GOUNOD: “FAUST.” Kiri Te Kanawa, Francisco Araiza,...

GOUNOD: “FAUST.” Kiri Te Kanawa, Francisco Araiza, Andreas Schmidt, Yevgeny Nesterenko; Colin Davis conducting forces of the Bavarian Radio. Phillips 420 164-2 (three compact discs). The checkered recorded career of Gounod’s lavender-and-rosewater rewrite of Goethe continues uninterrupted in this complete version. Davis may dispatch this innately sensuous music with undue monumentality, but at least it’s a consistent approach, and he invests the score with a stature missing in the competition. The singing, however, may indicate why “Faust” is held in ill repute today. Araiza, who should know better, opts for big moments rather than stylish solutions (he belts out “Salut! demeure”). Te Kanawa’s tranquilized Marguerite lacks coloratura ease and never hints at the character’s mortal desperation. Nesterenko’s solidly vocalized if generalized Mephisto misses the requisite suavity.