My mom was a big Barbra Streisand fan. I remember this album, which even then seemed to come out of left field. (It was recorded in 1973, but not release until 1976.) But beauty is beauty. “Classical Barbra” received mixed reviews, with some hailing it as “rare and risky” and others deriding it as “hideous camp.” It did receive stamps of approval from Leonard Bernstein and Glenn Gould.

I’m not surprised that Streisand would be attracted to this music and want to share it with her fans. Even if it were the worst-selling Streisand album of all time (I don’t know; it achieved Gold Record status), it probably reached more listeners than the best-selling Debussy album. Good on her. Not everything is idiomatic, but this chanson is seductive enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Rnjl-s8dPs

Streisand is 75 today. Happy birthday.