Michel Plasson, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Natalie Dessay - Léo Delibes: Lakmé (2022)

For all its exotically tinged, trademark Orientalism, so fashionable in late-19th-century France, Delibe's opera Lakmé is at heart a simple story of tragically misplaced love. This marvelous and sensitively wrought interpretation renders the intensity of that love story with a surprising emotional credibility. Conductor Michel Plasson allows the music's arching melodies to breathe and unfold leisurely, like a lovingly cultivated floral display; he even discovers hidden nuances within the formulaic fluff that pads Delibe's score. And his vision is shared by the outstanding principals here. As the titular Hindu princess, Natalie Dessay gives a jewel-like performance, full of stunningly shaped phrases and tapered notes that sound like spun silk (and one that can favorably compare with Joan Sutherland's account on London). Yet she also offers substance where others are satisfied with mere vocal beauty, conveying both the fatal innocence of her character and an intense capacity to suffer. Gregory Kunde portrays the English interloper Gerald with moving tenderness, while he manages the high tessitura of the part with elegance and flexibility. There's a sense of shared vulnerability that the pair bring to their first duet, one of several unforgettable touches on this recording. The cast is filled out with rich characterizations, most notably José Van Dam's imposingly authoritarian Nilakantha. The subtle intimacy of detail Plasson inspires throughout as well as the fine engineering makes this recording a winner.

–Thomas May

Performer:
Lakmé - Natalie Dessay
Gérald - Gregory Kunde
Nilakantha - José Van Dam
Mallika - Delphine Haidan
Frederic - Franck Leguérinel
Ellen - Patricia Petibon
Rose - Xenia Konsek
Mistress Bentson - Bernadette Antoine
Hadji - Charles Burles
Un Domben - Alain Chilemme
Un Kouravar - Yves Boudier
Un Marchand Chinois - Jean-Pierre Lautre
Chœur & Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse
Conductor - Michel Plasson

Tracklist:
Léo Delibes (1836-1891)
Lakmé
01. Prélude
02. Acte I. Introduction : "A l'heure accoutumée" (Choeur, Nilakantha)
03. "Blanche Dourga" (Lakmé, Choeur, Nilakantha)
04. "Lakmé, c'est toi qui nous protèges !" (Nilakantha, Lakmé, Hadji, Mallika)
05. "Dôme épais le jasmin à la rose s'assemble" (Lakmé/Mallika)
06. "Miss Rose, Miss Ellen" (Mistress Bentson, Ellen, Rose, Gerald, Frederic)
07. "Quand une femme est si jolie" (Ellen, Frederic, Gerald, Rose, Mistress Bentson)
08. "Nous commettons un sacrilège" (Frederic, Gerald, Mistress Bentson, Rose, Ellen)
09. "Prendre le dessin d'un bijou" (Gerald)
10. "Non ! Je ne veux pas toucher" (Gerald, Lakmé, Mallika)
11. "Les fleurs me paraissent plus belles" (Lakmé)
12. "Ah ! Mallika ! Mallika" (Lakmé, Mallika, Hadji)
13. "D'où viens-tu ? Que veux-tu ?" (Lakmé, Gerald)
14. "Viens là ! là !" (Hadji, Nilakantha, Lakmé, Choeur)
15. Entr'acte
16. Acte II. "Allons, avant que midi sonne" (Choeur, Mistress Bentson, Frederic, Rose)
17. "Enfin ! Nous aurons du silence !" (Mistress Bentson, Frederic, Rose)
18. Airs de danse - Introduction
19. Airs de danse - Terâna
20. Airs de danse - Rektah
21. Airs de danse - Persian
22. Airs de danse - "Ah ! Ah ! Par nos yeux charmés" (Choeur)
23. Airs de danse - Sortie
24. "Voyez donc ce vieillard" (Rose, Frederic, Mistress Bentson)
25. "Ah ! Ce vieillard encor !" (Rose/Nilakantha/Lakmé)
26. "Ah ! c'est de ta douleur" (Lakmé, Nilakantha)
27. "Ah ! Par les dieux inspirés…Où va la jeune hindoue…" (Lakmé)
28. "La rage me dévore" (Nilakantha, Lakmé, Choeur, Gerald, Frederic)
29. "Au milieu des chants d'allégresse" (Nilakantha, Lakmé, Choeur)
30. "Le maître ne pense qu'à sa vengeance" (Hadji)
31. "Lakmé ! Lakmé ! C'est toi !" (Gerald, Lakmé)
32. "O Dourga, toi qui renais" (Choeur, Ellen, Rose, Mistress Bentson, Frederic, Gerald)
33. Entr'acte
34. Acte III. "Sous le ciel tout étoilé" (Lakmé)
35. "Quel vague souvenir alourdit ma pensée ?" (Gerald, Lakmé)
36. "Lakmé ! Lakmé ! Ah ! Viens dans la forêt profonde" (Gerald)
37. "Là, je pourrai t'entendre" (Lakmé, Choeur, Gerald)
38. "Vivant !" (Frederic, Gerald)
39. "Ils allaient deux à deux" (Lakmé, Gerald, Choeur)
40. "C'est lui ! C'est lui !" (Nilakantha, Lakmé, Gerald)