Adriana González (soprano), Marina Viotti (mezzo-soprano), Iñaki Encina Oyón (piano)
Audax ADX11209 62:59 mins (2 discs)
‘Smile and the world smiles with you: weep and you weep alone,’ says the adage. In step with this, while musical laments are regularly for solo voice, duets claim the opposite areas of love, happiness and the open air.
This collection of 22 French duets follows the pattern, only one of them being in the minor throughout, four moving from minor to major, the other 17 in the major throughout. Also, as usual with duets, mellifluous thirds and sixths abound, helping to give us a feast of French music at its most delectable – and if it can be described as ‘easy listening’, perhaps this is something we can all do with, given the present state of the world.
Not everything, though, is exactly as it should be. In particular, and in company with many other recordings these days, dynamic markings are patchily observed. In Lalo’s ‘Dansons!’, on the last page the vocalists sing fortissimo throughout their phrases, while the piano should start with an fp, followed by a crescendo: for the pianist to ignore this, as here, loses an important subtlety. Similarly, the opening of Chaminade’s ‘Duo d’étoiles’ is marked pianissimo leggeriss[imo], the pianist giving us a solid mezzo forte, while in Massenet’s ‘Joie’ he underplays the final fortissimo which is unique in the song.
The singers are more accurate with their dynamics, if not impeccable. Both possess agile voices, heard to great effect in Fauré’s ‘Tarantelle’, and elsewhere Adriana González floats her high notes beautifully. Outstanding among the contributors are the bigger names: Fauré, Delibes, Gounod and Franck, who is more successful here than in his solo songs.