Search - Charles Panzèra, Gérard Souzay, Camille Maurane :: Les Introuvables du Chant Français [Box Set]

Discover the lost world of French singing

Fidelio | Netherlands | 02/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title says it all. Interested how French opera used to sound like? And I might add: should sound like? This catalogue of who was who in French singing, is an ideal place to start your discovery! The transfers of these historical recordings are fine - better than usual with EMI (no excessive filtering of the original sound)."

Revelatory

John Austen | Baltimore, MD USA | 03/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I found this set revelatory, and it set me on the path of exploring historic singing more seriously. The recordings are mostly pre-war, so the sound is limited, but the transfers seem pretty good--better than some of EMI's other transfers. As for the contents, I found them wonderfully chosen to reveal how French opera and song used to be performed before the second war. Time and again, I found myself stunned by a completely new (or rather, old) approach to a piece that I know well from more recent recordings--and I often found myself saying, "yes, of course that's how it should be done." Unlike the introuvables du chant verdien, which I found less startlng, this set is not just a compilation of historic performances; at its best, it is a window into a whole performing style--a musical culture--that has apparently disappeared (at least from the major recording industry)."