Les Prodiges - Saison 2

Les Prodiges – Saison 2 displays the most exciting performers to emerge from the 2015 season of French TV talent contest Les Prodiges, in which all the young contestants are classically trained. The inaugural season in 2014 produced a winner in violinist-cellist Camille Berthollet, now a best-selling Warner Classics artist. Here the focus is upon 2015 winners: boy soprano Hakob Ghasabian, harpist Elisa Jouve and – in the DVD Bonus accompanying this CD release – ballet dancer Melvin Lawovi, the overall victor. Les Prodiges, TV show is now heading for its 3rd season in France, and will have its premiere in Italy, where I Prodigi will air on prime time on national TV, channel RAI 1, on Saturday November 19th 2016.

The programme comprises a rich and enticing selection of solos and duets. Among the pieces for two soloists is the 'Pie Jesu' from Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Requiem, which brings a collaboration between Hakob and one of the Prodiges judges, the French coloratura soprano Elisabeth Vidal, famed in such roles as Delibes’ Lakmé and Mozart’s Queen of the Night. The programme also includes music by Bach, Mozart, Gluck, Franck, Rodrigo, Debussy, Britten, Sor, Hasselmans and Komitas and, from the popular repertoire, Charles Trenet/Léo Chauliac (‘Douce France’), Joseph Kosma/Jacques Prévert (‘Les feuilles mortes’/‘Autumn Leaves’), Jacques Revaux/Claude François/Paul Anka (‘Comme d’habitude’/’My Way’) and Leonard Cohen (‘Hallelujah’).