Lakme: Act II: No. 7 - Choeur & Scene Du Marche: 'Allons, Avant Que Midi Sonne'
Lakme: Act II: No. 7 Bis - Recitatif: 'Enfin! Nous Aurons Du Silence!'
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Introduction
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Terana
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Rektah
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Persian
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Coda Avec Choeurs
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Sortie
Lakme: Act II: Recitatif: 'Voyez Donc Ce Vieillard'
Lakme: Act II: No. 9 - Scene & Stances: 'Ah! Ce Viellard Encor!' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
Track Listings (15) - Disc #2
Lakme: Act II: No. 9 Bis-Recitatif: 'Ah! C'Est De Ta Douleur' (Lakme, Nilankantha)
Lakme: Act II: No. 10 - Scene & Legende De La Fille Du Paria (Air Des Clochettes): 'Ah!... Par Les Dieux Inspires... Ou Va La Jeune Indoue' (Lakme, Nilankantha)
Lakme: Act III: No. 19 - Duo: 'Ils Allaient Deux A Duex' (Lakme, Gerald)
Lakme: Act III: No. 20 - Finale: 'C' Est Lui! C' Est Lui!' (Nilankantha, Lakme, Gerald)
For all its exotically tinged, trademark Orientalism, so fashionable in late-19th-century France, Delibe's opera Lakmé is at heart a simple story of tragically misplaced love. This marvelous and sensitively wrought in... more »terpretation renders the intensity of that love story with a surprising emotional credibility. Conductor Michel Plasson allows the music's arching melodies to breathe and unfold leisurely, like a lovingly cultivated floral display; he even discovers hidden nuances within the formulaic fluff that pads Delibe's score. And his vision is shared by the outstanding principals here. As the titular Hindu princess, Natalie Dessay gives a jewel-like performance, full of stunningly shaped phrases and tapered notes that sound like spun silk (and one that can favorably compare with Joan Sutherland's account on London). Yet she also offers substance where others are satisfied with mere vocal beauty, conveying both the fatal innocence of her character and an intense capacity to suffer. Gregory Kunde portrays the English interloper Gerald with moving tenderness, while he manages the high tessitura of the part with elegance and flexibility. There's a sense of shared vulnerability that the pair bring to their first duet, one of several unforgettable touches on this recording. The cast is filled out with rich characterizations, most notably José Van Dam's imposingly authoritarian Nilakantha. The subtle intimacy of detail Plasson inspires throughout as well as the fine engineering makes this recording a winner. --Thomas May« less
For all its exotically tinged, trademark Orientalism, so fashionable in late-19th-century France, Delibe's opera Lakmé is at heart a simple story of tragically misplaced love. This marvelous and sensitively wrought interpretation renders the intensity of that love story with a surprising emotional credibility. Conductor Michel Plasson allows the music's arching melodies to breathe and unfold leisurely, like a lovingly cultivated floral display; he even discovers hidden nuances within the formulaic fluff that pads Delibe's score. And his vision is shared by the outstanding principals here. As the titular Hindu princess, Natalie Dessay gives a jewel-like performance, full of stunningly shaped phrases and tapered notes that sound like spun silk (and one that can favorably compare with Joan Sutherland's account on London). Yet she also offers substance where others are satisfied with mere vocal beauty, conveying both the fatal innocence of her character and an intense capacity to suffer. Gregory Kunde portrays the English interloper Gerald with moving tenderness, while he manages the high tessitura of the part with elegance and flexibility. There's a sense of shared vulnerability that the pair bring to their first duet, one of several unforgettable touches on this recording. The cast is filled out with rich characterizations, most notably José Van Dam's imposingly authoritarian Nilakantha. The subtle intimacy of detail Plasson inspires throughout as well as the fine engineering makes this recording a winner. --Thomas May
"With her ability to color every phrase delicately, Natalie Dessay is undoubtedly this century's greatest coloratura soprano. Highly underrated, she could easily bring truth to her interpretation of this Lakme through her very good reading of the score and her ability to enunciate her French very well. Gregory Kunde is one of the greatest rising French tenors. Michel Plasson showcases Delibes' mystical and erotic music through a very passionate, delicate, and at the same time flowing reading of the music. A must for any fan of this great opera. I would recommend it highly over the Mady Mesple and definitely over the Sutherland version. Own it today, you won't be disappointed."
The Sensuality of French Opera, Delibes, Lakme
Michael D. Villecco | Fort Lauderdale, Florida United States | 10/16/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Finally some of these French opera treausures are coming to life once again! It seems that for so long, the gentle beauty and simplicity of French opera had taken the back seat to the more well known Italian works of Verdi or the high profile works of Mozart. Only the Italian masters Giacomo Puccini and Pietro Mascagni seemed to incorporate some of the French finesse into their dramatic and powerful music. This newest recording of Leo Delibes "Lakme" is to be commended for once more bringing the sensual and beautiful music to the forefront in the enchanting love story set in British occupied Colonial India. The Indian priestess, Lakme, sung by Natalie Dessay delivers the gentility and innocence in her vocal interpretation of the fragile character. Dessay delivers with ease the stirring moments in the "Air des clochettes" of Act II and manages the higher register with the greatest of ease. Likewise, Michel Plasson conducts the score as I am certain Delibes would have intended. Gregory Kunde portrays the British officer in love with Lakme with intelligence and masculinity, and both he and Dessay shine in the Act III forest scene, hidden in a bamboo cabin surrounded by lush foliage, where the lovers sing beautifully "Ah! viens, dans la foret profunde" and "Sous le ciel tout etoile". The Choeur and Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse manages the intensely delicate, yet powerful score and transports us to a fairy-tale place in India. The French do many things well, art and music being among them, and it should be noted that this excellent recording follows an older French recording of "Lakme" done by Mady Mesple, conducted by Alain Lombard and the Choeurs et Orchestre du Theatre National de l'Opera-Comique in 1971. Both the older recorded version and this new Plasson version once again prove that the French have a refinery and finesse hard to duplicate. I recommend this new recording of "Lakme" for the novice to opera or the well-seasoned aficianado! Let's bring the French works prominently back into worldwide opera houses!"
