Ombres: Women Composers of La Belle Époque Laetitia Grimaldi, Ammiel Bushakevitz, Talia Erdal

• Mélanie Bonis (1858 - 1937):
• 1 Bonis: Invocation, Op. Posth. 5 02:42
• 2 Bonis: Élève-toi mon âme, Op. 22 02:50
• 3 Mélodies, Op. Posth. 91:
• 3 Bonis: 3 Mélodies, Op. Posth. 91: No. 3, Guidé par de beaux yeux candides 03:17
• Mélanie Bonis:
• 4 Bonis: Un soir, Op. Posth. 77 02:09
• 5 Bonis: Ave Maria, Op. Posth. 176 02:17
• Cécile Chaminade (1857 - 1944):
• 6 Chaminade: Villanelle for Voice & Piano 02:20
• 7 Chaminade: L'anneau d'argent 01:56
• Mélodies, Recueil 1:
• 8 Chaminade: Mélodies, Recueil 1: No. 12, Nice-la-belle 03:08
• Armande de Polignac (1876 - 1962):
• 9 Polignac: Chant d'amour 05:08
• 10 Polignac: Jardin du roi 02:46
• 11 Polignac: Ne me regarde pas 03:07
• Juliette Folville (1870 - 1946):
• 12 Folville: Songe 02:21
• Pauline Viardot (1821 - 1910): 12 Mélodies sur des Poésies Russes (Excerpts):
• 13 Viardot: 12 Mélodies sur des Poésies Russes (Excerpts): No. 3, Les ombres de minuit, VWV 1039 02:37
• 14 Viardot: 12 Mélodies sur des Poésies Russes (Excerpts): No. 7, Les deux roses, VWV 1055 02:46
• 6 Mélodies et une Havanaise variée à 2 voix:
• 15 Viardot: 6 Mélodies et une Havanaise variée à 2 voix: No. 4, Haï luli, VWV 1106 03:31
• 12 Poems by Pushkin, Fet & Turgenev:
• 16 Viardot: 12 Poems by Pushkin, Fet & Turgenev: No. 12, Les étoiles, VWV 1059 03:21
• Marguerite Béclard d'Harcourt (1884 - 1964): La partenza:
• 17 d'Harcourt: La partenza: No. 1, Le rêve de la vallée 02:51
• Hélène-Frédérique de Faye-Jozin (1871 - 1942):
• 18 Faye-Jozin: Printemps 01:56
• Gabrielle Ferrari (1871 - 1921):
• 19 Ferrari: Chanson d'exil 04:17
• Augusta Mary Anne Holmès (1847 - 1903): 20 Mélodies (Excerpts):
• 20 Holmès: 20 Mélodies (Excerpts): No. 5, C'est un oiseau du bois sauvage 03:50
• 21 Holmès: 20 Mélodies (Excerpts): No. 14, Les lavandières 03:36
• Augusta Mary Anne Holmès:
• 22 Holmès: À Trianon 02:59
• Total Runtime 01:05:45

Info for Ombres: Women Composers of La Belle Époque

Devised by Laetitia Grimaldi and Ammiel Bushakevitz, Ombres brings together songs by nine women composers whose lives span the years 1821–1964. Many of the songs were written during the so-called Belle Époque, at a time when women might be accepted as performers – especially in domestic settings – but struggled to be recognised as composers. And even in the cases when their music was heard – for instance in the fashionable salons of Paris – or published, it soon fell into oblivion.

Several of the songs included here were discovered by Grimaldi and Bushakevitz in libraries and archives, having gone out of print long ago. With Ombres, the performers liberate the nine composers from their shadowy existence, and demonstrate the wide range of their music, from Cécile Chaminade’s bustling Villanelle to Pauline Viardot’s nocturnal Les étoiles or the ghostly Les lavandières by Augusta Holmès, about the Midnight Washerwomen from Celtic mythology.

Laetitia Grimaldi, soprano
Ammiel Bushakevitz, piano

Laetitia Grimaldi
Since her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013, Laetitia Grimaldi has sung in many renowned halls, opera stages and international festivals worldwide: Kennedy Center (USA), Shanghai & Forbidden City Concert Halls (China), Festival Croisements (China) Festival Pitic (Mexico), Festival Musica Classica (Canada), Verbier Festival (Switzerland), Ravinia Festival (USA), Festival d’Aix-en-Provence (France), Melbourne Festival (Australia). ​

In 2017 she was awarded the first prize in three international competitions:

1st prize-Grand Prix at the Concours International de Mélodies Françaises in Montreal, Canada, the 1st prize at the Concours International Robert Massard in Bordeaux, France as well as the 1st Prize at the Concours International Pro Musicis in Paris. ​

Born in France, Laetitia Grimaldi spent her childhood in Lisbon and London. After beginning her vocal studies with Teresa Berganza, she continued her education with Lorraine Nubar in New York City, first at the Manhattan School of Music, followed by a Masters degree from the Juilliard School. ​

She has received mentorship with some of the world's leading artists, including Sir Thomas Allen, Dame Emma Kirkby, Alfred Brendel, Ileana Cotrubas, François le Roux and Dalton Baldwin. In 2016, Ms Grimaldi changed to soprano under the mentorship of the German baritone, Matthias Goerne. ​

Laetitia Grimaldi has had the privilege to work with conductors and artists such as William Christie, Leonardo Garcia Alarcon, Vlad Iftinka, Antoine Glatard, Jorge Parodi, Ryan Brown, Anne Manson and Carlos Miguel Prieto, Pablo Sainz Villegas and Malcolm Martineau. ​

She has appeared in many opera productions internationally, performing the role of Nancy in Albert Herring in Tampa, Florida, Dorothée in Massenet’s Cendrillon in Belgium, Lucilla in La Scala di Seta in New York, the American premiere of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ Kommilitonen in New York. She made her debut at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland with the role of Marcelina in Le Nozze di Figaro. She sang the title role of Rameau’s Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de l’Amour at the Kennedy Center of Washington DC. Once again, she was invited to the Verbier Festival to perform the role of Musetta in Puccini's La Bohème. Recently she sang the title role of Proserpina in the modern revival of J.Jommelli’s opera Cerere Placata. ​

In October 2018 Naxos released a DVD of the opera Les Fêtes de l’Hymen et de L’amour in which Laetitia Grimaldi performs the title role. ​

Recent performances include extensive recital tours in China, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa, Canada, the USA and throughout Europe as well as performances with orchestras in Montreal, Brasilia, Cape Town and the Château de Versailles. ​

Upcoming performances include singing with the KZN Philharmonic orchestra for an opera Gala followed by recital tours in South Africa. She has been invited to give extensive solo recitals in China, Guangdon and Shenyang as well as Australia and New Zealand with pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz also presenting masterclasses at the universities of Queensland, Adelaide, Perth and Wellington in 2021.

For the release of her upcoming CD recording, presenting female composers of the Parisian Belle Epoque, she will be touring giving recital concerts in China, France, United States, Canada, Germany and Egypt.

Booklet for Ombres: Women Composers of La Belle Époque