André CapletLe Miroir de Jésus
Miroir de Joie-Miroir de Peine-Miroir de Gloire
Béatrice Gaucet
Ensemble Vocal Benjamin Britten
Enfants de la Maitrise de Notre Dame de Paris
Nicole Corti
3D Classics 8017
The short life of André Caplet from Le Havre (1878-1925) was full and adventurous. His name is today barely known and only in association with Debussy. It is true that Caplet's music shows a striking influence from the Master's style, but Caplet's masterpiece holds a place by itself in the history of modern French music. Sadly, this magnificent chamber oratorio, crafted as a Rosary with poignant lyrics by devout Roman Catholic poet Henry Ghéon, has been almost forgotten since its first performance in 1923.
His relationship with Debussy was one of mutual great admiration. Debussy praised Caplet's "tenacity and prodigious musical instinct... (whom he thought to be) as bold as a lion". Caplet - who was a very good conductor - premiered "Pelléas et Mélisande" in London and Boston and had a key role in the creation of "Le Martyre de Saint-Sébastien", as a conductor and by orchestrating some parts of the original score - namely the final chorus).
A winner of the Prix de Rome in 1901 with the cantata "Myrrha" (ahead of Maurice Ravel, no less...) Caplet lived in the shadow of Debussy, but quite in the same way Engelbert Humperdinck did with his idol Wagner. Caplet died, just 46, of his war injuries, he had been gassed on the front a few years before he had composed this amazing "Miroir de Jésus".
While listening to this touching and serene music you will find yourself thinking closely of "Le Martyre", as this beautiful oratorio, with its stunning and frugal orchestration (soprano, chamber choir, string quintet and harp) reaches our hearts through fervent religious spirituality, sublime harmonies and, very often, those strong medieval echoes which also characterize Debussy and D'Annunzio's everlasting masterpiece.
Recorded in 1995 and presented here in the most idiomatic release available, this is a very hard to find album which I bought two years ago at Gibert Joseph of Blvd. Saint Michel in Paris. It is offered here with full scans, including Ghéon's poems.
Flac, Covers & Booklet including Full Lyrics
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