L’Opéra de Paris—Une Histoire Sonore (1900-60) so many of the men, especially the Excerpts from operas by Auber, Berlioz, Borodin, Bourgault-Ducoudray, Büsser, leading tenors—not just Léon Escalaïs, Canteloube, Chabrier, Cherubini, d’Indy, d’Ollone, Donizetti, Dukas, Dupont, Paul Franz and Thill, but also singers Duvernoy, Enesco, Fauré, Février, Georges, Gluck, Gounod, Hahn, Halévy, Honegger, familiar only to collectors, among them Hue, Ibert, Lalo, Leroux, Magnard, Massenet, Meyerbeer, Milhaud, Mozart, Agustarello Affre, Léon Beyle, Fontaine, Paladilhe, Poulenc, Puccini, Rabaud, Rameau, Reyer, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rossini, and Emile Marcelin. Baritones, Rousseau, Roussel, Saint-Saëns, Sauguet, Strauss, Thomas, Tomasi, Verdi, Wagner, beginning with such legends as Maurice Wolf-Ferrari. With various artists. Malibran CDRG 215 (ten CDs) Renaud, Jean Lassalle and Jean-François Delmas, continue strongly over years This set offers limitless pleasure to Gigli and Mario Del Monaco, all true to before a final burst of talent in the 1950s anyone interested in historically form—and three other singers heard here with the group I’ll refer to henceforth as important French singing. More than 100 in exceptionally authentic, meaningfully the ‘Five Bs’: Bacquier, René Bianco, singers are heard in repertoire produced inflected French: Marjorie Lawrence Ernest Blanc, Jean Borthayre and Roger at the Opéra de Paris during the first six (sublime in Brünnhilde’s plaint to Bourdin. Another baritone, recorded in decades of the 20th century. Many of the Wotan), Eidé Norena (an enchanting 1947, provides the single most performances are live, some actually Gilda, technically immaculate) and remarkable display of vocal opulence in recorded at the Palais Garnier. Arthur Endrèze (typically intelligent if the entire set: the magnificent Charles The first disc starts off in grand style not vocally effulgent as Hamlet and Cambon, singing from a work the Opéra with live excerpts from the Opéra’s justly Athanaël). had premiered six decades earlier, famous 1954 revival of Rameau’s Les Notwithstanding the presence of major Paladilhe’s Patrie. ■ Germaine Lubin as Ariane, 1935 Indes galantes. The Gluck excerpts are guest artists at the Opéra through the Germaine Lubin, heard here in three predictable choices (Suzanne Balguerie’s decades, the company—at least, up to the selections (her radiant Agathe is the one of those wonderfully dark-coloured, ‘O malheureuse Iphigénie’ is the highlight star-studded Liebermann era—was best), asserted in an interview half a tonally effulgent instruments with which there). There’s fine Mozart (especially generally able to cast much of its century ago that ‘In France the lyric art is the Opéra once abounded. Gabrielle Ritter-Ciampi’s Susanna, repertoire without going that far afield. dead—there is only Régine Crespin.’ Three full discs are devoted to rarely elegance itself) but little bel canto. Most Repeatedly one discovers dazzling This set proves Lubin decidedly wrong. heard French works by 23 composers, of the better-known French operas go artistry in ‘house’ singers. Whether If any of the performances attain extending chronologically from Lalo and unheard: one gets bits of Faust and vocally outstanding (as many of them perfection both vocally and stylistically, I Reyer to Poulenc and Sauguet. I wish I Roméo, but nothing of Mignon, Carmen, unquestionably are) or only average, would cite three Massenet portrayals: could say, ‘Yes, let’s revive them all,’ Les Pêcheurs de perles, Hoffmann, Manon virtually all of them, from earliest to Renée Doria’s Thaïs (‘L’amour est une but, Dialogues des Carmélites excepted, or Werther. One does, however, hear the most recent, sing ‘off the words’. Their vertu rare’, tonally exquisite and quite as one dignified but musically often gamut of off-the-beaten-track 19th- and vividness in textual communication is the extraordinarily moving), Andrea Guiot’s aimless arioso episode follows another, 20th-century French material. Verdi, single most satisfying element of this set. Salomé and Robert Massard’s Hérode. one begins to lose enthusiasm. There are Wagner and several Russian composers Of artists who appeared at the Palais Composers of post-Massenet some interesting grand-scale declamatory are represented, the latter sung exclusively Garnier in significant roles but remain generations were admirably championed scenes, including one from Büsser’s Les in French translation. infrequently remembered today, my by the Opéra during the three decades of Noces corinthiennes (somewhat Standard repertoire occasionally favourites include three who, Jacques Rouché’s tenure as company hectoring and excessively long) with disappoints, but delight is assured by coincidentally, all feature on recordings director (1915-45). He gave no fewer Hélène Bouvier the authoritative mezzo Yvonne Gall’s scintillating