Delibes - Lakmé / Dessay, Kunde, van Dam, Petibon, Haidan, Konsek, Leguérinel, Plasson

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
For all its exotically tinged, trademark Orientalism, so fashionable in late-19th-century France, Delibe's opera Lakmé is at heart a simple story of tragically misplaced love. This marvelous and sensitively wrought interpretation renders the intensity of that love story with a surprising emotional credibility. Conductor Michel Plasson allows the music's arching melodies to breathe and unfold leisurely, like a lovingly cultivated floral display; he even discovers hidden nuances within the formulaic fluff that pads Delibe's score. And his vision is shared by the outstanding principals here. As the titular Hindu princess, Natalie Dessay gives a jewel-like performance, full of stunningly shaped phrases and tapered notes that sound like spun silk (and one that can favorably compare with Joan Sutherland's account on London). Yet she also offers substance where others are satisfied with mere vocal beauty, conveying both the fatal innocence of her character and an intense capacity to suffer. Gregory Kunde portrays the English interloper Gerald with moving tenderness, while he manages the high tessitura of the part with elegance and flexibility. There's a sense of shared vulnerability that the pair bring to their first duet, one of several unforgettable touches on this recording. The cast is filled out with rich characterizations, most notably José Van Dam's imposingly authoritarian Nilakantha. The subtle intimacy of detail Plasson inspires throughout as well as the fine engineering makes this recording a winner. --Thomas May

Delibes - Lakmé / Dessay, Kunde, van Dam, Petibon, Haidan, Konsek, Leguérinel, Plasson, Music, Léo Delibes, Michel Plasson, Choeur & Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Franck Leguérinel, Xenia Konsek, José van Dam, Patricia Petibon, Charles Burles, Bernadette Antoine, Delphine Haidan, Natalie Dessay, Gregory Kunde, Classical, Classical Music, French Romantic Opera, Opera, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Opera/Operetta
Delibes - Lakmé / Dessay, Kunde, van Dam, Petibon, Haidan, Konsek, Leguérinel, Plasson
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • The Greatest Lakme ever!
  • Wow....
  • Excellent
  • Dessay and Plasson display the beauty of an exquisite work
  • THE Lakme of our time!
 Delibes - Lakmé / Dessay, Kunde, van Dam, Petibon, Haidan, Konsek, Leguérinel, Plasson
Léo Delibes , Michel Plasson , Choeur & Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse , Franck Leguérinel , Xenia Konsek , José van Dam , Patricia Petibon , Charles Burles , Bernadette Antoine , Delphine Haidan , Natalie Dessay , and Gregory Kunde
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000C2JP
Release Date: 1998-10-20

Tracks:

  1. Lakme: Prelude
  2. Lakme: Act I: No. 1 Introduction: 'A L'Heure Accoutumee' (Nilakantha)
  3. Lakme: Act I: Priere: 'Blanch Dourga' (Lakme, Nilakantha)
  4. Lakme: Act I: N. 1 Bis - Scene: 'Lakme, C'Est Toi Qui Nous Proteges!' (Nilakantha, Lakme)
  5. Lakme: Act I: No. 2 - Duetto: 'Viens, Malika' (Lakme)
  6. Lakme: Act I: Scene: 'Miss Rose, Miss Ellen' (Gerald)
  7. Lakme: Act I: No. 3 - Quintette & Couplets: 'Quand Une Femme Est Si Jolie' (Gerald)
  8. Lakme: Act I: Recitatif: 'Nous Commettons Un Sacrilege' (Gerald)
  9. Lakme: Act I: No. 4 - Air: 'Prendre Le Dessin D' Un Bijou' (Gerald)
  10. Lakme: Act I: No. 4 Bis - Scene: 'Non! Je Ne Veux Pas Toucher' (Gerald, Lakme)
  11. Lakme: Act I: No. 5 - REcitatif & Strophes: 'Les Fleurs Me Paraissent Plus Belles' (Lakme)
  12. Lakme: Act I: No. 5 Bis - Recitatif: 'Ah! Malika! Malika!' (Lakme)
  13. Lakme: Act I: No. 6 - Duo: 'D'Ou Viens-tu? Que Veux-tu?' (Lakme, Gerald)
  14. Lakme: Act I: No. 6 Bis - Scene: 'Viens! La! La!' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
  15. Lakme: Act I: Entr'Acte
  16. Lakme: Act II: No. 7 - Choeur & Scene Du Marche: 'Allons, Avant Que Midi Sonne'
  17. Lakme: Act II: No. 7 Bis - Recitatif: 'Enfin! Nous Aurons Du Silence!'
  18. Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Introduction
  19. Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Terana
  20. Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Rektah
  21. Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Persian
  22. Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Coda Avec Choeurs
  23. Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Sortie
  24. Lakme: Act II: Recitatif: 'Voyez Donc Ce Vieillard'
  25. Lakme: Act II: No. 9 - Scene & Stances: 'Ah! Ce Viellard Encor!' (Nilankantha, Lakme)

