This set of spirituals presents three mini-dramas. One of revolt: 'Go down Moses' One of release: 'Deep river' and one of joyous acceptance: 'Didn’t my Lord deliver Daniel'.This work is also available for bass with orchestral full score or piano accompaniment and for or medium voice with orchestra.

Born into a family that had lived in Florence since the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968) entertained only a distant relationship with the music he heard at synagogue. It was only when he discovered Schelemo a rhapsody for cello and orchestra written in 1916 by Ernest Bloch that he began to understand what “Jewish music” could be. In the mid-1920s the young composer found a collection of prayers set to music among his maternal grandfather’s papers. Something clicked and from then on Jewish tradition would become a source of inspiration for Castelnuovo-Tedesco. In 1928 two years after publishing theDances of King David he wrote this Vocalise-Étude for medium voice and piano at the request of vocal teacher Amédée-Landély Hettich who wanted to include it in the Répertoire moderne de Vocalises-Études published by Leduc. The piece became so popular that several instrumental adaptations were soon created published under the title Chant hébraïque (for violin and piano: AL17 713; for cello and piano: AL 17196). Divided into three sections this wordless melody opens with a “sad and impassioned” chant that appears to grieve the tragic fate of the Jewish people. A folk dance follows in which a “lively and stubborn” movement has great panache. The third section returns to the initial poignant theme before briefly reiterating the dance motif allowing the piece to conclude on a hopeful note. The composer himself would adopt this proactive stance refusing to yield to resignation when fleeing Mussolini’s anti-Semitic laws he decided to emigrate in 1939 to the United States a land of refuge to which he would remain faithful until his death some thirty years later.

Elgar was pre-eminently the composer of large forms. Complex lengthy development of musical ideas was for him a measure of genius. His songs with the exception of the orchestral cycle Sea Pictures were not often the vehicles for his most striking ideas. Paradoxically he was also bedevilled by a fine literally taste. He once told a friend that he felt it better to set the best second-rate poetry to music for the most immortal verse is music already. Some of his songs are therefore settings of poets now all but forgotten such as Arthur Salmon and Gilbert Parker: to their verse his music might make a vital addition. Elgar's songs offer authentic Edwardianreflections which we can value now in their own terms. These songs are full of echoes of a master's thoughts - and especially in the songs written for the stage - flashes of his genius.

Par POULENC FRANCIS. Calligrammes is a set of seven melodies by Francis Poulenc based on poems by Guillaume Appolinaire. The overall piece lasts 10 and a half minutes and the book includes the score for Voice and Piano. Each work is dedicated to a different person and has its own story: I. L'Espionne / The Spy & 1'32 II. Mutation / Mutation & 0‘ 40 III. Vers le Sud / Toward the South & 1'40 IV. Il pleut / It's raining & 1' V. La grâce exilee / Grace in exil & 0'28 VI. Aussi bien que lescigales / As well as crickets & 1'40 VII. Voyage / Travel & 2'20 Each piece can be work on its own or the whole book can be played at once. Francis Poulenc is French composer and pianist. He also produced Piano and Chamber pieces, Operas ('Dialogues des Carmelites'), ballets ('The does') as well as some Orchestral works./ Répertoire / Voix Moyenne et Piano