© De Ster

The case of Inessa Galante is a glaring example of what might be called a ˜victim of commerce”. Her first recital Debut, released in 1995, became (incidentally: quite rightly) a huge success, which was mainly due to the Ave Maria by ˜Giulio Caccini”

Pure deception, it later turned out, as the song, that became a huge hit (did you know it is in the Top 100 music for funerals?) turned out to have been composed around 1970 by one Vladimir Fyodorovich Vavilov, a Russian composer, lute player and guitarist.

Debut stayed at number one on all the charts after which Galante had to record several CDs with more of the same.

A crying shame! Anyone who witnessed her live could confirm that she was much more than just another studio product. Her Violetta’s and Lucia’s are unforgettable and I am extremely sorry that none of it has been recorded for DVD/BR.  But, lucky us, there is YouTube!

La Traviata:

Galante in Pique Dame:

She made her debut at the famed Wigmore Hall in January 2000. The BBC recorded it and the (still existing?) label Campion put it on CD, for which I am very grateful to both.

At her London performance, Galante sang songs by Russian composers, all coated with melancholy and longing. Her voice lends itself perfectly to them, and with her ability to dose emotion and put the accents in the right places, she turned them into real mini chamber operas. Just listen to her sigh at the end of Glinka’s ‘Zhavaronok’ (Lark), all in complete accordance with the text. And, like me, you may barely be able to suppress your tears at Tolstoi’s poem, so brilliantly set to music by Tchaikovsky (Sred’ shumnava bala).

Inessa Galante possesses a splendour of a soprano, with a healthy dose of morbidezza. Roger Vignoles is an exemplary ˜partner in crime”. (Campion RRCD 1348)

Her album with Jewish Folksongs by Goldins and Rachmaninovs Romantic Songs is, for me, absolutely irresistible

BONUS:

Inessa Galante and Kevin Grout live in the Netherlands 2004

Mahhler: Last part of 2nd symphony: Inessa Galante, Nathalie Stutzmann; Orchestre National de France/Myung-Wun Schung