Kévin Amiel (tenor)
Backstage
Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini/Frédéric Chaslin
rec. 2024, Teatro della Fortuna, Fano, Italy
Sung texts included – no translations
Aparté AP358 [68]

Tenor Kévin Amiel is a product of the Toulouse Conservatory and the Paris Opera Academy. He made his Paris stage debut as Isépo in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda and Gastone from Verdi’s La traviata and began his international career in the Teatro Regio di Torino in the role of Nadir from Les pêcheurs de perles.

In this, his debut album, ‘Backstage’, Amiel journeys through mainly celebrated airs from French composers Gounod, Delibes and Massenet and arias by Italian composers Rossini, Verdi, Donizetti and Puccini, the only exception being the air in French by the Hungarian Franz Lehár. All originating from the Romantic era, the works span a period of some eighty-six years. Only the opera arias/airs from Donizetti’s Il duca d’Alba and Gounod’s Mireille might be described as lesser-known.

The level of composure Amiel displays throughout this recital is admirable and his ease of projection is vivid and secure. His mid-range is smooth and clear and he reaches high notes confidently. These are agreeable qualities indeed, but I am left wanting additional character in his performances.

For example, in the aria “Lakmé! Ah! viens dans la forêt profonde” (Lakmé! Ah! Come into the deep forest) in Act Three of Lakmé the British army officer Gérald has been injured and is hiding in the forest. His beloved, the Hindu princess Lakmé, is treating him with traditional herbal remedies. In my judgement, Amiel’s expressive range here is short of nuance, especially in his mid-register, tending to reduce the depth of personality. 

In the much-loved aria “Una furtiva lagrima” from Act Two of L’Elisir d’amore, the simple peasant boy Nemorino, in love with Adina, has given her a love potion (bought from a quack doctor) and is convinced it’s working. I need additional ardour from Amiel to be entirely convinced of Nemorino’s passionate emotional state.

Included are three famous audience-pleasing works in a lighter vein. Two are orchestral songs, one by Rossini, La Danza, from his Les soirées musicales and the other a traditional Neapolitan melody Core ‘ngrato. The third is Sou-Chong’s air “Je t’ai donné mon cœur” (I gave you my heart) from Lehár’s operetta Le Pays du sourire (Das Land des Lächelns; The Land of Smiles). It is obvious from the tenor’s committed performances that he relishes these lighter, lyrically accessible works. 

Under the baton of Frédéric Chaslin, the Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini plays satisfyingly and the required solo contributions are fine, too. The sound engineering has been provided by the team at Little Tribeca and its quality is highly satisfactory. Sung texts are included in the booklet but disappointingly there are no translations. There is also an uncredited essay of moderate interest.  

There is much to enjoy here but there are some downsides too. Overall, however, Amiel performs agreeably in this debut collection of opera arias. 

Michael Cookson

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Contents
Verdi
‘La Traviata’ (prem. 1853, Venice)
1) Act 2: Lunge da lei… De’ miei bollenti spiriti (Alfredo)
‘Rigoletto’ (prem. 1851, Venice)
2) Act 2: Ella mi fu rapita!… Parmi veder le lagrime (Duca)
Donizetti
‘Lucia di Lammermoor’ (prem. 1835, Naples)
3) Act 3, Scene 4: Tombe degli avi miei… Fra poco a me ricovero (Edgardo)
Verdi
‘Macbeth’ (prem. 1847 Florence)
4) Act 4: O figli miei!… Ah, la paterna mano (Macduff)
‘Rigoletto’ (prem. 1851, Venice)
5) Act 3: La donna è mobile (Duca)
Puccini
‘Gianni Schicchi’ (prem. 1918, Metropolitan Opera, New York City)
6) Avete torto!… Firenze è come un albero fiorito (Rinuccio)
Donizetti
‘Il duca d’Alba’ (Italian version: repared by Angelo Zanardini, Rome 1882)
7) Act 4, Scene 1: Inosservato, penetrava in questo… Angelo casto e bel (Marcello)
Gounod
‘Roméo et Juliette’ (prem. 1867 Paris)
8) Act 2: L’amour… Ah! Lève-toi, soleil! (Roméo)
Puccini
‘La bohème’ (prem. 1896 Turin)
9) Act 1: Che gelida manina (Rodolfo)
Delibes
‘Lakmé’ (prem. 1883 Paris)
10) Act 3: Lakmé! Ah! viens dans la forêt profonde (Gérald)
Massenet
‘Werther’ (In French. Prem. 1892 Geneva) 
11) Act 3: Toute mon âme est là!… Pourquoi me réveiller, ô souffle du printemps? (Werther)
Gounod
‘Mireille’ (prem. 1864 Paris)
12) Act 5: Mon cœur est plein d’un noir souci… Anges du paradis (Vincent)
Donizetti
‘L’Elisir d’amore’ (prem. 1832 Milan)
13) Act 2: Una furtiva lagrima (Nemorino)
Rossini
‘Les soirées musicales’ (song collection for voices & piano. pub. 1830/35)
14) La Danza
Traditional
15) ‘Core ‘ngrato’ (Neapolitan song, words by Riccardo Cordiferro, 1911)
Franz Lehár
‘Le Pays du Sourire’ (Das Land des Lächelns / The Land of Smiles) 
(prem. 1929 Berlin)
16) Act 2: Je t’ai donné mon cœur (Sou-Chong)