The French bass Pol Plançon (1851–1914) was described by the noted critic W.J. Henderson as ‘one of the greatest masters of vocal technique that ever trod the stage’. Renowned for the drama and power of his voice, Plançon had an ease and fluidity of delivery which remains unrivalled. His interpretation of Mephistopheles in Gounod’s Faust was legendary; he sang the rôle over 100 times during his ten seasons at the Paris Opera. Plançon was also a member of New York’s Metropolitan Opera where he remained until his retirement in 1908. This 2-CD set of Plançon’s complete Victor recordings features arias from Mozart’s Magic Flute, Haydn’s Seasons, Verdi’s Don Carlos, Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust, and Gounod’s Faust and Roméo et Juliette. Also included are French songs by Massenet, Adam and Faure, as well as three different recorded versions of Schumann’s Die beiden Grenadiere sung in French.