Search - Delibes, Mesple, Burles :: Lakme

An outstanding recording, but...

A Music Fan | USA | 01/13/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This studio recording of Lakmé certainly deserves inclusion in EMI's Great Recordings of the Century collection, and should be included in any list of great operas to share with those who claim to hate opera.



As noted in the liner notes, this is a very "French" performance, and features many artists who are not as well known as others in the Great Recordings series. Mady Mesple gives a virtuoso performance, with amazing vocal range and control, and great acting as well. But it is her duets with Charles Burles that make this more than a solo outing, and Alain Lombard's youthful exhuberance at the podium fits in well with the subject matter.



With an enjoyable opera, great singing, and wonderful conducting, what's not to like? One thing. The miking for the chorus for this recording is terrible. The chorus is barely audible, and is often drowned out by the orchestra. For a live recording in the '50s in an opera where the chorus is icing on the cake, this could be tolerated. For a 1971 studio recording of Lakmé, this is inexcusable. The chorus sets the scene in both Acts One and Two, and the loss in particular of the beautiful chorus that opens the opera is a real disappointment.



Even with that no so minor quibble, this recording remains the standard for a studio version of this opera.





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