Les Choses de la Vie: Cinema II

by Renaud Capucon, Duncan Ward, Les Siecles

Overview

In the notes to his 2018 release Cinema, violinist Renaud Capuçon spoke of "reservations" about recording film music as a classical musician. This time around, there are no such reservations, perhaps because the previous release was quite successful. There are several differences between the two albums that may work to the advantage of this 2024 release; at the very least, Capuçon is not repeating himself. One is that the violinist focuses exclusively on French music this time around; even the several extracts from various English-language films included, such as Love Story and Lawrence of Arabia, have French composers, and the album reflects on the strength of the French strain in Anglo-American film music. Another departure is that Capuçon has replaced the Brussels Philharmonic from the 2018 album with the smaller historical-instrument group Les Siècles. They don't seem to be using anything other than modern instruments, but the performances of the arrangements by Cyrille Lehn are able to sharpen the contrast between the "voices" of Capuçon and the orchestra under the baton of Duncan Ward. Beyond these differences, the album, like its predecessor, will expose non-French audiences to some excellent film tunes that they may not have known. Consider the somber Concerto de l'Adieu from the epic film Dien Bien Phu, a sort of docudrama about the 1954 battle that drove the French out of Vietnam. The Decca label contributes fine studio sound from the ONDIF studio in Alfortville to this strong crossover release from the increasingly popular Capuçon. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/07/2024
Label:	Erato
UPC:	5054197799051
Rank:	248916

Tracks

1. Rich and Famous
2. The Thomas Crown Affair: The Windmills of Your Mind
3. Diên Biên Phu: Concerto de l'Adieu
4. Les Portes de la nuit (Gates of the Night): Les Feuilles mortes
5. Jean de Florette
6. Le Dernier Métro (The Last Metro)
7. Les Choses de la vie (The Things of Life): La Chanson d'Hélène
8. Le Vieux Fusil (The Old Gun)~Clara 1939
9. Radioscopie
10. Memories of Me
11. The English Patient~As far as Florence
12. La Passante du Sans-Souci (The Passerby)~[Excerpt]
13. Fort Saganne~[Excerpt]
14. Love Story~Theme
15. Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)~Thème de l'absence
16. Chère Louise (Dear Louise)~[Excerpt]
17. The Shape of Water~[Excerpt]
18. Lawrence of Arabia~Theme
19. Les Aventures de Rabbi Jacob (The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob)~[Excerpt]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Renaud Capucon   Primary Artist,Violin
Les Siecles   Primary Artist,Orchestra
Duncan Ward   Primary Artist,Conductor

Technical Credits

Vladimir Cosma   Composer,Arranger
Jean-Claude Petit   Composer
Alexandre Desplat   Composer
Philippe Sarde   Composer
Maurice Jarre   Composer
Michel Legrand   Composer
Philippe Rombi   Arranger,Composer
Cyrille Lehn   Arranger
Georges Delerue   Composer
Michael Fine   Editing,Mixing Engineer,Recording Producer
Alan Kerr   Photography
Renaud Capucon   Liner Notes
Robert Sargant   Liner Note Translation
Jin Choi   Engineer,Mastering Engineer
Alain Lanceron   Executive Producer
Christophe Geudin   Liner Notes
Simon Fowler   Photography
Matthias Benguigui   Photography
Sanna Hanssen   Liner Note Translation
Joseph Kosma   Composer
Francois de Roubaix   Composer
Gabriel Yared   Composer
Francis Lai   Composer