Veronique Gens:John Axelrod - Berlioz/ Ravel: Veronique Gens

Ondine is delighted to announce a new release from star soprano Veronique Gens, who performs Herminie and Les Nuits d'ete by Hector Berlioz and Sheherazade by Maurice Ravel with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire under the baton of their music director John Axelrod.Veronique Gens is recognised internationally as one of the great sopranos working today. She has forged her career in the baroque repertory and the music of Mozart, but French repertoire, especially Berlioz and Ravel, areas natural to her as the air that she breathes. Her French remains a model of immaculate diction, both fluid and luminous. Veronique Gens has a very special relationship to Berlioz's Les Nuits d'ete and Herminie, and here combines them on this disc with Sheherazade by Ravel, which conjures up a totally different world. The charismatic conductor John Axelrod was appointed music director of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire in 2009, and follows the philosophy of beingopen to the world with his extraordinarily diverse repertoire choices and innovative programming. He is sought after across the world both for concerts and opera.