Louise Alder (soprano), Joseph Middleton (piano)

Ravel: Shéhérazade
Messiaen: Melodies (3)
Debussy: Apparition - song (1884)
Debussy: En sourdine
Debussy: La romance d'Ariel
Viardot-Garcia: Les deux roses
Viardot-Garcia: Haï Luli!
Viardot-Garcia: Havanaise
Chaminade: La lune paresseuse
Chaminade: L'amour captif
Chaminade: Ronde d'amour
Canteloube: O up!
Bachelet: Chère nuit
Poulenc: Les chemins de l'amour
Poulenc: Metamorphoses, FP 121
Satie: La diva de l'empire
Satie: Je te veux
Yvain: Je chante la nuit

The acclaimed British soprano Louise Alder returns for her second recital on Chandos, joined once again by star pianist Joseph Middleton. Enthusiastic praise was widespread for her Chandos début, Lines Written during a Sleepless Night: The Russian Connection, which earned significant accolades in the USA and continental Europe in addition to the UK. For this recording the pair explore a rich and varied selection of French songs from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Louse Alder writes: 'I have always held French song very dear to my heart and when we settled on this wildly varied programme, I quickly grew excited at the prospect of exploring the art form in virtually all its styles. From Ravel to Yvain, I hope we paint pictures of a French evening, of mystery, intrigue, discovery, seduction, love, and blissful night.'