Der französische Komponist und Organist Louis-Nicolas Clérambault war auch ein guter Geiger und entstammte einer musikalischen Dynastie. Sein Stil war von den großen italienischen Komponisten seiner Zeit geprägt, vor allem von Corelli. Und so schrieb er eigene Werke mit italienischem Flair in französischen Stil.

American tenor Rockwell Blake in this pyrotechnical recital conducted by Patrick Fournillier performs hits from the French repertoire by Bizet or Donizetti, and rare pieces by Adam, Auber or Boieldieu. This album includes the often-dismissed aria from Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice “L’espoir renaît en mon âme”. At the time of this recording, Blake was at his prime in the 80s and the 90s one of the most sought-after performers of classical and early Romantic operas being gifted with an incredibly agile voice.

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac, she has been a singer, swimwear designer and fashion model. She had hits as a singer in 1986 and 1987 with the singles "One Love To Give" (French release: "Flash") and "Irresistible" (French release: "Ouragan"). She is the youngest as 3rd child, daughter of Grace Kelly with Rainier III, Prince of Monaco and the sister of Alberto Di Monaco.

Claudine Longet's third album continues the middle-of-the-road tendencies of her first two, leading off with an oddly jaunty reinterpretation of "Falling in Love Again," Marlene Dietrich's theme song, whose jaded world-weariness Longet replaces with her own pleasantly insubstantial persona. With its cinematic background noise staging and odd ragtime piano accents, it recalls Harpers Bizarre's playful deconstruction of pre-rock standards. More successful are the straightforward bilingual version of the title track, one of the evergreen tunes of '60s easy listening; the oft-recorded Alan Gordon and Gary Bonner sunshine pop tune "Small Talk"; and a mournful, skeletal version of Randy Newman's little-known early tune "Snow" that's among Longet's finest interpretations of her career. Even better is Longet's take on the Bee Gees standard "Holiday"; Longet's endearingly pitch-poor, lispy vocals are tailor-made for this spooky, unconventional song, which arranger Nick DeCaro gives a suitably off-kilter arrangement featuring a chorus of wordless Longets between the strings and the increasingly florid piano accompaniment. Longet's next album, the masterful Colours, would benefit from even more of this gently psychedelic experimentation.

This Digitally Remastered Best reissue from Japan of the Best of A&M Years features all of the wispy French lounge pop singer's best cuts, including "Hello, Hello," "I Think it's Going to Rain Today," "A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et Une Femme)" and the Beatles' covers "Here, There and Everywhere" and "Good Day Sunshine".

In this recital, Véronique Gens and Hervé Niquet bring back to life a neglected aspect of France’s Romantic heritage: songs with orchestral accompaniment. Aside from a few pieces by Debussy and Duparc, and Berlioz’s famous Nuits d’été, orchestral mélodies form a virtually forgotten continent. In collaboration with the specialists of the Palazzetto Bru Zane, Alpha Classics now revisits these musical landscapes, taking us from Brittany (Hahn) to Persia, whose beauties Fauré and Saint-Saëns exalt in very different ways. Mélodies by Chausson, Gounod and Dubois and rarely heard instrumental pieces by Massenet, Fauré and Fernand de La Tombelle round out the journey with their musical reveries.

Aigul Akhmetshina is the fiery young mezzo taking the opera world by storm. Her story is one of determination and perseverance against the odds, starting in a rural village in the mountains of Bashkortostan. She left home aged 14 to pursue her singing career. Despite facing rejection from a conservatory in Moscow, where she was told she lacked the right voice and appearance, at the age of 27 Aigul has already etched her name in history. She has become the youngest artist ever to take on the title role of Bizet’s Carmen at both the Royal Opera House and the Metropolitan Opera, both of whom have created new productions around her. Performing the role all over the world, Aigul feels an affinity with the character. "I cannot be put in a cage. Like the character of Carmen, I always fight for my freedom."

A French fusion super-group, formed in 1971 by two early members of Magma: François "Faton" Cahen and Jeff "Yochk'o" Seffer, and featuring many other talents of the 1970's prog and fusion fields. Zao took the Magma "Zeuhl" brand of fusion and jazzed it up a bit, adding folk elements of Seffer's cultural heritage, and lots of other unique touches. After Seffer left, the band became more jazz-rock. They have reformed at least twice since disbanding in the late 1970's.