Tracks:

  1. Lakme: Act II: No. 9 Bis-Recitatif: 'Ah! C'Est De Ta Douleur' (Lakme, Nilankantha)
  2. Lakme: Act II: No. 10 - Scene & Legende De La Fille Du Paria (Air Des Clochettes): 'Ah!... Par Les Dieux Inspires... Ou Va La Jeune Indoue' (Lakme, Nilankantha)
  3. Lakme: Act II: No. 11 - Scene: 'La Rage Me Devore' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
  4. Lakme: Act II: No. 12 - Scene & Choeur: 'Au Milieu Des Chants D' Allegresse' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
  5. Lakme: Act II: No. 12 Bis - Recitatif: 'Le Maitre Ne Pense Qu' A Sa Vengeance'
  6. Lakme: Act II: No. 13 - Duo: 'Lakme! Lakme! C' Est Toi!' (Lakme, Gerald)
  7. Lakme: Act II: No. 14 - Finale: 'O Dourga, Toi Qui Renais' (Gerald)
  8. Lakme: Act II: Entr'Acte
  9. Lakme: Act III: No. 15 - Berceuse: 'Sous Le Ciel Tout Etoile' (Lakme)
  10. Lakme: Act III: No. 15 Bis - Recitatif: 'Quel Vague Souvenir Alourdit Ma Pensee?' (Gerald, Lakme)
  11. Lakme: Act III: No. 16 - Cantilene: 'Lakme! Lakme! Ah! Viens Dans La Foret Profonde' (Gerald)
  12. Lakme: Act III: No. 17 - Scene & Choeur: 'La, Je Pourrai T' Entendre' (Lakme, Gerald)
  13. Lakme: Act III: No. 18 - Scene: 'Vivant!' (Gerald)
  14. Lakme: Act III: No. 19 - Duo: 'Ils Allaient Deux A Duex' (Lakme, Gerald)
  15. Lakme: Act III: No. 20 - Finale: 'C' Est Lui! C' Est Lui!' (Nilankantha, Lakme, Gerald)

Amazon.com

For all its exotically tinged, trademark Orientalism, so fashionable in late-19th-century France, Delibe's opera Lakmé is at heart a simple story of tragically misplaced love. This marvelous and sensitively wrought interpretation renders the intensity of that love story with a surprising emotional credibility. Conductor Michel Plasson allows the music's arching melodies to breathe and unfold leisurely, like a lovingly cultivated floral display; he even discovers hidden nuances within the formulaic fluff that pads Delibe's score. And his vision is shared by the outstanding principals here. As the titular Hindu princess, Natalie Dessay gives a jewel-like performance, full of stunningly shaped phrases and tapered notes that sound like spun silk (and one that can favorably compare with Joan Sutherland's account on London). Yet she also offers substance where others are satisfied with mere vocal beauty, conveying both the fatal innocence of her character and an intense capacity to suffer. Gregory Kunde portrays the English interloper Gerald with moving tenderness, while he manages the high tessitura of the part with elegance and flexibility. There's a sense of shared vulnerability that the pair bring to their first duet, one of several unforgettable touches on this recording. The cast is filled out with rich characterizations, most notably José Van Dam's imposingly authoritarian Nilakantha. The subtle intimacy of detail Plasson inspires throughout as well as the fine engineering makes this recording a winner. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The Greatest Lakme ever!.......2005-02-03

With her ability to color every phrase delicately, Natalie Dessay is undoubtedly this century's greatest coloratura soprano. Highly underrated, she could easily bring truth to her interpretation of this Lakme through her very good reading of the score and her ability to enunciate her French very well. Gregory Kunde is one of the greatest rising French tenors. Michel Plasson showcases Delibes' mystical and erotic music through a very passionate, delicate, and at the same time flowing reading of the music. A must for any fan of this great opera. I would recommend it highly over the Mady Mesple and definitely over the Sutherland version. Own it today, you won't be disappointed.

