At her peak, French soprano
Régine Crespin was universally praised by critics and the public alike. She was praised not only for her elegant technique, nuanced power, and refined but passionate expression, but also for her ability to perform the major roles in nearly every national school with complete confidence and whole-hearted compassion. But, of course,
Crespin was at her best in French repertoire, and this disc combining her 1963 recording of orchestral song cycles by Berlioz and
Ravel with her 1967 recording of piano accompanied song cycles and chansons by
Debussy and
Poulenc certainly shows
Crespin at her best -- and her most characteristic. Accompanied in 1963 by the skillful
Ernest Ansermet leading
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande,
Crespin's Les Nuits d'été is lightly languorous in "Le Spectre de la rose" and slightly insouciant in "L'lle inconnue," while her Shéhérazade is highly sensuous in "Asie" and deeply indolent in "L'indifferent." Accompanied in 1967 by the sensitive John Wustman, her Trois chansons de Bilitis moves from the ineffably mysterious "La Flûte de Pan" to the tangibly obvious "Le Chevelure," while her soupçon of
Poulenc's chansons climaxes with the tragically evanescent "C" followed by the ridiculously vulgar but, because this is, after all,
Régine Crespin, still supremely refined "Fêtes galantes." Throughout, she is in great voice: floating long pianissimo lines effortlessly, slipping between registers imperceptibly, soaring above the staff with complete control, and climaxing with crescendos frightening in their intensity. Originally recorded by Decca in warm yet detailed stereo sound, this digitally remastered reissue is as good as a clean copy of the LP. Higher praise there cannot be.