Charles Dutoit leads a rather tepid Poulenc Gloria, with slowish tempos, stiff phrasing, and soft-edged articulation that tends to diminish the music’s supposedly celebratory nature. Compare this to Ozawa’s Boston Symphony recording, which exudes a color, rhythmic energy, and overall excitement that’s missing from Dutoit’s. The same can be said of Sylvia Greenberg’s waif-like, Charlotte Church-style singing in the “Domine Deus”, which sounds ill-suited to Poulenc’s impassioned vocal writing. The somber Stabat Mater proceeds better in Dutoit’s hands as he emphasizes the music’s poignant harmonies and precise orchestration, even if he doesn’t maintain the underlying tension the way Ozawa does. Dutoit does have going for him the excellent Radio France Chorus, whose rich, full-throated singing is beyond reproach. The Orchestre National de France also plays handsomely.
Bizet’s Te Deum almost tips the scale toward recommendation for this disc. It’s a brief, tuneful (how could it not be?), and joyously uplifting piece that stays in the mind and leaves the listener with a smile after it’s ended–especially in this rousing performance by the Suisse Romande forces under Jésus Lopez-Cóbos. Recorded sound is full and spacious in the Poulenc, while the large chorus in the Bizet is miked a little too close for comfort.
