Anne Azema always seems to bring a breath of fresh air to whatever she does, whether reading or singing. After her remarkable performance in ''Le Fou sur le Pont'' (see page 123) here she is again, but central stage this time, singing of springtime and love, of beasts and miracles, of a woman's grief but also of her joy. The melodies, often unforgettable in their simplicity, are interpreted with tenderness and quiet understanding. Many are ravishingly beautiful, in particular those describing the panther and the unicorn and also several of the songs from the Cycle of St Leocadia in Gauthier de Coincy's Miracles of Our Lady. One of the finest songs in the programme is the thirteenth-century Bele Doette, a saga of grief experienced by a noble lady on hearing the news of her beloved's untimely death during the jousting. Azema's control of the slow rhythm and deepening emotion is total, and she matches this with perfection, as the story unfolds, in her singing of the short sad refrain that ends each strophe.
The occasional instrumental interludes, for example D'un gupil (''The fox's dance'') or Au renouvel provide graceful linkage between songs and readings; the accompaniments are generally discreet and understated, though the flute comes into its own in one song—En mai au douz tens nouvel—with its charming imitations of birdsong. I am always hoping that one day someone will discover exactly how the troubadours would have accompanied their songs, but in the absence of any precise indications, why not just sit back and enjoy these delightfully musical flights of fancy?'