Jan Van der Crabben’s art has seduced the most demanding lovers of French melody. This is because, in the line of Bernard Kruysen or José Van Dam, he also has a rich experience as a soloist in baroque and classical music – namely with La Petite Bande and Sigiswald Kuijken – which nourished his musical thinking in a new and refined way. His previous CD with Fuga Libera (FUG510), devoted to Fauré, demanded a follow-up. It is Debussy, whom Van der Crabben serves today with his warm tone of voice, perfect style and pronunciation that we would have liked to submit to the ears and critical mind of Roland Barthes.

In this recital, covering thirty years of creation, dominated by Verlaine and the wonderful Fêtes galantes, the Belgian baritone is ideally accompanied by Inge Spinette, whose delicate colors equal the intelligence of the conception.