CD Review: French Opera in All Its Glory

By Joel Kasow

PARIS, 27 January 2003

Bizet - Ivan IV
Inva Mula (Marie); Henriette Bonde-Hansen (Jeune Bulgare); Sonia Nigoghossian (Olga); Julian Gavin (Igor); Ludovic Tézier (Ivan IV); Paul Gay (Temrouk); Alexandre Vassiliev (Yorloff); Franck Bard (Officer)
Choeur de Radio France
Orchestre National de France
Michael Schønwandt , conductor
Naïve V 4940 (2 CDs; texts and translations in French and English)



At long last here is a complete recording of Bizet's early attempt at grand opéra, Ivan IV, a work created in an imperfect adaptation in 1946, but now available in a form that the composer himself would recognize, thanks to a British musicologist, Howard Williams. His version has been given several times in concert performances since the 1970s, twice by Radio France and it is the second of those performances, 28 March 2002, that is now made available. The work is tremendously uneven, Bizet not really up to the requisite Meyerbeerian pomp that was in any event going out of fashion, but making the most of solos and duets, along with some incidental charmers such as the Young Bulgarian's Serenade (familiar as the song "Ouvre ton coeur") or a dialogue between a Sentinel and Officer to background music that turns up later in Jeux d'Enfants. Ludovic Tézier in the title role does not have as much to do as the other principals, another flaw in the work's construction, but is nonetheless imposing, even in his improbable mad scene. Inva Mula's well-sung Marie may lack the final touch of French chic, but there are few singers today who could equal her performance in this difficult role. Julian Gavin's enthusiastic Igor lacks finesse, a quality that Paul Gay may perhaps possess in excess as Temrouk. Michael Schønwandt does his best to breathe life into an uneven score, but we are once again indebted to René Koering for enabling us to encounter another aspect of Bizet on his way to the ultimate masterpiece, Carmen.


Gluck - Alceste
Anne Sofie von Otter (Alceste); Paul Groves (Admète); Dietrich Henschel (Grand Prêtre/Hercule); Yann Beuron (Evandre); Ludovic Tézier (Hérault/Apollon); Nicolas Testé (Oracle/Dieu infernal)
Monterverdi Choir
English Baroque Solosits
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
Philips 470 293-2 (2 CDs; texts and translations in English, French and German)



Alceste has not been overly fortunate on disc, the original Italian version written for Vienna represented by an outdated recording with the aging Kirsten Flagstad and a recent recording from Drottningholm (Naxos), while the French version performed by Jessye Norman and Nicolai Gedda is given a somewhat heavyhanded reading under Serge Baudo (Orfeo). This new recording was recorded live at concert performances in London after stage performances in Paris. Gardiner's contribution is extremely stylish, but the stylized production by Robert Wilson seems to have affected the singers whose performances are too often bloodless. Anne Sofie von Otter's neutral timbre never involves us in the fate of the title character, while Paul Groves only occasionally seems to have sufficient metal in his voice to convince us of his anger. The lesser roles are more tellingly portrayed, but as their appearances are incidental this is unimportant. Chorus and orchestra occasionally spring to life, but the colors of the English Baroque Soloists are vivid. The program notes are confusing because they tell us that the most famous aria, "Divinités du Styx", has been replaced by its earlier Italian version translated into Italian, which differs only in its first two phrases from the more familiar version. In what is supposed to be a complete performance, the ballet music in Act Two is halved, while the final dances are reduced to a truncated Chaconne.


Anne Sofie von Otter chante Offenbach
Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo); Magali Léger (soprano); Stéphanie d'Oustrac (mezzo); Gilles Ragon (tenor); Laurent Naouri (bass-baritone); Jean-Christophe Keck; Jean-Christophe Henry; Christophe Grapperon
Choeur des Musiciens du Louvre; Les Musiciens du Louvre - Grenoble
Marc Minkowski, conductor
DGG 471 501-2 (texts and translations in English, French and German)

One would not have thought Anne Sofie von Otter a natural for Offenbach, but the qualities she brings to the music and her constant exploration of little known corners of the repertoire make this a disc of choice, just right for holiday giving. In addition to excerpts from Grande-Duchesse, Belle Hélène, Périchole, Vie Parisienne and the Barcarole from Hoffmann, this CD is a veritable treasure trove of delight. How often have we heard any of the music from Fantasio, Madame l'Archiduc, Barbe-Bleu, Lieschen et Fritzchen or Fille du Tambour-Major, not to mention the "Symphonie de l'avenir - Marche des fiancés" from Le Carnaval des Revues or the early Overture à Grand Orchestre. Marc Minkowski and the Musiciens du Louvre - Grenoble are the driving force, while a variety of able-bodied singers lend variety, particularly Laurent Naouri in the Alsatian duet from Lieschen et Fritzchen. His spoken contribution to the Symphonie de l'avenir treads the thin line between parody and vulgarity. Of course, if you're willing to wait for the DVD made at the concert where the CD was recorded, you will have a few additional items, and von Otter's stage presence makes up for some of her interpretative or vocal shortcomings.


