Certes, il y a des gens dont la tristesse se dissipe quand ils boivent. Mais c'est surtout le chant de Gérard Souzay qui dissipe, presque à coup sûr, la mienne!
Souzay did not push his light, lyrical voice in this dramatic aria. He knew very well that he couldn't match the huge sounds of some other baritones who've recorded this aria, from Ruffo and Stracciari to Merrill and Milnes. Yet he did not try to amplify his tone with greater breath pressure, which would very likely have led to choppy phrasing and rough vibrato. Souzay rather relied on dramatic use of diction, while letting his beautiful sound pour smoothly forth. A fine performance by a great artist.
My primary voice teacher coached with Souzay for several months. The former always maintained that Souzay's voice, while not huge, was larger (and carried more effectively) than one might have concluded from his records --
