Welcome to Hyperion Records, an independent British classical label devoted to presenting high-quality recordings of music of all styles and from all periods from the twelfth century to the twenty-first.
Hyperion offers both CDs, and downloads in a number of formats. The site is also available in several languages.
Please use the dropdown buttons to set your preferred options, or use the checkbox to accept the defaults.
| Neal Davies (bass), Graham Johnson (piano)» More |
The marking of this curious but eloquent song is Largo. It is an incantation, as might be sung by a French Sarastro. The vocal line is notated in the bass clef, and for the first ten bars the pianist’s hands also remain there, effecting an initially dark and murky texture. The high priest begins by invoking Olympus in classical manner but redeems himself with an address to Christ, ‘notre unique lumière’. The composer manages the alexandrines (which he admitted to finding difficult to handle) by alternating freely between 3/4 and 4/4. The harmonization of this imposing hymn underlines the majesty one associates with le grand siècle and its ceremonial musical flourishes. Throughout this song there is a dotted-rhythm motif that evokes the sound of muffled drum (both hands darting down to the bass clef).
from notes by Graham Johnson © 2013
 Poulenc: The Complete SongsCDA68021/44CDs Boxed set (at a special price)  Graham Johnson is simply the greatest living authority on French song; an artist whose innate feeling for the music is combined with prodigious scholarship. Following his many wonderful recordings in Hyperion’s French Song Edition, Johnson turns t ...» More |