Léo Delibes
Léo Delibes wrote French Romantic ballets and operas that put melody, colour and theatrical grace at the centre of the score. Coppélia, Sylvia and Lakmé still define him; so do lighter mélodies and salon miniatures built for charm rather than weight.
His ballet music enlarges what the pit can do: character themes run through waltzes, mazurkas and other national dances instead of plain accompaniment, and Sylvia in particular is dense with melodic and harmonic invention. Lakmé rests on oriental colour, strong vocal writing and the Flower Duet; earlier comic operas and opérettes show the same witty lightness. The songs sit closer to the chansonnette than the German lied, spinning local colour with economy and polish. Short keyboard pieces such as the Passepied slip easily into organ and recital programmes.
Compositions by Léo Delibes appear on
Hymne à l’amour
Hymne à l’amour is an exquisite collection of art songs from soprano Siobhán Stagg and pianist Amir Farid. The programme traces the frailty of the human condition through flirtation, deep love and heartbreaking truths.
Organ Miniatures
A collection of 33 short organ works on the 1882 T.C. Lewis organ at St George’s Uniting Church, East St Kilda. The programme samples music written for small pipe organs and harmoniums, from Baroque chorales to twentieth-century miniatures.