The Trio Cénacle has recorded a CD titled Victor Hugo / La poésie chantée d’un visionnaire including art songs by different composers based on poems by the French writer, as well as excerpts from Hugo’s letters and speeches on peace in Europe recited by actor Pitt Simon. In addition, the CD contains a link to the award-winning short film « Victor Hugo – À Vianden » by James Chan-A-Sue, a film adaptation of the composition of the same name by Marco Pütz.
The album is an evolution of the multidisciplinary Victor Hugo project developed by Trio Cénacle in 2021 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Victor Hugo’s last stay in Luxembourg, combining poetry, classical music, film, performing arts, Hugo’s vision of a united Europe, and Luxembourg’s cultural heritage into a Gesamtkunstwerk.
The art songs on the program have been composed by Édouard Lalo, César Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Georges Schmitt, Charles-Marie Widor and Marco Pütz. Trio Cénacle is featuring Michèle Kerschenmeyer (piano), Evelyn Czesla (soprano) and Nico Wouterse (bass-baritone)