Favourite historic recordings :Lucien Fugere: "C'est un Torrent Impétueux", Pelerins de la Mecque

Two dates are relevant for this recording

1848 - date of birth

1929 - date of recording

That means that Fugère was 81 when his was recorded - you would never believe just from listening to this that the singer was anything like that age.  It shows the importance of a good technique and in particular using the words as well as the notes.

Fugère was a mainstay of French operatic life for many years, creating roles in operas by Massenet, Charpentier, and Chabrier amongst others.

There is a link to another of these posts, in that Hugues Cuénod heard Fugère sing live (his last performance was in 1933 at the age of 85).  Cuénod made his last appearance at the age of 90 and died only in 2010 at the age of 108.

Hugues Cuenod tenor b 1902

And while I am on the subject of performances which do everything wrong but yet musically are absolutely right I can't help but note the passing of the great Hugues Cuenod, who of course died a few days ago at the age of 108.


This is the famous recording of Chiome D'oro from the Monteverdi Madrigals directed by Nadia Boulanger from the 1930s.




I first heard this piece at school where two of the singers in the 6th form did this as a party piece at several concerts.

When I heard this recording at University I was very sniffy about it because - horror of horrors - it has a piano accompaniment.      Completely beyond the pale to a right thinking young musicologist.  

Yet of course, like the Deller, taken on its own terms it is masterly.  Indeed this is one of the best examples of pure joy in music that I know - listening to it always brings me out in a smile.   I find many more modern performances of this try too hard - Boulanger knew exactly how to make the music seems as fresh and natural as it had been composed the previous day.