The acclaimed British soprano Louise Alder returns for her second recital on Chandos, joined once again by star pianist Joseph Middleton. Enthusiastic praise waswidespread for her Chandos début, Lines Written during a Sleepless Night: The Russian Connection, which earned significant accolades in the USA and continental Europe in addition to the UK.

For this recording the pair explore a rich and varied selection of French songs from the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Louise Alder writes: ‘I have always held French song very dear to my heart and when we settled on this wildly varied programme, I quickly grew excited at the prospect of exploring the art form in virtually all its styles. From Ravel to Yvain, I hope we paint pictures of a French evening, of mystery, intrigue, discovery, seduction, love, and blissful night.’

• 1. Ravel: Sheherazade
• 2. Messiaen: Trois Melodies
• 3. Debussy: Apparition
• 4. Debussy: En Sourdine
• 5. Debussy: La Romance D Ariel
• 6. Viardot: Les Deux Roses
• 7. Viardot: Hai Luli!
• 8. Viardot: Havanaise
• 9. Chaminade: La Lune Paresseuse
• 10. Chaminade: L Amour Captif
• 11. Chaminade: Ronde D Amour
• 12. Canteloube: O Up!
• 13. Bachelet: Chere Nuit
• 14. Poulenc: Les Chemins De L Amour
• 15. Poulenc: Metamorphoses
• 16. Satie: La Diva De L Empire
• 17. Satie: Je Te Veux
• 18. Yvain: Je Chante La Nuit