Album insights
In October 2014, Piotr Beczala was awarded the title of "Singer of the Year" at the ECHO awards ceremony. His focus in "The French Collection" showcases a dedication to the French opera tradition. With excerpts from the major works of the French repertoire, the Polish tenor faces a challenge that demands both technical and idiomatic expertise. Over the past sixty years, the quintessential French operas, such as Gounod's Faust and Roméo et Juliette, Bizet's Carmen, or Massenet's Manon and Werther, have been performed not with purely French ensembles, but with an international array of multilingual singers devoid of a specific national style.
In the French operatic tradition, clarity of pronunciation historically held more significance than tonal quality, a foundational element of Bel Canto singing. With meticulous preparation, including the study of historical recordings and critical resources, Beczala aimed to tackle this challenge. He delved into how the prominent Polish singer Jean de Reszke assimilated roles in the works of Meyerbeer, Wagner, Gounod, Bizet, and Massenet through musical and linguistic adaptation. Beczala adheres to Charles Gounod's principle in his recording: "The pronunciation must be clear, neat, distinct, and exact. This means that at no moment should it cause any uncertainty about the word being spoken. It must be expressive, such that it tangibly conveys the emotion tied to the word. When it comes to clarity, neatness, and precision, pronunciation equates to articulation. Articulation's job is to cleanly mold the word's external form. Everything else falls under pronunciation. It is what fills the word with thoughts, sentiment, and passion. Articulation ensures precision, while pronunciation fosters eloquence."