Belle Epoque

LUDMILA BERLINSKAYA ARTHUR ANCELLE

Firma Melodiya presents La Belle Époque, a new album recorded by the piano duet Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle. The album is named after the period of time between the late 19th and early 20th centuries in France when science, arts and economy were remarkably flourishing in Paris. The Exposition Universelle held in 1900 with previously unseen splendor and scope attracted millions of visitors. However, the Paris salons were the major points of attraction – the most serious issues of life and arts, literary and artistic novelties were discussed there. And, music played the central part in that special environment. The poetry of Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine breathes music. Music inspired Marcel Proust’s prose. But it is impossible to recreate the true picture of the era without recollecting the music itself. Many once-famous names found themselves in the shadow of the great innovator contemporaries. Ludmila Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle, who have successfully performed together for many years, offer a fascinating musical tour of Paris, the city that was a true capital of European civilization in those years. The piano duet presents music of the Beautiful Era written by French composers - Cécile Chaminade, Charles Koechlin, Louis Aubert and Reynaldo Hahn. These names are now little known to listeners outside of France, but their music was used to create that unique atmosphere of the Paris salons. Claude Debussy’s suite En blanc et noir (1915) concludes the album. Its music reflects the tragic reality of the war that buried the Beautiful Era forever.

Price: $30.98