Douce France

Benjamin Bernheim tenor
Edwige Herchenroder piano

Programme:
Henri Duparc: L’invitation au voyage, Chanson triste, Phidylé
Ernest Chausson: Poème de l’amour et de la mer, Op. 19
Giacomo Puccini: Mentia l’avviso, Terra e mare, Sole e amore
and Cancións by Alberto Ginastera, Joaquin Turina and Frederic Mompou, as well as chansons by Joseph Kosma, Charles Trenet and Jacques Brel

With performances at prestigious venues such as the New York Met, La Scala in Milan, the Paris Opéra and the Vienna State Opera, as well as at major events such as the Olympic Games and the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Benjamin Bernheim is undoubtably the French tenor of the moment. His radiant timbre, refined phrasing and flawlessly balanced registers make him a highly sought-after performer in the roles of French opera heroes such as Werther, Roméo, Hoffmann and Faust. This also makes him perfect for the lavish sensuality, elegance and poetry of French art songs by Henri Duparc and Ernest Chausson. Bernheim combines these with Spanish songs by Federico Mompou and Joaquín Turina, which share similarities with French mélodies, as well as romances by Giacomo Puccini, which fully capture the dramatic sensibility of the opera composer. Finally, his subtle intuition leads him to French chanson classics such as »Les feuilles mortes« and »Douce France« – a beautiful, moving programme full of romance, longing and nostalgia!

supported by the OLB-Stiftung, the Bankhaus Neelmeyer and the Nicolaus Heinrich Schilling Stiftung