Marguerite, from 1930: José de Trévi, another Belgian, than 71 premieres, while also presenting in a 1960 recording. Rabaud’s Marouf Régine Crespin’s ultra-feminine, deeply exciting here in Tannhäuser’s hymn to other new works. It’s important to registers strongly, and, of course, so does affecting Desdemona and Marschallin, Venus; Marguerite Soyer, mixing remember that major artists usually Enescu’s Oedipe (Rita Gorr and Xavier Charles Fontaine’s imposing Manrico, tenderness with fervency in a superb participated in these productions; in arias Depraz are marvellous in the Sphinx- Georges Thill’s noble Lohengrin, and Immolation Scene; and Pierre Nougaro, from Février’s Monna Vanna, for Oedipe confrontation). Géori Boué gives Gabriel Bacquier’s hair-raising Scarpia. offering noble style, grave beauty of tone, example, listen to the exceptional one of her loveliest performances in an On many occasions the comfort gained and an apt emotional exhaustion in Prince performances of Vanni-Marcoux (the first affecting episode from the Honegger/ from singing in French translation Igor’s monologue. Colonna in 1909), Lucien Muratore (who Ibert L’Aiglon. Lucky the composer of inspires exceptional interpretative acuity, The better-known greats confirm their created Prinzivalle) and Fernand Ansseau any new opera to have had a Thill to sing the best example being Vanni-Marcoux’s reputations, excepting Félia Litvinne (who took that role in the 1925 revival). it—for example, Canteloube’s devastating Boris Godunov. (heavy-handed in Sélika’s prison-scene The tenor comparison is fascinating: Vercingétorix and Rabaud’s Rolande et le Malibran includes only a few of the musings from L’Africaine) and Marie Muratore typifies the bright-timbred mauvais garçon, each excerpted here Opéra’s non-Francophone stars: three Delna (quite dull in ‘O mon Fernand’). French full lyric sound, while Ansseau, with the tenor in his most spectacularly tenors—John O’Sullivan, Beniamino One is repeatedly awestruck listening to the supremely eloquent Belgian, offers confident form. 1482 Opera, November 2015 Opera, November 2015 1483 The tracking information omits many unimpaired. Malibran includes a recording dates and the transfers vary a substantial essay giving much-needed good deal in quality, but the glories of background on the Opéra’s major these performances are largely achievements. ROGER PINES Marcelo Alvarez—20 Years on the Opera Stage Arias from Andrea Chénier, Fedora, Pagliacci, Chatterton, La Bohème (Leoncavallo), Zazà (Leoncavallo), Cavalleria rusticana, Turandot, La fanciulla del West, Lo schiavo (Gomes), La Juive, Adriana Lecouvreur, Giulietta e Romeo (Zandonai), Le Cid (Massenet). With the St Petersburg State Symphony Orchestra, c. Constantine Orbelian. Delos DE 3472 (one CD) Marcelo Alvarez made his debut as On more familiar territory, he provides Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia in his a firm line in ‘Amor ti vieta’, is native city of Córdoba, Argentina, in forcefully vivid in ‘Vesti la giubba’, and 1994. Recorded in St Petersburg 20 years movingly engaged in ‘Mamma, quell’ later, this new CD is by way of a vino è generoso’ from Cavalleria. He celebration of his art which largely gives a direct and unfussy account of addresses the heavier operas that he has ‘Nessun dorma’; there’s a purposive been adding to his repertory over recent intensity to ‘Rachel, quand du Seigneur’ seasons, Adriana Lecouvreur, Andrea and he’s entirely inside ‘L’anima ho Chénier, Cavalleria rusticana and stanca’ from Adriana Lecouvreur. Pagliacci among them. Turandot and La Overall, it is good to see an artist fanciulla del West are coming up on his fulfilling the ample promise of his earlier schedule. appearances with such an intelligently His voice has matured well, with no selected and expertly sung recital. Fine loss of quality in the tone itself, and it is accompaniments are provided by the certainly a larger and more powerful stylistically aware conductor and the instrument than it was; there remains excellent Russian players. GEORGE HALL plenty of juice still in the sonic mix and, ■ as the Chénier ‘Un dì, all’azzurro spazio’ Marcelo Alvarez solo amply demonstrates, his use of text continues to be focused and expressive. There are some unusual pieces here, too, including works very rarely performed on stage (how many tenors have recorded a recital containing extracts from no fewer than four different operas by Leoncavallo?). The Chatterton aria suits his beefy instrument and is a powerful piece of writing in itself. He brings spirit to the tragic ‘Testa adorata’ from the same composer’s La Bohème, and sensitivity to the delicately attractive solo from Zazà. He is articulate in the intriguing piece from Gomes’s Lo schiavo (1889), and the atmospheric extract from Zandonai’s Giulietta e Romeo (1922) suits him equally well. 1484 Opera, November 2015 Opera, November 2015 1485.