Several famous pieces of music based on birdsong appeared in the 19th and 20th centuries; those by
Saint-Saens
,
Britten
, and
Ravel
are here, although
Messiaen
is not. However, the affinity between music and birdsong had been explored for centuries before that, and the early music group
La Reveuse
here provides some delightful examples. The always pictorial
Francois Couperin
is represented, as is
Rameau
, but other composers are less familiar but no less charming. Sample the works by
Theodor Schwartzkopff
Michel Blavet
, and especially
Michel Pignolet de Monteclair
(1667-1737), whose "Les Ramages" ("The Songs") names a group of birds and then illustrates their songs. Then there are historical-instrument versions of
. One may accept this idea or not, but even in the latter case, they don't do much to dent the charm of the whole. The program ends with a work by contemporary composer
Vincent Bouchot
Le Carnaval des animaux en peril
, a kind of a take-off on
for the Anthropocene era that also calls forth a striking variety of instruments from
. Another questionable idea is that, in keeping with the practices of this group, recorded birdsong is heard between some of the tracks. Whatever aspects of this release might be doubtful, it rarely fails to bring a smile. ~ James Manheim