Rossini - Ivanhoë
Inga Balabanova (Leïla); Simon Edwards (Ivanhoë); Soon-Won Kang (Brian de Boisguilbert); Filippo Morace (Ismael); Massimiliano Chiarolla (Cedric); Salvatore Cordella (Albert de Malvoisin); Volodymyr Deyneka (Marquis); Cosimo D'Amato (Héraut)
Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia; Coro da Camera di Bratislava
Paolo Arrivabeni, conductor
Dynamic 397/1-2 (2 CDs; notes in English, French, German and Italian; libretto in French and English)



Is this an unknown opera by the Swan of Pesaro? No, it is a contemporary pasticcio, put together by Rossini and an associate using music from several of the composer's operas: Semiramide, Cenerentola, Bianca e Falliero, Armida, Maometto II, Aureliano in Palmira, La gazza ladra, Sigismondo, Torvaldo e Dorliska, Mosé and Tancredi. The adaptation by the composer and his friend Pacini to a French text is generally successful, but one would have difficulty in judging from this performance. We are normally grateful to Dynamic and the Festival della Valle d'Itria di Martina Franca for their additions to the catalogue, but the problems of casting in this particular instance make listening hard work. A tremulous soprano and tenor and barking baritones and basses, none of whom has a particularly good command of French, make this a recording for the diehard collector.


Rossini Discoveries
Laura Giordano (soprano); Ildar Abdrazakov (baritone); Michele Pertusi (baritone)
Nelson Calzi, pianoforte
Orchestra Sinfonico e Coro di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
Riccardo Chailly, conductor
Decca 470 298-2

Riccardo Chailly continues to explore the Rossinian byways, with a few first recordings mixed among some of the unfamiliar items. New to disc are recent findings among the manuscripts for the ballet music for Guillaume Tell and Siège de Corinthe, the overture to Robert Bruce, Le chant des Titans, and two hymns: De l'Italie et de la France and Hymne à Napoléon III et à Son Vaillant Peuple. Not everything on this CD is at a high level of inspiration, particularly the hymn to Napoléon III, with a lot of pontificating and pomposity. The ballet excerpts are charming, while the potpourri pasticcio overture to Robert Bruce is lots of fun, juxtaposing chunks of Zelmira, Armida and Donna del Lago. The overtures to Moïse et Pharaon and Ermione show Rossini creating new structures for conventional forms. The male soloists are excellent, though Abdrazakov could use a few more French lessons, while Laura Giordano's little girl voice will not appeal to all listeners. A CD for the curious.


Opéras-Comiques: EMI continues delving into its back catalogue, with another ten re-editions

Donizetti - La Fille du Régiment
June Anderson (Marie); Hélia T'Hézan (Marquise); Alfredo Kraus (Tonio); Michel Trempont (Sulpice); Antoine Garcin (Hortensius); Jean-Noël Béguelin (Corporal)
Choeurs et Orchestre du Théâtre National de L'Opéra de Paris
Bruno Campanella, conductor
EMI 7243 5 75260 2 9 (2 CDs: notes in French and English)

Grétry - Zémire et Azor
Mady Mesplé (Zémire); Sabine Louis (Lisbé); Suzanne Simonka (Fatime); Roland Bufkens (Azor); Jean van Gorp (Sander); Jean-Claude Orliac (Ali)
Choeurs et Orchestre de chambre de la RTB
Edgard Doneux, conductor
EMI 7243 5 75290 2 0 (2 CDs: notes in French and English)

Among the long-awaited restorations to the catalogue, Donizetti's Fille has a high place, the only worthy alternative to the classic Sutherland-Pavarotti version. Kraus may not have quite the Italianate panache of his rival, but a touch of vocal aristocracy is not amiss, even if the character is not noble. And the high c's are just as thrilling. June Anderson's Marie captures the hoyden qualities but is also touching in the quieter moments. The remainder of the cast, all French-speaking, are incomparable. It is good to have some of Grétry's operas restored to circulation, as the charm is unique. Zémire et Azor, a variation on Beauty and the Beast, is vividly brought to life by Mady Mesplé - who also features in many of the other recordings -spectacularly virtuoso in her big aria. The remainder of the cast is more than serviceable, allowing us to appreciate Grétry's qualities.

Other operas released at this time are: Auber's Fra Diavolo (Mesplé, Berbié, Gedda, Bastin), Manon Lescaut (Mesplé), La Muette de Portici (Anderson, Kraus, Aler, Lafont), Grétry's Amant Jaloux (Mesplé, Burles, Bastin), Richard Coeur de Lion (Mesplé, Burles, Trempont), Massenet's Jongleur de Notre Dame (Vanzo, Bastin), Rossini's Barbiere (in French; Mesplé, Burles, Managuerra). At the same time, EMI has restored Mady Mesplé's recording of Délibes's Lakmé to the catalogue in its Great Recordings of the Century series.


