Search - Gérard Souzay :: Gerard Souzay Sings Faure & Chausson

A recording worth dying for

G.D. | Norway | 01/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As I interpret the star ratings, 5 stars designate a thoroughly recommendable recording, indeed what I would call a `must hear'. And there are several recordings out there for which anything less than a top rating would seem stingy. That leaves me with something of a problem in the case of a select few, such as the Karajan Mahler 9 or Carlos Kleiber's Beethoven 5, recordings about which I could truthfully say that they are life-changing, recordings for which one almost is inclined to feel pity for people who don't know them. And this recording belongs to those few. It is, in short, one of the greatest recordings ever made.



I don't think there's any point in trying to go into detail about each item in the Faure selection. Souzay's feeling for this music, and his ability to handle it both profoundly and with a light touch is unsurpassed (even by himself on the EMI set). The cycle L'Horizon chimerique - apparently a Souzay favorite - is stunningly done, and hearing him in, say, En sourdine or Après un rève yields among the greatest musical experiences I have ever enjoyed. Yet if one item should be highlighted, it must be Clair de Lune. This is quite simply the kind of thing a music lover will live and die for, the kind of thing you feel actually matters in the equation if you try to determine whether the universe is overall a good or a bad place to live.



The Chausson songs might not be unqualified masterpieces on the level of the Faure ones, but they are still delightful works, especially when given performances as convincing as here. The program is rounded off by some early French songs and two (delightful) Canteloube songs, and here as everywhere, Souzay provides perfect interpretations and performances. Bonneau is brilliant but unobtrusive. The recordings are mono, but the quality is good, and I cannot help but feel that the mono-dryness actually adds to rather than detracts from the performances. Overall, this is a stunning release, one of the most obviously obligatory releases ever."