CANTELOUBE Songs of the Auvergne. de los Angeles (EMI) – INKPOT

Chants d’Auvergne
Songs of the Auvergne
arr. Joseph Canteloube de Malaret (1879-1957)
VICTORIA DE LOS ANGELES soprano
Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux
conducted by Jean-Pierre Jacquillat

Full texts with translations in English, German and French.

EMI Classics Great Recordings of the Century
CDM5 66978-2
[70:33] mid-price

by Chia Han-Leon
I used to work in this place with a huge collection of at least 3000 LPs, containing some of the most famous recordings in the history of classical music recording. Unfortunately, this collection was largely in disuse, literally and sinfully left to collect dust (and I know many of you out there will pay tons of money for some of these LPs, for example, the other Melodiya Borodin Quartet Shostakovich cycle).

Among these records was the LP ASD 2826 from EMI, 1973, which contained on side 2 just nine of these Songs of the Auvergne, sung by the always regal Victoria de los Angeles. For a long period of time, during lunchtime, I would dig out this LP and put it on, letting the gorgeous sounds of the breathtaking Balro, et al. wash my weariness away.

Below: The plain of the Limagne from this Auvergne website.

The plain of the Limagne To this day, only just over a year later, I would never forget this heavenly recording, with its luscious sounds of string, oboe, Madame de los Angeles (I wish I could meet her), and harp… of course when this CD appeared, with the LP’s Millet painting inset on the cover, I snapped it up without hesitation. Now, when I listen to this Balro, I still sometimes put my hand on my heart, and sigh in relief that such beauty still exists in this sometimes awful world (or in my case then, awful workplace).

Auvergne sits close to the centre of France, a volcanic region dominated by the Massif Central, an ancient extinct volcano. The fertility of the area is without doubt; the landscape ranges from volanic landscape to great expanses of rich forest. Auvergne is the land of the Arvernes, originally from Gaul, who were driven t