- Main performer: Victoria de Los Angeles
- Booklet languages: English, German, French
- Libretto languages: German, English, French, Italian
- Time: 72:13
- Release Date: 2006
Review
To a degree unusual even for opera singers, Victoria de los Angeles was loved by her fans. Not loved with the fierce passion of Maria Callas' fans or loved with the idealized worship of Elisabeth Schwarzkopf's fans, but loved as one loves a beloved spouse, with deep affection, constant amazement, and a compassionate sense of protection. There was a sweetness in de los Angeles' voice and a quickness in her vibrato, a humanity in her portrayals and a vulnerability in her characterizations, that made her seem immediately lovable and many of the listeners fell for her and never got over it.This disc of French chansons by Ravel, Debussy, and Duparc is all about l'amour, and, for fans of de los Angeles, it'll be a postcard from Paris with a lipstick kiss as a signature. When they were released in '60s, her performances were criticized among a few Francophiles for her less than Parisian accent, but even they had to concede that de los Angeles' vowels were charming and her consonants were adorable. No one, however, ever criticized de los Angeles' sensual tone or her knowing interpretations. No matter how recherché the texts -- and with poems by Tristan Klingsor and Paul Verlaine, the texts do get très recherché -- de los Angeles still gets beneath their skin. Whether accompanied by Georges Prêtre and the Orchestre de la Societé des Concerts du Conservatoire in the Ravel and Duparc orchestra songs or by pianist Gonzalo Soriano in the Debussy songs, de los Angeles is irresistible. French EMI's '60s stereo sound is sumptuous: full, lush, deep, and completely translucent. ~ James Leonard, All Music Guide
