***** Coup de Cœur

Disc of the Month

“… orchestral passages that in other recordings are allowed to sound perfunctory … are here given plenty of direction and thrust. The sound is sumptuous, and the playing of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra is rich and refined. The orchestra’s concertmaster, Jonathan Crow, is suitably melting in the famous Méditation… the voice [Erin Wall] is a beautiful instrument, with an appealing shimmer to it, and it’s serious and moving assumption that seeks to flesh out the character into more than just a caricature of carefree exotic charm. She has opposite her a fine Athanaël in the form of Joshua Hopkins; he has a big, handsome-sounding baritone and sings generously, capturing beautifully both the character’s initial high-minded idealism and, in an affecting account of the fnal act, his desperation and passion. The secondary cast is impressive, too… a fine recording that treats Massenet’s moving work  with the seriousness it deserves.”

“… With fine voices, most realistically balanced with the orchestra, this is a recording to cherish …” ****

“…Davis clearly has a great fondness for the score … and his understanding of Massenet’s often deliberate blurring of the dividing line between sensual and spiritual experience is unquestionably acute. The playing is excellent, with a refined sensuousness of texture throughout … Vocally, the set is strong … His [Hopkins] is a remarkable, unforgettable performance, sung with consistently expressive beauty, and quite superbly characterised … Andrew Staples makes an elegant Nicias, charming and vapid in this instance, rather than worldly wise. Liv Redpath and Andrea Ludwig are delightful as Crobyle and Myrtale, Nathan Berg does much with little as Palémon and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir remind us just how beautiful Massenet’s often understated choral writing can be. The recording itself sounds sumptuous …”

“… the sound is excellent, conveying something of the atmosphere of the concert hall without losing detail, and the balance between the voices and the orchestra is ideal. Massenet’s quasi-Wagnerian score is voluptuous and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra plays it elegantly, stylishly bringing out its exotic, multi-layered orchestration …”

“A well cast, finely conducted performance of one of Massenet’s most alluring scores”

“… This excellent new recording was made after performances at the Edinburgh Festival and then in Melbourne, with Toronto forces directed by Sir Andrew Davis. The cast is excellent and soprano Erin Wall easily handles this demanding role. The cast is uniformly strong, and Massenet's sometimes exotic score is beautifully played by the Toronto Orchestra directed by Sir Andrew Davis. The opera most famous episode the Meditation for violin and orchestra heard between the two scenes of Act II never has sounded as voluptuous as it does here. This is an impressive set with a booklet containing many photos and the complete libretto. Thank you, Chandos!”