Search - Charpenter, Christie, Les Arts Florissants :: Le Malade Imaginaire

Wonderful, especially if you speak French

gks5q@virginia.edu | 04/24/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish I spoke French! This recording captures the full presentation of this Molierian play, music AND spoken word. The music is wonderful, and the singing is very accomplished; but unfortunately for me, the spoken parts are not confined to separate tracks but are intermixed with the music. So in order to hear all of the music, I had to also survive listening to the spoken parley which obviously sounded like "bar-bar-bar" to me. To be sure, the wonderful booklet includes all of the translation, as well as pictures from the staged production of the play. But it's not the same. Still, before I close I want to highlight the quality of the music and the brilliant presentation of it here. Even if you don't speak French, it probably justifies the purchase of this CD. Dominique Visse, in the comical role of an old lady, is particularly memorable."