Merd'v'là l'hiver: Complaintes des gens de rue Stéphanie d'Oustrac, Arnaud Marzorati, Les Lunaisiens & Adélaïde Stroesser

• Anonymous: Dies irae:
• 1 Anonymous: Dies irae 01:04
• Merd' v'là l'hiver (I):
• 2 Anonymous: Merd' v'là l'hiver (I) 02:21
• Aristide Bruant (1851 - 1925): V'là l'choléra qu'arrive:
• 3 Bruant: V'là l'choléra qu'arrive 02:35
• Vincent Scotto (1874 - 1952): La vipère du trottoir:
• 4 Scotto: La vipère du trottoir 04:22
• Francis Popy (1874 - 1928): Spleen:
• 5 Popy: Spleen 04:17
• Anonymous: Complainte de Fualdès:
• 6 Anonymous: Complainte de Fualdès 12:04
• Émile Waldteufel (1837 - 1915): Amour et printemps, Op. 4:
• 7 Waldteufel: Amour et printemps, Op. 4 03:35
• Gustave Goublier (1856 - 1926): Filles d'ouvrier:
• 8 Goublier: Filles d'ouvrier 01:52
• Jean Varney (1868 - 1904): La sérénade du pavé:
• 9 Varney: La sérénade du pavé 04:46
• Paul Bernard (1825 - 1879): Ça fait peur aux oiseaux, Op. 108:
• 10 Bernard: Ça fait peur aux oiseaux, Op. 108 02:29
• Ducreux et Beretta (1735 - 1802): Complainte de paillasse:
• 11 Beretta: Complainte de paillasse 03:49
• Anonymous: Soliloque du chanteur ambulant:
• 12 Anonymous: Soliloque du chanteur ambulant 03:59
• César Cui (1835 - 1918): 20 poèmes de Jean Richepin, Op. 44:
• 13 Cui: 20 poèmes de Jean Richepin, Op. 44: No. 3, Les petiots 02:55
• Gaston Gabaroche (1884 - 1961): Les nocturnes:
• 14 Gabaroche: Les nocturnes 04:55
• Anonymous: La péronelle:
• 15 Anonymous: La péronelle 02:12
• Merd' v'là l'hiver (II):
• 16 Anonymous: Merd' v'là l'hiver (II) 01:28
• Total Runtime 58:43

Info for Merd'v'là l'hiver: Complaintes des gens de rue

It was inevitable that the abundant discography of Les Lunaisiens would one day turn its attention to the Complainte des rues, a ‘lament’ that tells the dark and tragic story of the wretched nobodies of society who can only protest their misery and hunger!

Merd’ v’là l’hiver! : these are the grim opening words of Les Soliloques du pauvre by the poet Jehan Rictus (1867-1933), a work which Arnaud Marzorati has made the focus of a programme whose repertory deals with homeless people, the working poor, prostitutes and abandoned children. For nothing was worse for street singers than the approach of wintry weather; already constantly chased away, they would have to sing their songs in taverns or seedy cafés, where they were not always welcome . . .

These sombre tableaux constitute an essential part of the heritage of French chanson. But such laments become truly memorable thanks to the power of their performers; the greatest female artistes reigned supreme, each in her own era, by distilling misery, rage and love – Damia, Fréhel, and of course Édith Piaf. Stéphanie d’Oustrac, an incomparable interpreter of Bizet’s Carmen , takes on as to the manner born this new role as an insolent woman of the people.

Stéphanie d'Oustrac, mezzo-soprano
Arnaud Marzorati, baritone
Les Lunaisiens
Chœur de femmes audomaria de Saint-Omer
Adélaïde Stroesser, conductor

Stéphanie d'Oustrac
It was in Rennes in Brittany that the future great Mezzo Soprano Stéphanie d'Oustrac was born, on June 27th 19 ... shh ;-) ​

Her family tree contains two great French composers. Stéphanie is indeed the great grand niece of the composers Francis Poulenc and Jacques de La Presle. Stéphanie doesn't boast about it, but she honours her illustrious ancestors by performing their works, whether it be "La Voix Humaine" by Poulenc or "Nocturne" and "Dedette" by Presle. ​

Despite her shyness and asthma, Stéphanie started singing from an early age. One of her most important encounters was with Jean-Michel Noël, director of the choir the “Masters of Brittany”. When she was a teenager she successfully auditioned at the Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Rennes. One of her classmates, was the now famous Yann Tiersen. Her first vocation was the theatre, but the movie "Yentl" with Barbara Streisand was a revelation as she discovered that it was possible to sing and act at the same time. But it was the recital of the mezzo soprano Teresa Berganza that changed her mind and led her naturally to the Opera where she could use all her talents. ​

After her baccalaureate she joined the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon. In 1998, she won the conservatory's first prize with an air of Haendel's Ariodante, Rosine from Rossini's Barbier de Séville, Poulenc's La Dame de Monte-Carlo, and a contemporary piece by Gilbert Amy's clarinet. ​

One of the most beautiful encounters of her career was with William Christie, director of the “Arts Florissants”. He engaged her at the Baroque Academy of Ambronay for the role of Médée in Thésée by Lully. She often crosses paths with William on the road and remains faithful to the Ambronay Academy where she records her CDs. ​

From 1998 to 2002 she played a number of challenging second roles that enabled her to perfect her acting and singing. She was very quickly offered the leading roles in Les Paladins by Jean-Philippe Rameau, Médée by Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Armide and Atys by Lully, La Périchole, La Belle Hélène .... ​

