Country : Canada (Quebec) Label : Fidelio Genres and styles : Classical Singing / Modern Classical Year : 2020

Mélodies passagères

· by Alexandre Villemaire

The result of a long-awaited collaboration between coloratura soprano Marianne Lambert and pianist Julien LeBlanc, the young lyrical artist’s debut album Mélodies passagères brings together vocal works by Samuel Barber, Maurice Delage, Enrique Granados, Georges Bizet, Jules Massenet, Léo Delibes, Émile Paladilhe, and Calixa Lavallée. Mainly organized around three cycles of melodies dealing with themes of evanescence and exoticism, the opus evolves in a narrative framework evoking travel and escape, taking as a starting point Barber’s eponymous cycle which gives the album its name. Preceded by the sweet Psyche of Paladilhe, Barber’s sensitively rendered, imaginative melodies invite us to dream with their enigmatic and ethereal sounds, and open in an evocative way this journey towards a mysterious elsewhere.

It’s truly in the portion of the album dedicated to the representation of oriental and Iberian exoticism that the finesse of LeBlanc’s lyrical playing and Lambert’s interpretive talent are displayed. Delage’s Quatre poèmes hindous are of a bewitching and mysterious colour, where vocal and pianistic lines intertwine to create tense and colourful sounds. More conventional in aesthetic terms for the genre, Bizet’s Les adieux de l’hôtesse arabe retains this same tension with the sweep of a haunting piano motif and seductive vocal arabesques. The only Spanish-language cycle on the album, Canciones amatorias by Granados, the composer’s masterpiece of melody is among his finest moments. The festive and dazzling vocal flights are wonderfully combined with Lambert’s shimmering timbre. The three Spaniards, Léo Delibes, Jules Massenet ,and Calixa Lavallée, with their irresistibly melismatic character, conclude this musical journey.

Latest 360 Content

Suoni 2025 | Bozzini + Sarah Hennies: contrasts in post-minimalism

Suoni 2025 | Bozzini + Sarah Hennies: contrasts in post-minimalism

Queenie | An Artist to Look Out For

Queenie | An Artist to Look Out For

Jazz at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal explained by Modibo Keita

Jazz at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal explained by Modibo Keita

FIJM 2025 | Programming Explained by Modibo Keita (part 2)

FIJM 2025 | Programming Explained by Modibo Keita (part 2)

Montreal Chamber Music Festival | But it was a nice concert…

Montreal Chamber Music Festival | But it was a nice concert…

Montréal Baroque 2025 | 4 seasons: welcome to the 21st century and the climate crisis, Mr. Vivaldi

Montréal Baroque 2025 | 4 seasons: welcome to the 21st century and the climate crisis, Mr. Vivaldi

Montréal Baroque 2025 | Zarzuela, my love

Montréal Baroque 2025 | Zarzuela, my love

Francos | The Candor and Kindness of Aliosha Schneider

Francos | The Candor and Kindness of Aliosha Schneider

Francos | Back in Time With Saïan Supa Celebration

Francos | Back in Time With Saïan Supa Celebration

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | What’s On July 2-27 at Salle Claude-Champagne?

Festival d’art vocal de Montréal | What’s On July 2-27 at Salle Claude-Champagne?

Francos | Cardinal at The Foufs

Francos | Cardinal at The Foufs

Piknik Elektronic | Nadim Maghzal, Laylit Co-Founder : MTL Middle East Arabic Electronic Refinement, Pleasure, Fun!

Piknik Elektronic | Nadim Maghzal, Laylit Co-Founder : MTL Middle East Arabic Electronic Refinement, Pleasure, Fun!

Suoni | Sanam, Beirut’s Eloquence on The Brink of Danger

Suoni | Sanam, Beirut’s Eloquence on The Brink of Danger

Francos | Honoring Slam With Grand Corps Malade

Francos | Honoring Slam With Grand Corps Malade

Orford Musique | A Common Thread: Beethoven

Orford Musique | A Common Thread: Beethoven

Suoni | Watch that ends the night records Quinton Barnes + Jason Doell & Naomi McCarroll-Butler + Liam Cole + Alex “Bad Baby” Lukashevsky

Suoni | Watch that ends the night records Quinton Barnes + Jason Doell & Naomi McCarroll-Butler + Liam Cole + Alex “Bad Baby” Lukashevsky

Francos | A Montreal 1st for Emma Peters

Francos | A Montreal 1st for Emma Peters

Suoni | My Thursday at the Suoni: Alex Lukashevsky, Cabaret Noir…

Suoni | My Thursday at the Suoni: Alex Lukashevsky, Cabaret Noir…

My musical garage: interview with Ziya Tabassian for the 11th edition of Garage Concerts

My musical garage: interview with Ziya Tabassian for the 11th edition of Garage Concerts

Suoni | Chik White and Ky Brooks raise their voices (but not Jessica Ackerley)

Suoni | Chik White and Ky Brooks raise their voices (but not Jessica Ackerley)

Francos| A Heatwave for Tiken Jah Fakoly

Francos| A Heatwave for Tiken Jah Fakoly

Francos | Ariane Roy’s Rock Aura

Francos | Ariane Roy’s Rock Aura

Beirut – A Study of Losses

Beirut – A Study of Losses

Subscribe to our newsletter