Delibes: Lakmé: MusicNear.com

Music CD 1

Lakme: Prelude
Lakme: Act I: No. 1 Introduction: 'A L'Heure Accoutumee' (Nilakantha)
Lakme: Act I: Priere: 'Blanch Dourga' (Lakme, Nilakantha)
Lakme: Act I: N. 1 Bis - Scene: 'Lakme, C'Est Toi Qui Nous Proteges!' (Nilakantha, Lakme)
Lakme: Act I: No. 2 - Duetto: 'Viens, Malika' (Lakme)
Lakme: Act I: Scene: 'Miss Rose, Miss Ellen' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I: No. 3 - Quintette & Couplets: 'Quand Une Femme Est Si Jolie' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I: Recitatif: 'Nous Commettons Un Sacrilege' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I: No. 4 - Air: 'Prendre Le Dessin D' Un Bijou' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act I: No. 4 Bis - Scene: 'Non! Je Ne Veux Pas Toucher' (Gerald, Lakme)
Lakme: Act I: No. 5 - REcitatif & Strophes: 'Les Fleurs Me Paraissent Plus Belles' (Lakme)
Lakme: Act I: No. 5 Bis - Recitatif: 'Ah! Malika! Malika!' (Lakme)
Lakme: Act I: No. 6 - Duo: 'D'Ou Viens-tu? Que Veux-tu?' (Lakme, Gerald)
Lakme: Act I: No. 6 Bis - Scene: 'Viens! La! La!' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
Lakme: Act I: Entr'Acte
Lakme: Act II: No. 7 - Choeur & Scene Du Marche: 'Allons, Avant Que Midi Sonne'
Lakme: Act II: No. 7 Bis - Recitatif: 'Enfin! Nous Aurons Du Silence!'
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Introduction
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Terana
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Rektah
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Persian
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Coda Avec Choeurs
Lakme: Act II: No. 8 - Airs De Danse: Sortie
Lakme: Act II: Recitatif: 'Voyez Donc Ce Vieillard'
Lakme: Act II: No. 9 - Scene & Stances: 'Ah! Ce Viellard Encor!' (Nilankantha, Lakme)

Music CD 2

Lakme: Act II: No. 9 Bis-Recitatif: 'Ah! C'Est De Ta Douleur' (Lakme, Nilankantha)
Lakme: Act II: No. 10 - Scene & Legende De La Fille Du Paria (Air Des Clochettes): 'Ah!... Par Les Dieux Inspires... Ou Va La Jeune Indoue' (Lakme, Nilankantha)
Lakme: Act II: No. 11 - Scene: 'La Rage Me Devore' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
Lakme: Act II: No. 12 - Scene & Choeur: 'Au Milieu Des Chants D' Allegresse' (Nilankantha, Lakme)
Lakme: Act II: No. 12 Bis - Recitatif: 'Le Maitre Ne Pense Qu' A Sa Vengeance'
Lakme: Act II: No. 13 - Duo: 'Lakme! Lakme! C' Est Toi!' (Lakme, Gerald)
Lakme: Act II: No. 14 - Finale: 'O Dourga, Toi Qui Renais' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act II: Entr'Acte
Lakme: Act III: No. 15 - Berceuse: 'Sous Le Ciel Tout Etoile' (Lakme)
Lakme: Act III: No. 15 Bis - Recitatif: 'Quel Vague Souvenir Alourdit Ma Pensee?' (Gerald, Lakme)
Lakme: Act III: No. 16 - Cantilene: 'Lakme! Lakme! Ah! Viens Dans La Foret Profonde' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act III: No. 17 - Scene & Choeur: 'La, Je Pourrai T' Entendre' (Lakme, Gerald)
Lakme: Act III: No. 18 - Scene: 'Vivant!' (Gerald)
Lakme: Act III: No. 19 - Duo: 'Ils Allaient Deux A Duex' (Lakme, Gerald)
Lakme: Act III: No. 20 - Finale: 'C' Est Lui! C' Est Lui!' (Nilankantha, Lakme, Gerald)

Free Music Notes for Delibes: Lakmé

Free Music Review: Perfect!
Hit: 5 Stars

The singers? Well, they're all in class with their conductor. Dessay sings Lakmé with a very pure voice, really making you believe that she is as innocent as here role demands. When the sensualism begins, she also uses some sliding between the notes, which makes her contribution very 'french' indeed. Kunde couldn't have done his Gerald better. He uses a seamless legato in much of the romatic music, which together with his habit to 'hang' on his notes rhytmically, makes his singing in these parts exceptionally beautiful, effortlessly milking out the most of every single note. His "Fantasie aux divine mensonges" is priceless. Van Dam as Lakmé's father Nilakantha is as always in impressive voice, his sometimes abrupt way of handling tones being perfect in this role. Haidan's Mallika is just as much darker in voice and more serious in action than Dessay's Lakmé, which is just way it's supposed to be. And her voice itself is very beautiful. The rest of the cast is very good as well, their voices well separated from one another both by nature and in the recording, which makes the action easy to follow and each caracter gets heard.

The Sutherland/Vanzo version for London/Decca may not be generally as good as this one, but it none the less has Vanzo in the role of Gerald, and he is always a pleasure to hear. But this Dessay/Kunde, I think, is the over all better recording, actually The Best Lakmé-recording of all, nothing short of world class.