French tenor Benjamin Bernheim’s first song recital album pairs him with his regular collaborator, pianist Carrie Ann Matheson. Matheson is artistic director of the San Francisco Opera Center and the Merola Opera Program and was formerly coach, prompter, and assistant conductor at the Metropolitan Opera. Bernheim made his American debut at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2019 in Gounod’s Faust and recently sang for the largest possible audience as one of the featured performers in the closing ceremonies of the Paris Olympics. Celebrated for his interpretations of French repertoire, Bernheim and Matheson present two 19th century song cycles commonly heard with orchestral accompaniment and sung by a mezzo-soprano, Berlioz’s Les nuits d’été and Chausson’s Poème de l’amour et de la mer, in addition to songs by Henri Duparc. The recital concludes with three popular French songs by Jacques Brel, Charles Trenet, and Joseph Kosma.
Douce France
Benjamin Bernheim (Photo: Edouard Brane)
Playlist
Berlioz: “Les nuits d’été” (3 songs)
Chausson: Interflude from “Poème de l’amour et de la mer,”
Henri Duparc: Select songs (4)
Kosma: “Autumn Leaves”
Charles Trenet: “Douce France”
Jacues Brel: “Quand on n’a que l’amour”
