Les nuits d'été

"Les nuits d'été, op. 7" (Summer Nights) is a song cycle by the French composer Hector Berlioz. It is a setting of six poems by Théophile Gautier. The collection was completed in 1841, and initially composed for either mezzo-soprano or tenor, and piano.Gérard, Yves. Page 6 of liner notes to "Les nuits d'été", Virgin Classics 7243 5 45422 2 0.] The song cycle has since been adapted for soprano voice, and also with full orchestral accompaniment. The orchestral version of the score dates from 1856. [cite journal | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4224(199311)74%3A4%3C594%3ABS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V | last=Ellis | first=Katharine | title=Reviews of Books: "Berlioz Studies" (ed. Peter Bloom) | journal=Music & Letters | volume=74 | issue=4 | pages=594–598 | date=November 1993 | accessdate=2008-03-22] [cite journal | url=http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0027-4224(199311)74%3A4%3C594%3ABS%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V | last=Holoman | first=D Kern | title=The Berlioz Catalogue: History, Structure, Problems, Lessons | journal=Studia Musicologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae | volume=T. 34 | issue=Fasc. 3/4 | pages=295–306 | date=1992 | accessdate=2008-03-22]

The title of the song collection is a nod to the French title of William Shakespeare's play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" ["L'éducation musicale" septembre/octobre 2002] .

The names and order of the songs are as follows:
# "Villanelle"
# "Le spectre de la rose"
# "Sur les lagunes"
# "Absence"
# "Au cimetière"
# "L'île inconnue"

References

ources

* Yves Gérard, liner notes to "Les nuits d'été" by Hector Berlioz, Véronique Gens (soprano), Virgin Classics 7243 5 45422 2 0.
* Track listing of "Les nuits d'été", Veronique Gens (soprano), Virgin Classics 7243 5 45422 2 0

External links

* [http://www.berliozsongs.co.uk/ BerliozSongs.co.uk | Scores and texts of Berlioz songs for voice and piano]
* [http://www.recmusic.org/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=5962 Texts of "Les nuits d'été".]