L'Etoile: French Arias

by Various Artists

Jennifer Larmore successfully tackles a wide range of French Romantic opera arias in this admirable recital. Despite the music's stylistic and vocal demands, Larmore's richly cushioned mezzo, with its solid low notes and freely soaring highs, is more than equal to the task. Even in era of outstanding mezzos, not many can match her rapid-fire articulation in florid music like the Auber aria or her exciting ending of "O ma lyre immortelle" from Gounod's Sappho. Nor are there many whose plush tones match Larmore's in Massenet's Werther aria. Even in "D'amour l'ardente flame" from Berlioz's La Damnation of Faust, her rich voice captivates and she maintains the line despite the overly slow tempo. She's especially effective in the lighter arias, aptly characterizing the bored wife of Ravel's L'heure espagnole, and the bubbly, self-adoring Lazuli from Chabrier's L'étoile. Fine accompaniments by de Billy and the orchestra round off a disc sure to please. --Dan Davis