Marion Cotillard

Marion Cotillard, Xavier Gallais, Barcelona Symphony, Marc Soustrot – Honegger: Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:15:09 minutes | 719 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alpha Classics

By Swiss composer Arthur Honegger, “Jeanne d’Arc au Bûcher” (1938) is an imposing oratorio. Unlike other banal versions of the myth, the libretto is a highly original creation by French poet and playwright Paul Claudel, who perfectly dramatises the last moments of the martyr’s life. Honegger highlights all the anguish and tension of Joan’s interrogation and subsequent execution. Originally written for actress Ida Rubinstein, an excellent ballerina and actress who was the first to perform the part, the oratorio is written as a flashback in which Joan recalls her life, just before she dies.

(more…)