Sofia Anisimova

Following in the footsteps of Gounod and Berlioz, Gabriel Fauré took the French art song – la mélodie – beyond the Romantic ideal of the German lied. Whether setting an anonymous Italian verse to music, a Symbolist text by Paul Verlaine or poetry by a Parnassian such as Sully Prudhomme, his melodies have stood the test of time, as evidenced by Clair de lune [Moonlight] and Après un rêve [After a Dream]. This repertoire is familiar territory for the Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Sofia Anisimova, a member of both the Académie de l’Opéra de Paris and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel. Songs by Robert Schumann and Ernest Chausson, who fascinated Wagner, further explore cultural boundaries. Anisimova is accompanied by Lionel Bams on piano.