Charles-Marie Widor - Soirs d'été (Rebecca Hays; Jamie van Eyck; Jeffrey Peterson)

Information

Composer: Charles-Marie Widor

• Soirs d'été, Op. 63
• 2 Duos, Op. 30
• 2 Duos, Op. 40
• 2 Duos, Op. 52

Rebecca Hays, soprano

Jamie van Eyck, mezzo-soprano

Jeffrey Peterson, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Centaur Records

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Charles-Marie Widor is renowned for his monumental organ symphonies, particularly performed at Church of Saint-Sulpice, where he served as organist for over six decades. While his famous Toccata remains a staple of weddings and concert halls worldwide, this album highlights a more intimate facet of Widor’s output: his French songs and duets for voice and piano. Works such as Six Duets for soprano and contralto and Soirs d’été, set to poetry by Paul Bourget, reveal his delicate expressiveness, focusing on human emotion, poetry, and interpersonal connection rather than the grandeur of the cathedral organ.

Rebecca Hays is a critically acclaimed soprano known for her lush tone, dramatic intensity, and musical intelligence. She has performed leading roles in operas including Tosca, Dialogues des Carmélites, Carmen, I Pagliacci, La Bohème, and Fidelio, and has appeared as a soloist in major works such as Verdi’s and Brahms’ Requiems, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and Mahler’s 3rd Symphony. An advocate for contemporary American music, she premiered Libby Larsen’s song cycle The Magdalene and has recorded extensively for Albany and Centaur Records, including works by Charles-Marie Widor. Hays is Artistic Director of Music in the Marche in Italy and serves as Studio Administrator for the Amarillo Opera Studio, mentoring emerging singers while maintaining an active international recital and performance career.

Jamie Van Eyck is a highly accomplished mezzo-soprano and educator with a Doctor of Music in Vocal Performance from University of Wisconsin-Madison and master’s degrees in both Vocal Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from New England Conservatory of Music. Praised for her polished vocalism and dramatic intensity, she has performed leading roles including Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro, Dido in Dido and Aeneas, Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, and Ariodante in Handel’s Ariodante, and has appeared with companies such as Arizona Opera, Utah Opera, Madison Opera, and Boston Lyric Opera. She is a sought-after recitalist and soloist, performing works by Mahler, Handel, Beethoven, Crumb, and Elliott Carter, including world premieres at Carnegie Hall and Tanglewood. Van Eyck serves as Assistant Professor of Voice at Baylor University, directing students in vocal technique, literature, and performance while maintaining an active international career in opera, concert, and contemporary music.

High Resolution 24-bit / 192 kHz