Australian Music Centre | Breaking sound barriers

A recital album full to the brim with exquisite art song, this recording is a compilation of hidden treasures and classic favourites performed by Opera Australia star, Stacey Alleaume.

An Australian-Mauritian soprano of increasing acclaim, Alleaume, who has been praised for her "voice of bell-like purity" (Limelight Magazine) is accompanied by exceptional pianist Amir Farid. Together, they perform the works of much loved composers including Camille Saint-Saëns, Henri Duparc, Giacomo Puccini, Reynaldo Hahn and Charles Massenet, whose exquisite songs explore sentiments penned by such notable poets as Charles Baudelaire, Victor Hugo, Ada Negri and Robert Browning.

The inspiration for the album's title Moonlight Reflections, came from Saint-Saëns composition, Clair de lune, meaning 'moonlight'. The album embraces the concept that art song serves as a reflection upon moments in life. The works selected for this recording take the listener on a significant emotional journey: from the joyfulness at the renewal of summer, the gaiety of birds singing and the happiness of a morning-song to the open expression of eternal love contrasted against the unbearable grief of a lost beloved.

The programme includes two ensemble works by composer Amy Beach featuring cellist Zoe Knighton and violinist Erica Kennedy.

Liner notes include song texts with translations and biographical notes on the artists.