Régine Crespin, soprano: "Portrait" 10-CD box set

[Lance]

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Warner Classics 58867, 10 CDs

"Inimitable in her native French, but equally superb in German and Italian, Régine Crespin was one of the reigning prima donnas of her era. Few sopranos could match her in encompassing epic heroism and intimate refinement, noble tragedy and suggestive wit, opera and operetta, art song, and jazz. Her sensuous tone, verbal acuity and stylish phrasing illuminate this collection of her most important recorded recitals and substantial highlights from [Les Troyens, Tosca (sung in French), and Hérodiade]. They all provide indisputable evidence that Crespin, who was born in Marseille in 1927 and died in Paris 80 years later, was one of the greatest singers that France has provided."

That pretty much says it all about Crespin in a nutshell. The individual sleeves show the original LP albums in colour, a booklet with a very fine biographical sketch of the artist. The material derives from several labels under the Warner blanket, including Erato, EMI, Vega, and three licensed discs from Decca/Universal, all very nicely packaged in a box about one inch thick. A great bargain price even from Amazon/USA (seems to be much higher elsewhere).