# Final round of three - Duparc's Chanson triste - Crespin, Kaufmann and Dreisig



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

*Régine Crespin (1927- 2007), soprano with Janine Reiss, piano*






*Jonas Kaufmann (b. 1969), tenor with Hemut Deutsch, piano*






*Elsa Dreisig (b.1991), soprano with Jonathan Ware, piano*

I thought I'd finish with three more recent singers, two representing more recent generations and one who was active mostly in the sixties and seventies.

For those who have never heard of her, Elsa Dreisig is a Franco/Danish lyric soprano, who has been making quite a name for herself in Europe over the last few years. She sang Salome at the Aix-en-Provence festival this year.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Try this for Regine


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Crespin was divine. Smiling and caressing throughout. Kaufmann also was really really good but was just a tad too operatic for me. I wonder if his approach might work better in a recital. The final songstress was also really good but Crespin nudged her out of the way to win. Crespin was really really beautiful.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Kaufmann's voice is just too ugly for this music so I count him out immediately. Crespin is an artist I'm not always keen on and didn't respond to her rendition much. The voice isn't as tightly controlled as I'd like. The basic instrument might be more impressive than Dreisig's but Deisig's lyric voice fits the music well, and is surprisingly attractive and unforced for a modern singer. I'll go for Dreisig.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I know the score of this song very well, having sung it a few times myself. Duparc peppers his instructions with the word _doux_ (the high note on _mon amour_ is marked _très doux_) and injunctions to sing _p_ or _pp_. There are a couple of places where the climactic note is marked _f_, but is always followed by a _diminuendo_, so even the loud moments need to be bound into the song as a whole.

I’ll commend Kaufmann for attempting to carry out Duparc’s instructions but his voice is altogether too muscular and he emits a weird little squeak on the _mon_ of _mon amour_. I discounted him first.

Crespin is too slow and sings in a somewhat monochrome _mezzo forte_ throughout, hardly altering her dynamic range at all. It all sounds a bit lugubrious, a similar criticism I have of her famous recording of _Les nuits d’été._

Dreisig is one of the few modern singers to impress me of late. She pays due attention to Duparc’s markings, sings with sensitivity and attention to the words, and has a lovely lyric soprano, which must be of ample size as she has been singing Salome in Aix this summer. Dreisin wins this round.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I liked Regine Crespin best. She shaded the song very nicely. At times, her voice sounded too thin to me, but the beauty of the other things prevailed. Also the technical quality of the recording was somehow better than the other two.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Crespin‘s recording had the quality of a memory, her voice slightly worn but still capable of nuance and its excellence evident. There’s a hint of knowingness in some phrases, a gentle reminder of a life well lived in her tone. Her accompaniment is here rendered by the great Janine Reiss who, among others, coached Callas in her French opera recordings.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

An odd mix. I find Kaufmann's dark, swallowed tone more or less (dis)agreeable, depending on repertoire. It works very well for Siegmund and Parsifal, not so much for Faure, but he gets good marks for musicality. Crespin's urbane sensuality feels entirely right only in the refined passions of French music, but there isn't much passion of any kind here. Perhaps, as MAS suggests, it's the memory of love and not the thing itself. I found it pleasant enough. Dreisig may be least problematic, though her voice is the least distinctive; soon after hearing it, I can't remember what it sounds like.

I don't know, I don't know...


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Crespin was divine. Smiling and caressing throughout. Kaufmann also was really really good but was just a tad too operatic for me. I wonder if his approach might work better in a recital. The final songstress was also really good but Crespin nudged her out of the way to win. Crespin was really really beautiful.


My sentiments entirely.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

MAS said:


> Crespin‘s recording had the quality of a memory, her voice slightly worn but still capable of nuance and its excellence evident. There’s a hint of knowingness in some phrases, a gentle reminder of a life well lived in her tone. Her accompaniment is here rendered by the great Janine Reiss who, among others, coached Callas in her French opera recordings.


You're good! I shall have to start paying more attention to the vocal threads here.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Tsaraslondon said:


> I thought I'd finish with three more recent singers, two representing more recent generations and one who was active mostly in the sixties and seventies.
> 
> For those who have never heard of her, Elsa Dreisig is a Franco/Danish lyric soprano, who has been making quite a name for herself in Europe over the last few years. She sang Salome at the Aix-en-Provence festival this year.


Just to say that today I acquired a very fine digital transfer of this, non commercial, made by someone who loves the music and has the technical expertise. PM me if you want it.

L'EXQUISE RLS 716 [VINYL BOXSET] : Maggie Teyte: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Jonas Kaufmann: There is a tenor who bothers the heck out of me. I want so badly to accept him without any caveats but that lack of spinto with a throat tone that is almost baritonal prevents an otherwise perfect tenor. Everything*,* from looks to superb acting (he really belongs on the stage) is perfect along with a voice that could have been a spinto tenor had he not forcibly changed the tone to his preferred dark one.
I adore Crespin but in this particular piece called "Sad Song" I find the quiet delicateness of Dreisig much more appealing, comforting and beautiful.





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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Crespin was divine. Smiling and caressing throughout. Kaufmann also was really really good but was just a tad too operatic for me. I wonder if his approach might work better in a recital. The final songstress was also really good but Crespin nudged her out of the way to win. Crespin was really really beautiful.


Not so fast, tootsie!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Not so fast, tootsie!


Maybe I posted the Grand Finale too fast, but Crespin hasn't got any votes yet anyway.

I have't heard Dreisig live yet, but I've been very impressed with her recital records. She's still young (30 or 31) and is certainly one to watch. She sang Salome in Aix-en-Provence this year. I'm not so convinced by the bel canto stuff I've heard on youtube, but in Mozart, Strauss and French music I really like her.


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