Songs of Love, War and Melancholy: Operatic Fantasias by Gallay

Songs of Love, War and Melancholy: Operatic Fantasias by Gallay

Regular price £12.99
Total playing time [66:41]

Listen on Apple Music    Listen on Spotify
Anneke Scott (natural horn)
Lucy Crowe (soprano)
Steven Devine (piano)

The third installment in Anneke Scott’s series of works by the French natural horn player and composer Jacques-François Gallay presents a thrilling programme of operatic fantasias & songs.

These fascinating and unique works mix incredibly virtuosic music with beautifully lyrical melodies deeply influenced by Gallay’s position as solo horn of the Parisian Théâtre Italien. For this final volume in the series, Scott is joined by the celebrated pianist Steven Devine and renowned soprano Lucy Crowe.

In this recording, Anneke Scott performs on a natural horn (cor solo) by Marcel-Auguste Raoux dating from 1823 (Loaned with kind permission by the Bate Collection, University of Oxford), while plays a grand piano by Érard, from 1851. (Loaned with kind permission by the University of Birmingham).

Album Booklet (PDF)

Tracklist

1. Fantaisie brillante sur l’opéra Les Martyrs de Donizetti (Op. 49)

2. Fantaisie sur une cavatine de Belisario de Donizetti (Op. 42)

3. ‘Fuis, laisse-moi’ de Roberto Devereux de Donizetti

4. Fantasia sopra un motivo dell’opera Bianca e Fernando di Bellini (Op. 47/2)

5. Troisième Mélodie sur une cavatine de La Sonnambula de Bellini (Op. 28)

6. ‘Une Larme Furtive’ de L’Elisir d’amore de Donizetti

7. Fantaisie sur l’opéra L’Elisir d’amore de Donizetti (Op. 46)

8. Fantaisie brillante sur un motif de Norma de Bellini (Op. 40)

9. ‘L’Appel du Chasseur’ des Soirées Italiennes de Mercadante

'[Anneke Scott] produces some wonderfully plangent tone colours [...] Her playing, and that of Stephen Devine, has a natural musicality that is particularly noticeable in the way they both apply an easy flexibility to the flow of the music. Soprano Lucy Crowe’s three contributions are similarly noteworthy.'

- Early Music Review

'It beggars belief to hear the music played on a valveless horn from the period of the composer. Anneke’s playing is dazzling, flawless and presented with such panache and musicianship.'
Daily Gazette

'Anneke Scott’s performance on the natural horn is little short of miraculous'
MusicWeb International

'[Anneke Scott] produces some wonderfully plangent tone colours [...] Her playing, and that of Stephen Devine, has a natural musicality that is particularly noticeable in the way they both apply an easy flexibility to the flow of the music. Soprano Lucy Crowe’s three contributions are similarly noteworthy.'
Early Music Review

'Anneke Scott’s playing is exquisite. Her tone quality, expertly executed ornamentations, and agile hand-stopping technique make these performances truly remarkable. The piano playing by Steven Devine is perfectly balanced to Scott’s horn and together they produce hair-raising dynamic contrasts and bombastic finishes.'
Historic Brass Society

'The music is utterly ravishing, and the performance from all three musicians on the disc is excellent. This disc is a fine introduction to some little-known repertoire, superbly played.'
The Horn Call

'With a minefield of intonation and projection issues to navigate, Anneke Scott performs this repertoire with astonishing ease.'
Limelight (Australia)

'Anneke Scott and Stephen Devine dazzle and charm in just the right way. But there is a strength and a boldness to the playing too, with Anneke Scott bringing a real muscularity to the solo line.'
Planet Hugill

'Even if you are not a lover of the operas of Bellini and Donizetti, these transformations into delightful and dramatic pieces for saloon and soirée are well worth exploring.'
Andrew Benson-Wilson (andrewbensonwilson.org)

'There is great vitality in these performances'
Lark Reviews

Credits
© 2015 Resonus Limited
Ⓟ 2015 Anneke Scott under exclusive licence to Resonus Limited
Catalogue No. RES10153
Producer, engineer & editor: Adrian Hunter
Executive producer: Adam Binks
EAN: 5060262790571
Cover image: The Decameron (1837) by Franz Xaver Winterhalter (1805-1873)