Douce France: Mélodies & Chansons

He has long since conquered the world of opera, whether in "La rondine", "Les contes d'Hoffmann", "Werther" or "Roméo et Juliette", but Benjamin Bernheim is also sure to delight his audiences in his recitals. The French tenor has now recorded his first song album with mélodies from the 19th century and chansons from the 20th century. His duo partner Carrie-Ann Matheson accompanies him on the piano. "Douce France" explores French romanticism in works by Berlioz, Chausson and Duparc as well as classic chansons by Brel, Kosma and Trenet. Bernheim is aware of the nuances that the famous melodies of Berlioz, Chausson and Duparc call for. Bernheim switches playfully between registers with the same elegance and "supple seamlessness" that the New York Times recently attested to. The album ends with popular chansons written by three masters: Joseph Kosmas' "Les feuilles mortes", Charles Trenet's "Douce France" and Jacques Brel's "Quand on n'a que l'amour".

Tracklist:

Hector Berlioz
Les nuits d'été, H81, Op. 7
1 I. Villanelle
2 II. Le spectre de la rose
3 III. Sur les lagunes
4 IV. Absence
5 V. Au cimetière (Clair de lune)
6 VI. L'île inconnue

Ernest Chausson
Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19
7 I. La fleur des eaux
8 Interlude
9 II. La mort de l'amour

Henri Duparc
10 L'invitation au voyage
11 Extase
12 Phidylé
13 La vie antérieure

Joseph Kosma
14 Les feuilles mortes 

Charles Trenet
15 Douce France 

Jacques Brel
16 Quand on n'a que l'amour