リートとバラード集

抑制の効いた美しい声
バリトン、ドゥグーによる歌曲集

ドゥグーはリヨン国立音楽院卒業。エクス=アン=プロヴァンス音楽祭でパパゲーノを歌ってデビュー。その後世界の名だたる歌劇場(パリ・オペラ座他)で活躍しています。ロト指揮レ・シエクルのベルリオーズ:夏の夜(KKC 6001 / HMM 902634)でも共演するなど、レコーディングも多く行っています。抑制の効いた表現が魅力のバリトンです。ここではドイツ語の歌詞による珠玉の作品を、抜群の描写力と表現力で歌いあげています。
キングインターナショナル

Baritone Stephane Degout has mostly specialized in French music until now, but here he essays German (and Italian-language works) as though to the manner born, and offers a program that the 19th century would have found familiar, but that these days, qualifies as genuinely fresh. The title Epic indicates that the program consists (at least mostly) of storytelling songs and Degout understands that the point of these is for the singer to compel the audiences attention. He has a good deal of intensity in his top register, and this is all to the good. He also offers songs that are not always in general circulation. Schuberts Der Zwerg, D. 771, is a supernatural cousin to Erlkonig, D. 328, not nearly as well known but very nearly as good. Degout proceeds to Schuberts little-known contemporary Carl Loewe, Schumann, Brahms, Hugo Wolf, and Liszt, who is represented by several songs, including the gloriously over-the-top Es war ein Konig in Thule, S. 278/2. The program ends with three of Liszts Tre Sonetti di Petrarca, and if theres a complaint here, its that these songs, in Italian and with little of the Epic theme, seem to come out of nowhere. If the intent was to end with lighter material, there were narrative songs that would have better filled the bill. In general, though, Degout gets lively but properly understated support from accompanist Simon Lepper, as well as Felicity Palmer and Marielou Jacquard in a couple of duets. A convincing exposition of a largely neglected repertory.