“Ah, que j’aime les militaires!”

Régine Crespin, arguably the greatest French soprano since World War II, in one of her signature roles, the entrance aria of the title character in Jacques Offenbach’s La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein.

Anne Sophie von Otter has a ways to go to match Crespin’s brio, and she’s arguably too young for the role, but boy is she sexy …

As much of an Offenbach fan as I may be, there’s not all that much more to this operetta than this aria. Los Angeles Opera offered a lackluster production in 2005 (directed by Garry Marshall, of all people).

Technorati tags: Régine Crespin, Anne Sophie von Otter, Jacques Offenbach, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein, Ah, que j’aime les militaires!