- La Belle Epoque : Songs of Renaldo Hahn
- Susan Graham, mezzo
- Roger Vignoles, piano
- Sony SK 60168
 American
mezzo Susan Graham's first CD was a promising recording of Berlioz's Les nuits d'été.
Her new album of French melodies, taped last January, is an astonishing success, placing
her at the forefront of contemporary interpreters of this difficult repertoire. Graham's
voice is rich and warm, light and sunny, ideal for Hahn's intense but limited expressive
palette. Her French diction and phrasing are those of a native speaker. Several of Hahn's
songs are monotonous, but the divine A Chloris, L'Heure Exquise and others
make up for them. Sony's sound engineering is clear and somewhat harder than necessary.
Notes in English, French and German. Song texts in English and French only.
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