Perfect!
Mr JB | Karlskrona Sweden | 06/20/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Here we have a recording of effortless beauty. Lakmé is an opera of many nuances, in the plot itself as well as in the music. The sentiments though are never very strong and since the story isn't strong either, the opera relies very much on it's sweet music. This means that if this delicate score is put in the wrong hands it can turn out banal, pathetic and boring. Fortunately, the hands of Micheal Plasson turns out to be perfect for this opera. He's cautious but very thoughtfull, leaving no details unnoticed. And with 'his' Toulouse opera-company behind him, the orchestral playing reaches nothing but first class - sounding both like flowers and bells, when so called for. The detailed recorded sound also brings forth especially the strings in a lovely way. The singers? Well, they're all in class with their conductor. Dessay sings Lakmé with a very pure voice, really making you believe that she is as innocent as here role demands. When the sensualism begins, she also uses some sliding between the notes, which makes her contribution very 'french' indeed. Kunde couldn't have done his Gerald better. He uses a seamless legato in much of the romatic music, which together with his habit to 'hang' on his notes rhytmically, makes his singing in these parts exceptionally beautiful, effortlessly milking out the most of every single note. His "Fantasie aux divine mensonges" is priceless. Van Dam as Lakmé's father Nilakantha is as always in impressive voice, his sometimes abrupt way of handling tones being perfect in this role. Haidan's Mallika is just as much darker in voice and more serious in action than Dessay's Lakmé, which is just way it's supposed to be. And her voice itself is very beautiful. The rest of the cast is very good as well, their voices well separated from one another both by nature and in the recording, which makes the action easy to follow and each caracter gets heard. The Sutherland/Vanzo version for London/Decca may not be generally as good as this one, but it none the less has Vanzo in the role of Gerald, and he is always a pleasure to hear. But this Dessay/Kunde, I think, is the over all better recording, actually The Best Lakmé-recording of all, nothing short of world class."
A Dazzling Performance
D. A Wend | Buffalo Grove, IL USA | 02/15/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lakme was a new opera for me, until purchasing this recording, having only heard the popular Flower duet and Bell song. It is far more rewarding to listen to the complete opera, particularly when the cast is as good as this one. The opera is full with wonderful tunes and to hear the Bell song in its dramatic context does it full justice. Natalie Dessay is a perfect Lakme. This is a dazzling coloratura performance and will be the recording that all future Lakme's are compared with. If her low notes are "squawky" it was not apparent to me. Ms. Dessay is well supported by Gregory Kunde, Jose Van Dam and Delphine Haidan. The Orchestre du Capitole Toulouse, conducted by Michel Plasson, provides perfect support for the singers. This is a "must have" recording for opera lovers, and I would recommend that people new to opera buy this set. Lakme is a good place to start for someone curious about opera."
Dessay and Plasson display the beauty of an exquisite work
M. Ramos | 05/16/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This delightful work by Léo Delibes deserves to be on the standard operatic repertoire. To hear this music is like to be transported to a beautiful garden full of colorful flowers with enchanting fragrances. There is a delicacy, a charm in the arias and duets that is typically French, even with the composer's intention of giving some Oriental atmosphere. Michel Plasson has much to do with the success of this recording. His conducting is always observant of the delicacy of the score and requires of the orchestra and soloists a great observance of dynamics. Of course, a great conductor will not achieve anything in Lakmé without an outstanding coloratura soprano in the very difficult title role. Natalie Dessay has the perfect voice for Lakmé and also brings consummate artistry, making the Hindu maiden a flesh and blood character. Dessay portrays the delicacy and innocence of Lakmé using different colors in her voice, apart from mastering exquisite pianissimos. And her Bell Song is a dream, with a vivid interest in the words of the legend and echo effects on the bell refrains. Her high notes are totally effortless. In summary, an extraordinary performance in every respect. The rest of the cast complement Dessay nicely. Gregory Kunde has a sweet lyric tenor and matches Dessay beautifully in their duets, only there is some difficulty with the very high tessitura of Gerald. José Van Daam brings his usual vocal and theatrical flair to the role of Nilakantha. The rest of the cast is adequate. The Choeur and Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse are superb. There is no better recording of this opera than this one, even though it is also fascinating to hear Mado Robin and Mady Mesplé on their recordings. Dessay continues the heritage of these singers and Plasson gives the work an effective reading that gives justice to this neglected jewel."
Track Listings (25) - Disc #1
