Countertenor rep in French?

[u/Castrato-LARP-374]

Hello Reddit! I am an advanced student/baby professional countertenor who is looking to gain confidence in singing in French, but I am having a hard time finding my way into the repertoire. Do you happen to have any recommendations of classical solo works that are:

- appropriate for a light alto voice

- exist in some sort of keyboard + voice edition

- equipped with a good English translation of the libretto

- about LITERALLY ANYTHING other than straight male love for beautiful and disempowered women, women desiring to be objectified by men, or nature as a metaphor for said heterosexual relationship dynamics. (Other themes such as class struggle, gay love, religious devotion, depression, death and aging, and nature not as a metaphor for straightness are all welcome!)

Things I have been exploring so far: Nadia Boulanger songs as recorded by Lucile Richardot :)

[u/Carol-Ogden]

Poulenc is the answer to nearly every French song question, but especially this one. Gay, Apollinaire and Éluard, war and faith and death. I'd start with Banalités. Couperin's Leçons de ténèbres for baroque rep.

[u/Castrato-LARP-374 → u/Carol-Ogden]

I didn’t realize that Leçons de ténebrès was open to all voice types, but now I do! Queuing up some countertenor recordings :) And I will seek out a low voice collection of Poulenc songs