Gérard Barbeau - Dell’Acqua: VILLANELLE, High E-flat

THE SONGBIRD: I am not particularly drawn to the singing of boy sopranos or trebles as soloists, but Gérard Barbeau (1936 - 1960) from Montreal was unlike all the others, with an uncanny gift for coloratura techniques, a brilliant upper extension, and a rather mature sense of style. Yes, he sang and recorded the Ave Maria’s that are expected for his voice type, but he also sang coloratura chestnuts like this “Villanelle” by Eva Dell’Acqua. He didn’t avoid or simplify the florid elements in these scores, and in fact embellished them even more! Listen to this Villanelle, stuffed with cadenzas and bird song effects, and capped with a final High E-flat. Gérard Barbeau began singing when he was six. He became a popular radio artist and went on tour to Europe and sang in the Vatican. When he was 14, Barbeau played the lead role in the film “Le Rossignol et les cloches“ (The Nightingale and the Bells). After his voice broke he studied Theology. Unfortunately he became ill