5 out of 5 stars Wow...........2004-08-19

I shall not go into individual performers...there are several other reviewers that do that very well. My somewhat disjointed impressions are the following:
.....If there is a better Lakme...I don't think I could listen to it. This is as much beauty as I can tolerate.
.....I have listened to other recordings of Lakme but none matches this (and this is the only one that I actually own).
.....You usually find what you are looking for...if it is imperfections there are some within this recording; however, if it is beauty that you seek then you have found it.
.....One disclaimer: This was the first recording of Lakme that I heard, that may have biased my opinion relative to other recordings (i.e., First Loves being the most intense, etc.).

Cheers!!

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2004-07-23

This is an opera full of beautiful moments and with one small exception, I could not ask for better soloists. Plasson's conducting carefully nurtures stunning sounds from the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse and the Choir is equally attentive. The "Bell Song," for example, is done at a more graceful pace (a little slower) than normally performed and the result is exquisite.

Natalie Dessay's sweet, crystalline voice lovingly captures Lakme's delicate character. She produces each note with such finesse and emotion that you are almost completely taken. The other singer to capture your appreciation is Gregory Kunde. There are tenors that I hold in great and high esteem, Placido Domingo is foremost for me. Giuseppe Di Stefano and Sergei Larin are examples of other tenors who I find just amazing but NEVER have I encountered a voice as stunning in a role as Kunde's. His Gerald is never strained, always smooth, and passionately urgent without being the slightest bit overdone. The most immediately likeable tenor voice I have ever heard on disc.

Jose Van Dam is a singer I came to appreciate most for his Amfortas in Wagner's "Parsifal". Here, devoid of Wagner's tortured arrogance, his voice is even warmer and more expressive. Bernadette Antoine (the small exception) is an overly "fruity" Mistress Bentson and this is the recording's only minor flaw, in my view (her chest register is rather poor and the sound isn't pretty). The other roles are all excellently sung, particularly Delphine Haidan's Malika, whose Flower duet with Lakme is the definition of 'sublime'.

The sound is clear digital. I can't recommend this opera enough. It's a very human story from the plot to the music (whatever the French word for 'verissimo' is). Speaking of 'French' the diction is totally convincing to my ears. I can find no faults.

5 out of 5 stars Dessay and Plasson display the beauty of an exquisite work.......2004-05-17

This delightful work by Léo Delibes deserves to be on the standard operatic repertoire. To hear this music is like to be transported to a beautiful garden full of colorful flowers with enchanting fragrances. There is a delicacy, a charm in the arias and duets that is typically French, even with the composer's intention of giving some Oriental atmosphere. Michel Plasson has much to do with the success of this recording. His conducting is always observant of the delicacy of the score and requires of the orchestra and soloists a great observance of dynamics. Of course, a great conductor will not achieve anything in Lakmé without an outstanding coloratura soprano in the very difficult title role. Natalie Dessay has the perfect voice for Lakmé and also brings consummate artistry, making the Hindu maiden a flesh and blood character. Dessay portrays the delicacy and innocence of Lakmé using different colors in her voice, apart from mastering exquisite pianissimos. And her Bell Song is a dream, with a vivid interest in the words of the legend and echo effects on the bell refrains. Her high notes are totally effortless. In summary, an extraordinary performance in every respect. The rest of the cast complement Dessay nicely. Gregory Kunde has a sweet lyric tenor and matches Dessay beautifully in their duets, only there is some difficulty with the very high tessitura of Gerald. José Van Daam brings his usual vocal and theatrical flair to the role of Nilakantha. The rest of the cast is adequate. The Choeur and Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse are superb. There is no better recording of this opera than this one, even though it is also fascinating to hear Mado Robin and Mady Mesplé on their recordings. Dessay continues the heritage of these singers and Plasson gives the work an effective reading that gives justice to this neglected jewel.

5 out of 5 stars THE Lakme of our time!.......2004-02-08

I first heard Lakme with Mady Mesple and subsequently Joan Sutherland. The music by Delibes is simply exquisite - breathtaking, fresh, delicate, intoxicating. I agree with the other reviewers that although The Bell Song is a highlight in Lakme, the rest of the opera features beautiful music ALL the way through. However, the attraction of this set is Dessay and Kunde. Their diction and finesse is so present in this opera that it puts Dame Joan's recording to shame. Mesple had a little bleat in her voice at that time but her diction was also superb although her voice tended to be a bit tinny. Sutherland's hashed diction leaves much to be desired and I feel that the role is not suitable for her. The crispness of the voice simply isn't there. But Dessay has a voice of pure brilliance and Kunde compliments her with a silvery tenor. Simply beautiful!

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