Juri Vallentin's 'Chants de la Nuit' Album Explores French Nocturnes

Oboist Juri Vallentin, trained at the Conservatoire de Paris, has released a digital-only concept album titled 'Chants de la Nuit' (Songs of the Night), featuring works by French composers Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, Pierre de Bréville, Olivier Messiaen, Émile Vuillermoz, and Paul Dukas. All eight pieces were arranged for oboe and piano by Vallentin himself. The album, recorded with pianist Philipp Heiss, was captured in a single day at the SWR Studio in Kaiserslautern in cooperation with SWR Kultur. Vallentin describes the album as exploring the night as a dreamlike state, not darkness, and emphasizes the oboe's vocal quality, calling it 'the ultimate vocal instrument.' The repertoire includes Ravel's Kaddish, Fauré's Claire de lune, and Dukas's Alla Gitana, alongside rare works by de Bréville and Vuillermoz, highlighting the richness of French modernism beyond well-known masterpieces. Vallentin and Heiss, who have collaborated for years, aimed for an intuitive dialogue, requiring minimal rehearsal. The album's digital-only release reflects Vallentin's view that classical music should adapt to modern listening habits, bringing music directly to listeners. He suggests listening late at night with good headphones in a darkened room. The project underscores Vallentin's dual role as interpreter and creative arranger, offering a personal statement on the intimate connection between oboe and the human soul.