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ATMA Classique4.5
Infini
Elisabeth St-Gelais, soprano; Louise Pelletier, piano; Georges Bizet, Cécile Chaminade, Henri Duparc, Francis Poulenc, Camille Saint-Saëns, composers
ATMA Classique, 2024
We’re hearing more and more about soprano Elisabeth St-Gelais. Named Révélation Radio-Canada 2023-2024, she went on to win the prestigious Prix d’Europe in 2024. We’ve heard all about her—and we’ve heard her sing, in that full, generous voice that we imagine will one day resound on major stages. So you might be a little surprised to hear her first official recording, a collection of seven French mélodies that evoke the intimacy of a living room.
But once you’ve got over that surprise, you’ll find yourself congratulating the young artist on having been prudent in choosing these pieces which showcase her musicality and tact, rather than taking on the operatic heroines as might have been expected. (On YouTube, you can hear her as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Tatiana in Eugene Onegin and even in “Vissi d’arte” from Tosca, which she interprets very convincingly.) Yes, one day we will certainly be treated to a recording with orchestra of the great roles in which St-Gelais’s majestic voice will be given more free rein.
French mélodies discoveries
In the meantime, we’re grateful to her for introducing us to two little-known mélodies by the underrated Cécile Chaminade (“Infini” and “Villanelle), a rarity by Bizet (“Pastel”) and one by Saint-Saëns (“Si vous n’avez rien à me dire”). In these finely chiselled trinkets, even if the artist’s singing is very polished, her big voice sometimes seems a little cramped.
The other three, more well-known tracks, give her the opportunity to shine even more. Her interpretation of Poulenc’s famous “Chemins de l’amour,” while not as close to that of its creator, Yvonne Printemps, as Jessye Norman’s version for example, is nonetheless very convincing. But it is in Duparc’s “Phydilé,” judiciously placed at the end of the recital, that St-Gelais’s voice comes into its own. In fact, this melody offers a skilfully measured progression of long, spellbinding phrases that are as satisfying as a grand opera aria.
The young artist can call on the full experience of pianist Louise Pelletier, who accompanies this program with intelligence and refinement.
An exceptional voice that offers us rarities, while at the same time revealing great promise—this is a successful disc!
Translation: Gianmarco Segato
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
