COMPOSERS: Beethoven,Ravel,Satie
LABELS: Sony
WORKS: Histoires naturelles; Mélodies: Daphénéo; Le grillon; Tendrement; Ah! Perfido
PERFORMER: Régine Crespin (soprano), Philippe Entremont (piano); New York PO/Thomas Schippers
CATALOGUE NO: SMK 60577 ADD Reissue (1967)
Fans of Régine Crespin’s wonderfully distinctive voice need little encouragement to acquire this reissue. The account of Beethoven’s Ah! perfido is a testament to her dramatic ability to command absolute attention from the listener. Essentially the same qualities are displayed in the mélodies.
Unfortunately, the results are mixed for those who are fans of the music. Though Satie’s ‘Daphénéo’ and Ravel’s ‘Le grillon’ recall the magical hush of Crespin’s recording of Shéhérazade, ‘Tendrement’ is anything but tender, and the muscular approach to ‘Je te veux’ – heaving up to top notes – characterises a tendency to overpower the intimacy. Christopher Dingle