Mirages

Rightly celebrated for her Mozart, the French soprano turns to the music of her homeland to offer a beautiful programme saluting some of French music’s heroines. As well as Mélisande, Lakmé, Thaïs and Madame Chrysanthème, Devieilhe gives us two portraits of Ophelia—through Thomas’ Hamlet and Berlioz’s powerful “La mort d’Ophélie”. Delage’s gorgeous and exotic Four Hindu Poems, too, are ravishing. Devieilhe’s spot-on intonation and pleasingly warm voice are a delight, and François-Xavier Roth and his excellent orchestra, Les Siècles, are superb and stylish partners.