The Swiss-born, Dutch-trained baritone Bernard Kruysen has long been associated with French song, at least in his long series of recordings with the superb pianist and sensitive collaborative musician Noël Lee. Kruysen’s light timbre, superb diction, and conversational rather than presentational approach ideally serve this repertoire and place him squarely in the great French baritone tradition. To be sure, he doesn’t match the sheer tonal beauty, bloom, and suppleness Gerard Souzay commanded in his prime, as revealed by comparisons between the artists in such pieces as Debussy’s Trois chansons de France and the 12 Duparc songs. On the other hand, Kruysen’s on fresher form in the present 1972 Ravel recital than his equally characterful yet drier counterpart 18 years later for the same composer’s Histoires Naturelles, recorded for Bayer. Unlike earlier CD incarnations on the full-price Auvidis line, Naïve’s less-expensive reissues include full texts and translations. In short, lovers of French song will be happy to add these minor gramophone classics to their collections, either gathered together in this single package, or as individual releases.
