Each decade finds its favourite soloist for the Chants d'Auvergne: in the 1960s it was Natania Devrath, the 70s had Victoria de los Angeles, the 80s Kiri Te Kanawa, the 90s Dawn Upshaw.
They weren't French, whereas Véronique Gens is quite at home in the dialect, as she comes from the Auvergne. Her singing is smooth and delicate, with plenty of body in the tone for some of the earthier moments.
In all, five volumes of Auvergne songs were published between 1923-54. Each singer naturally includes 'Baïlèro', the most famous, and Gens doesn't disappoint in this. The 20 other songs range from the sad 'Uno jionto postouro', the lament of the girl whose lover has deserted her, to 'Malurous qu'o ono Fenno', the jaunty exposé of unhappy couples.
Jean-Claude Casadesus and the Lille Orchestra bring out all the little details in the score, such as the lovely woodwind solos that link the three Bourrées. Perhaps this will become the interpretation for the present decade.