'La Mélodie' is the heart of the matter tonight.
It is also accompanied by the piano, which gives even more weight to the words and the meaning the singer wants us to get from them. I find it more intimate than the orchestra accompaniment.
(There is already a CD where Karine Deshayes sings
Ravel's Shéhérazade, Emmanuel Krivine, conductor of the Luxembourg Philarmonic)
(I use a narrative present although I am writing three days later, I was there on Saturday night and enjoyed this concert more than ever as I know some of the lyrics quite well by now, especially the ones written by Baudelaire, Verlaine and Leconte de Lisle.)
The word 'mélodie' implies French poetry and prose for the lyrics. Any French listener has a fair chance to know some of the poems written by Verlaine or Baudelaire by heart. And therefore it is a pleasure to appreciate the singer's interpretation of the lyrics.
This happened in Avignon: the audience clapped with delight as soon as Baudelaire's ‘l'Invitation au Voyage’ ended.
Karine's warm tones took us on this 'voyage' and seduced us completely. She gave the full treat to the text in much better conditions than the previous three prose texts ‘Trois Chansons de Bilitis’, meant to be luscious with Debussy's scores definitely reminding me of Péléas et Mélisande he was to write later.
Perhaps I was not in the right mood but I did not feel the hints and remembered enjoying these three texts by Pierre Louÿs more when Karine sang them at
L'Empéri Festival last summer. Perhaps the heat of the summer night under the stars in Salon conveyed the erotism of this music and prose better than the cold and windy January night where we could hear the wind howl at one point of the concert, even inside this jewel-like smallish house... perhaps I needed to get warmer to listen to the Bilitis erotic songs!
In my youth when I was a mezzo singer in the ‘A Coeur Joie’ choir in Aix-en-Provence, we sang DuBellay's and Ronsard's poems on Charles d'Orleans' music.
More than fifty years later, I still remember the tunes and words. Knowing the poems makes the listening easier and the music becomes more familiar too.
This time, I am focusing on Duparc's Phidylé which Karine sang during the first part of the recital.
Phidylé ends the Duparc five chosen melodies. This is the second time I have heard it live.
And I know I am definitely fond of it.
The piano here does a lot on its own in between the couplets, it goes crescendo before the last couplet and carries the listener away: Philippe Cassard knows how to modulate his strength with the rich texture of Karine's voice.
I had the chance to say how much I felt this melody grow like an opera aria to Karine Deshayes, and she told me that it starts from 'rien'! But her own sensitivity fills the course of this melody with so many shades and colors in her voice!
She is right of course, it starts from mere whispers about the beauties of the nook where Phidylé is asleep, the refreshing moss for instance, then little by little, as soon as the sun is mentioned like a light effect the voice and the piano grow crescendo until an immense outburst of desire soars, longing for complete happiness of expected love.
There is from the pianist a power of seduction too, with this kind of counter melody when the singer is silent.
I feel it like a rocking tune which is part of the expectation of the poet when Phidylé wakes up, and Philippe Cassard is an absolute expert on this particular rocking tune, retaining expectations of love.
(it is rather strange to think that Henri Duparc expresses the desire of love so much in this melody as we know how dipressed he was).
The young Karine Deshayes is totally involved in this superb aria and gives all her emotion and love here, which of course is felt during this superb rendition by an oldish listener like me, and she makes me feel young again!
I find her rendition more moving and truer to life than that by Regine Crespin. I know how much Karine Deshayes admires Madame Crespin, but here for me, having the chance to listen to Karine, I feel much more involved. And I admire both singers of course for their great musicianship.
I was expecting this melody so much and Karine sang the repeated 'repose' so exquisitely... here is
Phidylé from the radio concert on France Musique (I was there on Dec the 1st and fell in complete love of the singer, the pianist, the composer and the poet...Karine Deshayes, Philippe Cassard, Henri Duparc,
Leconte de Lisle). (thanks to Tadine's blog for the poem's reference, Duparc selected some stances for his music. It is possible to find the complete poem in the Art Song on the web.)
Is it possible to fall in love twice? Of course, especially of the four same ones!
The Ravel nearly last part of the concert is also unforgettable!
Philippe Cassard gave us a stunning 'jeux d'eau' followed by Shéhérazade.
When Karine started to sing 'l'indifféent', came to my mind the converstion she had with P. Cassard about who was this 'indifférent' (..Notes du Traducteur).
Léo Delibes 'Les filles de Cadix' is a festive ending of a demanding programme of French melodies from composers of the end of the XIXth and beginning of the XXth century.
But the 'encores' were even more enthusiastic!
After some warm applause, Karine announced: 'Nobles seigneurs, Salut' from Meyerbeer's 'Les Huguenots'.
I was delighted ! It took me back to Strasbourg Opera House and I could see her in that funny liftboy suit which suited her so much while she was waving 'Salut' to her pianist now in Avignon!
This is her 'tune' like Phidylé is hers too and so many more, when I recall all the roles sung by Karine that I love.
The last encore, La Seguedilla (Carmen, Bizet) brought the house down.
I was ready to join the two artists and thank them for all the happiness they gave us.
In fact, it was a very special night for Karine Deshayes.
Her best friends ( among them the young Spanish conductor Roberto Fores Veses who conducts
Don Pasquale at Avignon Opera House now, accompanied by his wife) and some of her regular fans had been invited to celebrate her birthday with simplicity and generosity.
She even sang the last highest note of the 'Happy Birthday' tune... with some champagne bubbles and lots of nice chats going around the table. A night to remember that was....
There is already a date when it will be possible to see Karine Deshayes and Philippe Cassard : It will be during the Summer Festival at
L'abbaye de Fontdouce. (an opportunity for me to visit this unknown part of France).
It is time to think about this beautiful young artist who is leaving the French stage for the Met on Feb the 9th to start rehearsing
Nickllausse and the Muse in Les Contes d'Hoffman, that is another journey away from home with new prospects.
I will not make the journey ...so sad.
(Urbain, photo Opera du Rhin)
Cabu - real name Jean Cabut - was the cartoonist behind a February 2006 front
page of Charlie Hebdo depicting Muhammad, following the controversy after
Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published sketches of the Muslim prophet...
Salman Rushdie (Clara Molden/The Telegraph)
