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Naxos has an overlooked gem here, recorded in 2003. Paul Groves, who won both the Richard Tucker Award and the Met's national auditions, delivers Henri Duparc's sixteen songs, the sole output on which the composer's fame rests, with beauty and intensity. A native of Louisiana, Groves' background apparently led him to focus on French music; he is comfortable with the language, but his vocal production is characteristically American (as I hear it) in its open inflection and timbre. Groves has the perfect Tamino tenor sound, and when Duparc writes a passionate or melodramatic song (he was influenced by Wagner and wrote turbulent piano accompaniments that take us into the world of the Flying Dutchman and Walkure), Groves applies operatic intensity.
This may not be the kind of delivery that fits into a Parisian salon, but it's very exciting. I have the highest regard for Roger Vignobles, who left university to become a trained accompanist, inspired by Grald Moore, according to his bio. He plays with more fluid, free musicality than his inspiration, and I particularly appreciate the directness and muscularity of his approach when the music grows passionate, which is frequently. Duparc's melodic gift is haunting; it can be said that every song is memorable, although only three (L'invitation au voyage, Phidyle, and Le manoir de Rosemonde) seem to endure as standards outside France.
Listening to tis recital became addictive, and I like it better than any rival collection. The only engineering defect is a shrill edge to Groves' voice when he sings forte and above, but it's not serious enough to hinder enjoyment. (By the way, the usual explanation for Duparc abandoning composition at 36 when he was to live another half century is given as Neurasthenia. At a time when mental illness was stigmatized, this supposed physical condition was a stand-in for clinical depression. Duparc went on in old age to suffer total blindness and paralysis.)
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Huntley Dent
Superlative singing of haunting songs -- this is an addictive album
2011年6月2日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
Scott M. Windle
Easy to listen to Opera
2014年3月14日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済みAmazonで購入
