Chanson Romanesque

Were you to tell me that you are wearied / By a sky too studded with stars - / Tearing the divine order asunder, / I'd scythe the night with a single blow,” Don Quixote assures his beloved Dulcinea.

Bass-baritone Michael Sumuel’s ease in delivering Ravel’s sweepingly romantic “Chanson Romanesque” reflects a long-standing connection to the de Cervantes hero. “One of the most memorable recitals I’ve been honored to perform occurred in grad school and Don Quichotte was my focal point,” Michael recalls. “The second half of the recital included two excerpts from Jules Massenet’s opera of the same name, Chansons de Don Quichotte by Jacques Ibert and Don Quichotte à Dulcinée by Maurice Ravel.”

Text by Paul Morand. Used by permission of Universal Publishing Group.