ANDANTE delves into the archives, restoring old recordings and pairing them with historic excerpts

Debussy - Pelléas et Mélisande (1941)
Irène Joachim (Mélisande); Leila Ben Sedira (Yniold); Germaine Cernay (Geneviève); Jacques Jansen (Pelléas); Henri Etcheverry (Golaud); Paul Cabanel (Arkel); Armand Narçon (Médecin)
Orchestre Symphonique
Roger Désormière, conductor



The 1928 recording of extracts conducted by Georges Truc with Marthe Nespoulos (Mélisande); Claire Croiza (Geniviève); Alfred Maguenat (Pelléas); Hector Dufranne (Golaud); Armand Narçon (Arke

The 1927 recording conducted by Piero Coppola with Yvonne Brothier (Mélisande); Charles Panzéra (Pelléas); Vanni-Marcoux (Golaud); Willy Tubiana (Arkel)

The 1930 recording conducted by Albert Wolff with Simone Berriao (Mélisande); André Gaudin (Pelléas); José Beckmans (Golaud)
Andante (4 cds; texts and translations in English, French and German)Andante (4 cds; texts and translations in English, French and German)


Gounod - Faust (1930)
Mireille Berton (Marguerite); Marthe Coiffier (Sièbel); Jeanne Montfort (Dame Marthe); César Vezzani (Faust); Louis Musy (Valentin); Marcel Journet (Mephistophélès); M. Cozette (Wagner)
Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Henri Busser, conductor



The 1930 abridged Polydor recording conducted by Albert Wolff with Germaine Martinelli (Marguerite); Bernadette Lemichel du Roy (Sièbel); Mme Nidoc (Dame Marthe); René Lapelletrie (Faust); Charles Cambon (Valentin); José Beckmanns (Mephistophélès); Michel Cozette (Wagner)

Excerpts by Miguel Villabella, Arthur Endrèze, Charles Cambon, Georges Thill, Emma Luart, Yvonne Gall, Fanny Heldy, Ninon Vallin, Maryse Beaujon, Fred Bordon, André Pernet, René Maison, Julien Lafont
Andante (4 CDs; texts and translations in English, French and German)

Andante has taken a risk in reissuing operatic performances from the 1930s, some of which are already well known to collectors. The CDs are included in a book with extensive documentation in three languages; unfortunately, the Faust, one of their first operatic issues, keeps the three languages separate, which makes following the libretto impossible (they learned later for Pelléas). The 1930 complete recording of Faust has been occasionally available, but has interested mostly collectors and not the wider public that has long acclaimed the wartime recording of Pelléas et Mélisande, reissued several times by EMI. Where Andante differs is in the bonuses, a potted version of Faust that would definitely suit today's sound-bite world in which we are given snatches of melody from the entire opera but only one aria in its entirety, "Salut, demeure". What we notice is that the French enunciation is crystal clear, the r more heavily rolled than it is today, sometimes sounding a bit artificial, old-fashioned if you will. But that is irrelevant in the face of singing that is imperial, fearless, on pitch and technically superior to much of what we hear today, other than the otherwise superlative Germaine Martinelli's lack of a trill for the Jewel Song. Mireille Berthon may not be quite the innocent, sweet-toned soprano we would like for Marguerite, but she knows the style. Ninon Vallin in excerpts has one dreaming, as does Georges Thill, but César Vezzani in the complete recording is no slouch. Marcel Journet, 63 years old at the time of recording, is exemplary, but then the clarity of all the basses singing should be studied by today's lower-voiced singers.

With Pelléas et Mélisande, we are faced with a recording that has stood the test of time, the two leading singers still the models for all who came later. Irène Joachim and Jacques Jansen were already familiar with their roles from performances at the Opéra-Comique, but this does not affect their spontaneity on these discs, made under difficult conditions. Henri Etcheverry's Golaud has rarely been equalled (Gabriel Bacquier, José van Dam), full of pain and jealousy that only compounds his pain. Paul Cabanel's Arkel, again lighter of voice than is often the case, finds just the right emphasis for his utterances. Germaine Cernay's reading of the letter is bettered only by that of Claire Croiza, heard in the 1928 excerpts recording. That recording is notable for allowing us to hear the original Golaud and a Pelléas approved by the composer, but who is perhaps too emphatic for us today. Charles Panzéra in excerpts recorded in 1927 is almost as much of a revelation as Jansen, and he too is surrounded by a noteworthy cast; we also hear much more of the orchestral music than in the other excerpted recordings. There is nary a tenor Pelléas among the lot, all of them high baritones experiencing no difficulty with the occasional high-lying tessitura of the role. Again, lessons for today's singers are there for the taking.

Some may be put off by the high level of noise in these editions when compared with earlier appearances, but the performances are of such quality that after two or three minutes one is completely absorbed and forgets about such a mundane issue as hiss and crackle.


To be reviewed: Lucie de Lammermoor (Dessay, Alagna - EMI), Maria Stuarda (DVD with Remigio and Ganassi - Dynamic), Marion Delorme (Mazzola - Accord), Macbeth (Scotto, Bruson - Ponto), choral music by Haydn, Lili Boulanger, Stravinsky