Portrait

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 fromLes Troyens,Tosca(sung in French) andHérodiade. They all provide indisputable evidence that Crespin, who was born in Marseille in 1927 and died in Paris 80 year later, was one of the greatest singers that France has produced.