Chimère

Sandrine Piau and Susan Manoff treat us to a delicious hour in their company as they complete a trilogy of recital recordings. Chimère explores the strange world of dreams, its mythological inhabitants and, as Piau describes, “the crazy urge to make our dreams come true.” The imaginative programme, which boasts three languages, ranges far and wide, from Schumann and Loewe to Samuel Barber and André Previn via Debussy and Poulenc. Piau’s flexible, expressive light soprano wraps itself around the poems and caresses them into a new musical life. It’s an intoxicating experience and works supremely well.