Search - Kolassi, Collard, Debussy :: Songs of Debussy: Ravel: Faure & Honegger

A jewel of a memory

Mark McCue | Denver, CO USA | 08/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kolassi was one of the fixtures of the Parisian recital stage in the 1940s and 50s. And what an artist she was!She was known for her ability to communicate a text and a mood, and this compendium of her old LPs lets you hear her do it in fine fashion. Kolassi didn't have a perfect voice--far from it--but her intelligence allowed her to place it perfectly, and even use its shallow low end in favor of texts and composers. her obvious knowledge and sensitivity to poetic invention adds a dimension of understanding often missing from "chanson" singing today.This disk is a jewel of a memory and replaces very nicely some 10" LPs that have deteriorated markedly over the many years I've had them. If you don't know Kolassi, get this disk and share in her art which was a big attraction in Paris 50 years ago. The sound is really very good and what it enhances is priceless."