Doña Francisquita (Vives)

María Bayo, Alfredo Kraus, Rachel Pierotti, Santiago S. Jericó. Coro Polifonico de la Universitad de la Laguna, Rondalla y Orquesta de Tenerife, c. Antoni Ros Marbà
Naïve V 4893 (2-CD)

Ainhöa Arteta, Plácido Domingo, Linda Mirabal, Enrique R. del Portal. Coro Titular del Gran Teatro de Cordoba Orquesta sinfonica de sevilla etc., c. Miguel Roa
Sony Classics s2k 66563 (2-CD)

Teresa Tourne, Ana Higueras, Pedro Lavirgen, Maria Reyes Gabriel, Segundo Garcia. Coro Cantores de Madrid, Rondalla y Orquesta de Conciertos de Madrid, c. Pablo Sorozábal
EMI 5 74209 2 (2-CD)

Alfredo Kraus, Dolores Pérez, Angeles Chamorro, Enrique del Portal. Coro Cantores de Madrid, Rondalla y orquesta Manuel de Falla, c. Enrique García Asensio
Carillon CAL 21-22 (2-CD)

María Rosa del Campo, Norma Lerer, Jaime Aragall, Julián Molina. Coro Cantores de Madrid, Orquesta Filarmonía de España, c. Lamberto Gardelli
BMG WD-71440 (2)

Alfredo Kraus, Ana María Olaria, Dolores Pérez, Santiago Ramallé. Coro de RNE, Orquesta de Cámara de Madrid, c. Daniel Montorio
Zafiro 74321 33465 2 [highlights]

Emilio Vendrell, Felisa Herrero, Selica Pérez Carpío, Antonio Palacios. Coros y Gran Orquesta Sinfónica, c. Daniel Montorio
Aria CD 4 / or / Blue Moon BMCD 7501 [highlights]

Bayo crowned her achievements in the Auvidis series (now reissued on Naïve) with as perfect a portrait of "La doña" as we could wish. Her immaculate coloratura, wit and winsomeness have never been heard to greater advantage, and in Kraus she had a partner to match. He sang the role for 40 years, so this is not a Fernando in his first flush; but sheer intelligence, consistently illuminating, sees him around any awkward vocal corners, and his singing exhibits if anything more musicality than in his earlier recordings. Ros Marbá doesn't prettify proceedings. The contrasts of bright sun and deep shadows so special to this score have never been made so vivid - and though Roa's account of the score (with Domingo in full cry and the silvery Arteta) for Sony Classics is exciting enough, his two principals are not ideally matched and the Naïve recording wins the palm as far as modern digital recordings are concerned.

Of the many recordings of Vives's masterpiece, some others stand out. The EMI under Sorozábal has a great asset in the warmly sympathetic Teresa Tourne, though her Canción del ruiseñor lacks Bayo's pinpoint accuracy. Reyes Gabriel is the best Aurora in modern sound, despite Pérez's sterling efforts in two earlier performances with Kraus. His Carillon performance is ruled out of court by dry, coarse recording and performances to match - this is one of the saddest disappintments in the catalogue. The earlier Kraus extracts on Zafiro conducted by Montorio are preferable for those admirers who do not warm to the Indian-Summer Auvidis reading.

Montorio, amazingly, was also at the helm for some substantial extracts recorded in 1930. The Barcelona sound is remarkably lucid for the period, Vendrell's Fernando provides the locus classicus for the role, Pérez Carpío likewise for Aurora. Herrero is far from throat-perfect in the Canción del ruiseñor, but otherwise her strong characterisation contrasts favourably with merely pretty interpreters of the title role. Nobody has equalled Palacios as Cardona, and altogether this set (better transferred by Aria) is a must for anyone wanting to supplement the Auvidis recording with an original interpretation.

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