Régine Crespin - Songs of Ravel & Satie, Beethoven "Ah! Perfido", Concert Arias

Maurice Ravel (Artist), Erik Satie (Artist), Ludwig van Beethoven (Artist), New York Philharmonic (Artist), Thomas Schippers (Artist), Régine Crespin (Artist), Philippe Entremont (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 22, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000C28S
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #358,183 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #9 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Crespin, Regine

Track Listings

1. Histoires naturelles, song cycle for voice & piano: No. 1, 'Le paon': 'Il va surement se marier aujourd'hui'

2. Histoires naturelles, song cycle for voice & piano: No. 2, 'Le grillon': 'C'est l'heure ou, las d'errer, linsecte negre revient de pr

3. Histoires naturelles, song cycle for voice & piano: No. 3, 'Le cygne': 'Il glisse sur le bassin, comme un traineau blanc'

4. Histoires naturelles, song cycle for voice & piano: No. 4, 'Le martin-pecheur': 'Ca n'a pas mordu ce soir, mais je rapporte une rare

5. Histoires naturelles, song cycle for voice & piano: No. 5, 'La pintade': 'C'est la bossue de ma cour'

6. Mélodies (3) of 1916, for voice & piano: Le Chapelier

7. Tendrement, valse chantée for voice & piano

8. Mélodies (3) of 1916, for voice & piano: Daphénéo

9. L' Omnibus automobile, for voice & piano

10. Mélodies (3) of 1916, for voice & piano: La Statue de bronze

11. Je te veux (I Want You), café-concert song for voice & piano

12. Chanson, song for voice & piano

13. La diva de l'Empire, song for voice & piano

14. Ah! perfido! . . . Per pieta, non dirmi addio, scena and aria for soprano & orchestra, Op. 65

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The now-retired Régine Crespin is easily the greatest soprano voice to come out of France since World War II, notable not just for its body and luster but for such an effortless sense of line that you're never aware of the individual notes, only the overall musical idea they're meant to create. This was recorded a bit late in her career and some wobble is apparent. But her characterization of the words--so important in Ravel's precise animal portraits in Histoires Naturelles--is peerless. Too bad that the Satie songs--in terms of quality--veer between serious endeavors and cabaret toss-offs. The disc is filled out by Crespin's performance of Beethoven's concert aria Ah! Perfido, which illustrates why she was a formidable Tosca in her day. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars no one quite like her, April 16, 2010

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M. Lohorn - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Régine Crespin - Songs of Ravel & Satie, Beethoven "Ah! Perfido", Concert Arias (Audio CD)

i am a big fan of crespin in her prime; big style, georgeous big voice, wonderful feel for french rep. of course, she chose to sing well past her prime, so there are some less than wonderful recordings as well. this isn't the most ghastly representation of her work by any means, but it definitely is not her prime, either. vocally, it's over the hill, but her treatment of this french rep is peerless. truly amazing style and such confident presentation. you gotta love her panache; the cover photo is so diva/european streisand.