49.00 PLN

CD:

Nr kat.: SBT1347
Label  : Testament (UK)

Janine Micheau was a leading French lyric soprano in the post-World War II period. She was a popular Mélisande, recorded Micaëla for Beecham's stereo EMI Carmen, sang Sophie in the Rosenkavalier under Erich Kleiber's baton, starred at the Paris Opéra and elsewhere in staples by Gounod and other French Romantics, and mastered a repertory that included Stravinsky (Ann Truelove), Milhaud, and Berg. Here, Testament has gathered a collection of French arias originally recorded by Decca between 1948 and 1953, and it's well worth hearing for any lover of French opera. It's not all spun gold--her "Depuis le jour" lacks some of Louise's youthful ardor, I wished for more of a sense of abandon in Mignon's "Je suis Titania", and the last number, Chabrier's "A la Musique", sounds like an occasional piece for an occasion that should be skipped. But the rest of the disc, about 53 minutes' worth, is a fine representation of a singer in the grand French soprano tradition, the voice light, clear, and pointed, the coloratura flights fluent, tastefully showy (unless that's an oxymoron), the phrasing slightly cool in the earlier recordings but gathering depth and involvement in the later ones. Best of all are the excerpts from Gounod's Mireille, comprising almost half-an-hour of singing that totally embodies the character, from the airy "O, lég?re hirondelle" to the drama of the desert scene in "Voice la vaste plaine". The "Doll's Song" from Tales of Hoffmann and an aria and duet (with tenor Libero de Luca) from Bizet's Pearlfishers are well done. There's also a nice pair of bouncy excerpts from Chabrier's Le Roi malgré lui, and a neatly turned "Ah! je veux vivre" from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette. Testament includes full texts and translations and fresh, clear transfers, especially those made from the early 1950s. (Dan Davis, ClassicsToday.com)