To mark the 150th anniversary of the death of Georges Bizet (1838-1875), the Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre for French Romantic Music, in collaboration with the Harmonia Mundi label, Les Amis de Georges Bizet and the La Forlane Foundation (Institut de France), has released a complete recording of Georges Bizet's 63 melodies.
Alongside three other singers (Marianne Croux, Cyrille Dubois, Guilhem Worms), accompanied on the pianoforte by Luca Montebugnoli and Edoardo Torbianelli, Coline Dutilleul shines with her grace, sensuality and delicacy in melodies with evocative titles such as „Rêve de la bien-aimée“, „Ma vie a son secret“, „À une fleur”, „Le Colibri”, „La chanson de la rose”, „De mes brebis la plus charmante” and many more.
The press is no less enthusiastic than we are (excerpts):
"Coline Dutilleul strikes an almost ideal balance between the tremulous sensitivity of the words and the form of the line, as in Ma vie a son secret and especially in A une fleur – where she benefits from the soft sounds of the 1857 Pleyel, our favourite. Her luminous, slightly nasal mezzo voice and refined pronunciation blend beautifully with the pianino in the Chants des Pyrénées, harmonised in the 1860s – the jewel in the crown of this triple album.“ (Diapason)
"Coline Dutilleul is extremely fine and is given all six Chants des Pyrénées, folk-like songs transcribed and harmonised by Bizet, with a flavour of his writing for L’arlésienne. Dutilleul sings them with great warmth, especially ‘Là-haut sur la montagne’ which, with its shepherd’s-pipe lilt, feels like a precursor to Canteloube’s Chants d’Auvergne." (Gramophone Choice's 25)
"Exemplary in diction and phrasing, Coline Dutilleul is a slender, spirited mezzo!" (Opernwelt)
"Mezzo-soprano Coline Dutilleul enchants with the constant naturalness of her singing, as if she only had to open her mouth for Bizet to come out.“ (Concertclassic)
"On the same level of excellence [as Cyrille Dubois], Coline Dutilleul showcases a rich, velvety tone, which can also become more refined when it comes to conveying the text.“ (Forumopera)
"Mezzo-soprano Coline Dutilleul brings warmth and commitment to her singing without losing her naturalness.“ (Olyrix)
"The tone and sensitive interpretation of mezzo-soprano Coline Dutilleul enchant us." (Première Loge)
"The voice of mezzo-soprano Coline Dutilleul is magnificent and velvety.“ (Scherzo)
"Coline Dutilleul, magnificent enough for the thrill, the poetry, and subtly allied with the piano in the “Pyrenean” melodies. A mezzo definitely worth following." (Artamag)
Link to excerpts
16.09.25
