lyrical Artist of the Year” at the Victoires de la Musique Classique award ceremony in 2009.

Booklet for Clair-Obscur