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NATALIE DESSAY and MICHEL LEGRAND Entre elle et lui ERATO 934145 2

1. Chanson de Delphine (from the movie Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)
2. Le Cinéma
3. Chanson de Delphine à Lancien (from the movie Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)
4. Papa can you hear me? (from Yentl)
5. Recette pour un Cake d'Amour (from the movie Peau d'Âne)
6. La valse des lilas
7. Les moulins de mon coeur (from the movie The Thomas Crown Affair)
8. L'âme soeur à l'hameçon
9. What are you doing the rest of your life?
10. Chanson des jumelles (from the movie Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)
11. Le rouge et le noir
12. Conseil de la Fée Lilas (from the movie Peau d'Âne)
13. Duo de Guy et Geneviève (from the movie Les Parapluies de Cherbourg)
14. La chanson de Louba
15. La chanson
16. Paris Violon
17. The Summer Knows
18. Mon dernier concert

Natalie Dessay (vocals); Catherine Michel (harp); Patricia Petibon (vocals); Laurent Naouri (vocals): Michel Legrand (piano and vocals): Pierre Boussaguet (bass): François Laizeau (drums)

Recorded February and July, 2013, Studio Davout, Paris and Studio Guillaume Tell, Suresnes [65:32]

 

I think I’ll be in a very small minority of listeners who find parts of this album quite difficult to take. That’s not due to Michel Legrand or to his trio - Pierre Boussaguet is the bassist and François Laizeau the drummer. Nor is it the guest artists. Nor, really, is there anything wrong with the rapport between Natalie Dessay and Legrand over the course of this recital, as there’s clearly a warm and genuine sense of mutual admiration between them. And in fact for stretches much works excellently and with necessary flexibility. My concern, however, is Dessay’s vocal suitability.

This fluctuates alarmingly, often within the space of a single song. Her light conversational voice can be richly appealing and I find it so on Chanson de Delphine but alarm bells start ringing in the bluesy lope of Le Cinéma where the voice sounds strained the higher Dessay pushes it. There’s no doubt that she is superbly adept at the tongue-twisting élan of Chanson de Delphine à Lancien but for me it’s pitched, again, too high and the result sounds very uncomfortable. One of the best tracks from this perspective, and sung in English, is Papa can you hear me? (from Yentl) and whilst Dessay can hardly be expected to compete with Streisand the line sounds better for her voice.

Legrand sounds in fine fettle; his Teddy Wilson-like runs on La valse des lilas are pleasurable to hear, so too his knowing tremolandi and the discreet support offered him by his colleagues. He offers a now-frayed vocal top to which Dessay offers a nice descant. I like the funky pace they take L'âme soeur à l'hameçon though again it’s stymied by Dessay singing it too high. When the vocal line sits lower the results are much better and for much of What are you doing the rest of your life? and Conseil de la Fée Lilas (from the movie Peau d'Âne) that’s the case, though she spoils the effect toward the end of both by forcing the voice too high yet again. The Summer Knows escapes these strictures; it’s well done. The guests acquit themselves well - Catherine Michel is Legrand’s wife and Laurent Naouri is Dessay’s husband, so that’s one way to keep it in the family, I suppose.

Much here is entertaining – the pianism, little baroque hues, filmic richness, great songs, the composer-pianist on hand, discreet backing and more besides. But I can’t get used to Dessay’s voice.

Jonathan Woolf

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