Gratuitous Friday – Véronique Gens Chante Berlioz

Every time I see and hear  Véronique Gens perform, I like her even more than before. This is the first time I’ve heard her sing anything in her native language; her presentation of Berlioz's Les Nuite d'ete is just delightful! 

Mme. Gens enters the stage about 14:30 into the video. Click here for texts and translations of these songs. (The rest of the program is lovely, too; but, sadly there's no more singing.)

Lionel Bringuier is a (very) young French conductor who has already served six years as a resident conductor for the Los Angeles Phiharmonic (once filling in, mid-concert, for the"Dude" to conduct the same Tchaikovsky sixth we hear here), as well as conducting the New York Phil and a host of European ensembles.