Benjamin Levy - Croisette: Operettes Des Annees Folles - Import CD

Credits:

Benjamin Levy

Description:

A delightful album featuring eight popular singers performing French operetta arias from the 1920s and early 1930s, designed to evoke the spirit of that era’s joy The palm-lined Boulevard de la Croisette is Cannes’ elegant beachfront boulevard and one of the most charming resorts on the Côte d’Azur (French Riviera). The album, titled “Croisette,” brings together 25 songs from French operettas—musical comedies of the era—to evoke the spirit of joy from the 1920s through the early 1930s. Performed by the Cannes National Orchestra under the baton of its music director, Benjamin Lévy, the album features a cast of eight French singers acclaimed in the world of opera. With their unmistakably French style and spirit, these operettas offer an exhilarating musical cocktail. These comic operas, based on Offenbach, blend vaudeville (a theatrical form that emerged in the Parisian markets in the late 17th century) with the captivating rhythms of Jazz Age dances such as the foxtrot, the Charleston, and the tango. One song, “Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée,” is associated with the railway famous for running from Paris to the entertainment hotspots of the Côte d’Azur; the operetta “P.L.M.” is the 1925 operetta by Henri Christinet that gives the song its title. Act II of another operetta by Christine, *J’adore!*, is set in the Croisette. The works of major operetta composers from the 1920s to the early 1930s became staples of Parisian society during the “Les Années Folles” (the French “Roaring Twenties”). The Cannes National Orchestra was founded in 1975; it performs approximately 100 concerts a year in France and was granted the prestigious “National” designation in early 2022. Benjamin Lévy, who has served as music director since 2016, studied conducting at the conservatories in Lyon and Paris, as well as at the American Conductors Academy in Aspen under David Zinman. He gained experience as assistant conductor to Marc Minkowski, has conducted throughout France and Europe, and founded the Péléas Chamber Orchestra. He is particularly highly regarded for his lively interpretations of opera. Warner Music Japan

Tracklisting:

1.Gosse de riche~Ouverture
2.Toi c'est moi~Acte I, No. 3: Vagabonde
3.Un soir de reveillon~Acte II, No. 15: Quand on est vraiment amoureux
4.O mon bel inconnu~Acte II, No. 11: Trio: O mon bel inconnu
5.Toi c'est moi~Texte parle: Et si nous allions faire un tour dans la foret vierge?
6.Toi c'est moi~Acte II, No. 26: Duo: Sous les Paletuviers
7.Dede~Ouverture
8.Ciboulette~Acte II, No. 13: Duo: Nous avons fait un beau voyage!
9.Trois jeunes filles nues~Acte II, No. 14: Est-c'que je te demande
10.Passionnement!~Acte I, No. 6: Trio: Des que l'age
11.Pas sur la bouche~Ouverture
12.Ta bouche~Acte II, No. 10: Non, non, jamais les hommes
13.P.L.M.~Acte I, No. 4: Couplets du controleur: Paris, Lyon, Mediterranee
14.Phi-Phi~Acte II, No. 9: Couplets: Ah! cher Monsieur, excusez-moi
15.Pas sur la bouche~Texte parle: A props, mon cher Faradel
16.Pas sur la bouche~Acte II, Finale, Septuor: Sur le quai Malaquais
17.Phi-Phi~Ouverture
18.Coups de roulis~Acte I, No. 7: Duo du roulis: Qu'ai-je donc? Je suis comme grise
19.Gosse de riche~Acte II, No. 2: Quand on est chic!
20.Toi c'est moi~Acte I, No. 13: Duo des Baisers: Etrange et douce chose