Véronique Gens

Scofield: Véronique, that was some simply delightful singing. It’s really Offenbach at his tuneful best, isn’t it?

Gens: Yes, absolutely. Everything is there, the music, you know, it seems to be very easy, but it’s not. It’s not. It needs many precisions in the orchestra, and this was a big challenge for the Orchestre National de France. Because they are used to play you know big things like Wagner, Strauss, and all that big music. But they were also very excited to play this, because it’s very different, and it’s very delicate. It was a big challenge for them also.

Scofield: Well, Offenbach was just such a master of creating these beautiful ringing melodies, wasn’t he? And yet, you know, many contemporary composers would probably mock him, nowadays, for writing music that is too tuneful. Are you sorry about that?

Gens: Yes, I know it seems to be very easy, very poor music, very simple music, but it’s not at all. What makes you think it’s very good music also, is that it’s only hits, and when you listen to this music, it stays, it remains in your head for hours, turning around in your head. And when you go out of a concert when you were listening to Offenbach, you are singing Offenbach in your head for hours.

Scofield: Absolutely, that never happens when you come out of a performance of Pelléas et Mélisande by Debussy.

Gens: No, it’s not the same style. I agree absolutely.