Baritone Thomas Oliemans and Amsterdam Sinfonietta go in Formidable! on a journey through France, in which chansons alternate with classical works by French masters.
As a boy, the baritone Thomas Oliemans began singing along with the stars of French chanson, thanks to his father’s LP collection. Now a celebrated opera singer appearing in major opera houses throughout the world, he teams up with Amsterdam Sinfonietta once again, returning to his early passion: the French chanson.
A variety of popular and lesser-known works, ranging from Jacques Brel to Claude François and from Charles Trenet to Stromae, are interlaced with classical works for strings by Ravel, Rameau, Debussy and Fauré. They illustrate the unmistakable and enduring French sound idiom in both ‘high’ and ‘low’ art forms throughout the centuries.