Classical Music | Baritone

Recorded on 04/06/2005, uploaded on 03/21/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

The five songs of Cinq mélodies populaires grecques were composed during 1904-06, two of them being later orchestrated by the composer’s own hand. Not even ten minutes in length, the cycle is nonetheless very charming and a favorite among singers and pianists alike. The pithy texts, translated from the original Greek into French by Michel Dimitri Calvocoressi account for the songs’ abbreviated lengths, yet offer the composer no shortage of material to portray in musical tones. In these settings, Ravel adopts a style imitative of the Mediterranean lands, but its execution is nevertheless distinctly French and Ravel’s superb economy is here on display.

Leading the cycle is Chanson de la mariée (“Song to the bride”), in which a lover sings to his bride of their impending marriage. A sparkling accompaniment of broken chords provides the backdrop for the singer’s affectionate melody. Next is Là-bas, vers l’èglise (“Yonder by the church”). Akin to the previous song in its simple accompaniment, it depicts the pious scene of “the world’s most decent folk” gathered at the church. Third in the cycle is Quel gallant m’est comparable (“What gallant compares with me?”), a rambunctious song, where a man boasts of his sword and pistols to the lady of his affections. The penultimate song is the ethereal Chanson des cueilleuses de lentisques (“The song of the girls collecting mastic”). The haunting and beautiful Lydian melody is accompanied by a piano part whose richness seems impossibly attained from such limited means. Finally, closing the cycle is “Tout gai!” (“Everyone is joyous!”). Ravel subverts the expected jollity the title suggests with a quiet setting of the single-stanza lyric. Nevertheless, there is an inherent joyfulness in the song that effectively closes the cycle.      Joseph DuBose

Sung in Greek.

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.