Stephanie was for a long time associated with Baroque Opera, but her talent allowed her to perform in productions such as: Didon et Enée by Purcell with the Arts Florissants, L’Etoile by Chabrier, Jacques Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Bizet's Carmen in Lille in 2010, Ravel's L'Heure Espagnole, Haendel's Theodora, Béatrice and Bénédict by Berlioz, Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande, and Mozart's La Clémence de Titus. ​

Stephanie likes to alternate baroque (or not) tragic heroines with more light hearted roles. Although she excels in tragedian operas she also flourishes in more joyful roles. For our greatest pleasure she has recently played Carmen (eponymous role) Sesto (La Clémence de Titus) Rosine (Le Barbier de Séville) and Charlotte (Werther) - season 2017/2018 -.... ​

Her vocal performances and her interpretations are acclaimed by the critics. Stéphanie lives her roles to the point of sometimes shedding tears on stage as in "Atys" by Lully or in Poulenc's "La Voix Humaine". Not to mention a very significant feature (surprisingly rare at the opera): her perfect diction. This is particularly appreciated by the spectators and makes her performances even more interesting and intense. Stéphanie sings in several languages but above all she loves her native French language. ​

She overflows with energy and seems as indomitable as her wild locks .... Her talent takes her all around the world, performing in operas as well as recitals. She is often accompanied by her great friend and pianist Pascal Jourdan or in concert with the ensemble Amarilis. A real globetrotter, she performs in Russia, the United States, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, China and in England at the Glyndebourne festival where she is regularly invited, and for our greatest pleasure here in France.

Stéphanie has received several prizes and awards: the Bernac Prize in 1999. In 2000 she won the Francophone Radio Competition. In 2002 a Victoire de la Musique Award "lyric revelation artist of the year" and in 2010 the Gramophone Editor's Choice for her recording of Haydn. This is just the start, there will be many more to come!

Arnaud Marzorati
first studied singing at the Maîtrise du Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, with masters" such as James Bowman, Noël Lee, Martin Isepp and Sena Jurinac... He then obtained a First Prize in singing at the Conservatoire de Paris - CNSMDP in the class of Mireille Alcantara. His repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music.

He has sung with Les Arts Florissants, Les Talens lyriques, Le Concert Spirituel, Le Poème Harmonique... He took part in the creation of the opera Alfred- Alfred by Franco Donatoni, of the Balcony by Péter Eötvös at the Aix-en-Provence Festival. He has also performed the roles of Figaro (Lyon Opera), Papageno (Avignon Opera), Malatesta, Leporello (Orange Festival), etc... Passionate about the history of French song, he is accompanied by the Royaumont Foundation in his musicological research. He is regularly invited by the Cité de la Musique to perform programmes related to his research.

Several solo recordings, released on the Alpha label, bear witness to the originality of his approach to historical songs and have been hailed by the critics: Le Pape musulman by Pierre-Jean de Béranger, La Bouche et l'oreille, on songs by Gustave Nadaud. With Les Lunaisiens, he recorded "1789" (Alpha) and Révolutions (Paraty) on revolutionary songs of the 17th and 19th centuries, then Votez pour moi! in 2017 on the Aparté label.

In 2014, Arnaud Marzorati gave a series of recitals for the Musée d'Orsay on the theme of the Great War (Jaurès, paix et propagande). In 2015 and 2016, he initiated new encounters between popular song and classical music in partnership with the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice, the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles (CMBV), France Musique and the scène nationale de Dunkerque.

For the Opéra-Comique's tercentenary, he created La Guerre des théâtres in 2015. In 2017, he gave the premiere of Atys en folie at the Teatro Manoel in Valletta (Malta) in partnership with the CMBV. In 2019, he enters with Les Lunaisiens in residence at the Festival des Abbayes in Lorraine and becomes still with his ensemble "associated artist" at La Barcarolle in Saint-Omer.

His latest albums, released by Muso, are devoted to the musical worlds of Brassens, Boris Vian, the Napoleonic epic with Sabine Devieilhe, as well as Molière and La Fontaine set to music through two book-discs published by La Joie de Lire.

Les Lunaisiens
It is from a dream that men finally walked on the moon …

The dream of the Lunaisiens is a singing one, in which names of Béranger, Pitou, Ladré or even the terrifying Lacenaire rub shoulders and carry us to a musical world to rediscover. Those lyricists, writers, polemicists are our Brel, Brassens and our Ferré. They are witnesses of a time when singing was already a lyrical, popular, social, free and vibrant art. Born out of the meeting of specialized instrumentalists, the Clique des Lunaisiens is formed around the baritone Arnaud Marzorati. It comes back to the origins of French music, the one which tells a story we imagine distant while it is often a highly topical theme, an after all timeless pertinence.

From pianoforte to romantic piano by way of hurdy gurdy, violin, bassoon, flageolet, viol, cello, guitars, lutes, accordion, percussions but also a whole rang of singers, the Clique ventures with passion and mastery into this historical and literary repertoire so rich and instructive.

Singing or Time's tune

To sing the lyricists, writers and historians is to reopen one of the way leading us to our collective memory while humming the lyrics of the first “songs to texts”. It is to convince ourselves that French music is the guarantor of a beautiful language, like Nerval, Chateaubriand, Baudelaire or Verlaine are.

It is also to affirm that song is not an ephemeral art, only living time of its interpretation. It is the way to orality, which one feeds the City as well as the book. For Arnaud Marzorati and his Clique de Lunaisiens, song is a wonderful voice which brings universal messages.

A lyrical and popular art

It is at last to get out of traditional concerts and to feed individuals with an essential music that can bring a certain harmonization to society. Song, by calling out, brings us to think and to enjoy ourselves.

Booklet for Merd'v'là l'hiver: Complaintes des gens de rue