* Haunting centuries old anonymous Christmas songs from different regions of France and England.
* Helene Dallaire - Voice
* William Coon , Guitar
* Patrick Binford , Cello
( Assistant Concert Master Montreal Symphony Orchestra )
* Produced by : Peter Magadini
"Hélène Dallaire's voice is exquisite"(Janet Robbins, Classical music department, KWMR radio 90.5)
" Helene Dallaire employs tasteful liberties. She sings "God Rest ye Merry Gentleman" without words! She often imparts wonderful turns of phrase and musical touches that have to be heard. Her voice, at once original, lilting, somewhere between operatic and pop, is incredibly beautiful.
Performance style! This is no "historic taxidermy"
A Wonderful cd. Recommended ! "
- Greg LaTraille, Bayside Music Director
" This disc features traditional French Christmas folk songs from the 15th,16th,and 17th centuries. The songs have been passed down through performers, as their composers have been long forgotten. Singer Helene Dallaire makes a lovely debut on these songs , most sung in their original dialects. THERE IS A WONDERFUL RENDITION OF GREENSLEEVES
-Pulse! Magazine
-Helene Dallaire is from another planet! Seriously, this woman has an unearthly voice--haunting and innocent, but charmingly grounded. Just how is that possible? Her vocals are breathy and pure all at once. "Noel Renaissance" is definitely a holiday CD that is out of the ordinary.
Like Dallaire's voice, the track selections are fascinating and unique. "Noel Renaissance" presents 15 traditional French Christmas folk songs from the 15th through 17th centuries. The only familiar carols are "Noel Nouvelet," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," "Greensleeves," and "Pick Up Your Tambourine" (otherwise known as "Pat-a-Pan"); the rest are delightful discoveries.(...) Because these tunes are relatively obscure, this CD has value long after the holidays have passed.
For the most part, Dallaire sings these numbers in their original dialects, and she does not always sing words. On occasion (in "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman," for example), Dallaire sings lilting tones instead of lyrics. The instrumental accompaniment is absolutely perfect. Dallaire's delicate vocals are framed by the guitar, cello, and some light percussion.
The greatest hits on this album? One has to be the opening cut, "Noel Nouvelet." It is one of my all-time favorite carols, and Dallaire's fragile interpretation is just right. "Voici la Noel" is also fantastic--moody, introspective, and beautiful.
"Noel Renaissance" is a superb album for those who typically shun holiday glitz in favor of something more authentic and unusual. Enjoy!
-Carol Swanson
Five stars " The focus on French Renaissance Music is perfect for vocalist Helene Dallaire, from Montreal. Her tone evokes a purity associated with a bygone era. You can escape into this music and relax . "...
-Deanne Poulos - National Public Radio,Program Director, Phoenix, Arizona)
Singer Hélène Dallaire, from Montreal, has started her professional life as an actress. She studied at the Conservatoire d'Art Dramatique de Montréal, where, while playing in a musical, she got her first taste of singing on a stage. She worked as a professional actress for a few years, alternating musical plays with purely acting work.
When she first started acting at the Opéra de Montréal, she had a total musical shock, being surrounded by some of the most beautiful voices in the world, accompanied by a major Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Although humbling, the awakening was so overwhelming that it brought her to acknowledge her yearning to commit herself to music.
After some years of private training, she went to the Faculté de Musique de l'Université de Montréal to study classical singing with renown teacher France Dion. While at the same University, one of her teachers entrusted her with some beautiful French songs from the Renaissance era, little known, that had been compiled by a French musicologist.
Those Christmas songs, most of them modal, called for a singing style more sober than pure classical singing, and that is where Ms Dallaire's years of listening to jazz and blues, her love for Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Horn, Mahalia Jackson, Véronique Sanson, helped her to create a style that Greg La Traille, of Bayside Distribution described as:"The Lyrical voice of Hélène Dallaire. Her voice, at once original, lilting, somewhere between operatic and pop, is incredibly beautiful".
Singer Hélène Dallaire, currently living in Northern California, is working on another recording of old French folk songs.
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