CD 1 
Acte un: Une place publique.
1 Alza! Alza! Alza! (La foule) 5. 32
2 Quand la femme a vingt ans (Dulcinée) 4.05
3 Dulcinée est certes jolie (Rodriguez) 2.07
4 Allégresse! Allégresse! (La foule) 5.37
5 O Dulcinée!... Ah!!! Vous allez... (Don Quichotte, Sancho) 1.28
6 Sérénade: Quand apparaissent les étoiles (Don Quichotte) 5.16
7 Ah! Ahi C’est vous qui lanciez (Dulcinée) 1.54
8 Vous êtes, mon seigneur (Dulcinée) 5.02
9 Elle m’aime et va me revenir (Don Quichotte) 2.03
Acte deux: Les Moulins.
10 Chanson: C’est vers ton amour (Don Quichotte) 6.59
11 Comment peut-on penser du bien (Sancho) 2.44
12 Regarde!... Quoi? Quoi? (Don Quichotte, Sancho) 3.42
13 Entracte 2.11
Acte trois: Dans la Sierra.
14 C’est ici le chemin (Don Quichotte) 6.00
15 Quand apparaissent les étoiles (Don Quichotte) 3.12
16 Ah! voir un corps long (Les Bandits) 0.41
17 Prière: Seigneur, reçois mon âme (Don Quichotte) 7.26

CD 2 
Acte quatre: Le Patio de la belle Dulcinée
1 Alors, traîtresse, je n’ai plus rien à espérer? (Juan) 2.28
2 Lorsque le temps d’amour a fui (Dulcinée) 2.00
3 Par fortune! Par fortune! (Rodriguez) 2.38
4 Alza! alza! Ne pensons qu’au plaisir d’aimer (Dulcinée) 2.08
5 L’aube bientôt blanchira l’horizon! (Les Invités) 1.21
6 Annonce le grand Don Quichotte (Sancho) 3.58
7 L’aube bientôt blanchira l’horizon (Les Invités) 6.00
8 Oui, je souffre votre tristesse (Dulcinée) 4.35
9 Enfin, te revoilà! (Tous) 2.25
10 Riez, allez, riez du pauvre idéologue (Sancho) 2.08
11 Entracte 2.23
Acte cinq: La Mort de Don Quichotte.
12 O mon maître, o mon grand! (Sancho) 9.56

Bonus Tracks: Jules Massenet - Scènes Alsaciennes
13 Dimanche matin 8.00
14 Au Cabaret 5.40
15 Sous les tilleuls 4.07
16 Dimanche soir 6.17 

Don Quichotte - Nicolai Ghiaurov
Sancho Panza - Gabriel Bacquier
Dulcinée - Régine Crespin
Pedro - Michèle Command
Garcias - Annick Dutertre
Rodriguez - Peyo Garazzi
Juan - Jean-Marie Frémeau

Chorus and Orchestra of Radio Suisse Romande
Kazimierz Kord - conductor

The story of Don Quichotte was beautifully suited to Massenet's talents, strongest in creating exotic color, carefully blending pathos and comedy, and depicting charming sirens who can twist men around their dainty fingers. (This last was allowed in this opera by the transformation of Dulcinée into a seductive courtesan instead of a farm girl whose charms exist solely in Quichotte's eyes.) It has long been a star vehicle for basses and bass-baritones, particularly singing actors such as Chaliapin (for whom the role was created), Christoff, Ghiaurov, Raimondi, and Ramey. (However, Massenet was largely unimpressed by Chaliapin's portrayal; in one famous episode, Chaliapin burst into sobs as he was reading through the death scene, greatly annoying the composer.) The other lead roles are almost as rewarding, even though they tend to be overshadowed; Sancho Panza gets to shine not only in his comic moments but in his passionate defense of his idealistic master's dreams, and Dulcinée's spirited "Spanish" songs are sure crowd-pleasers.

Though he lived for two more years after writing it, Massenet was already ill during its composition, and given his habit of becoming infatuated with his leading ladies (in this case, Lucy Arbell), it seems quite likely that he felt some identification with the lead role.

Even if he had no such feelings, certainly Massenet knew how to go for the audience's heartstrings, and he did so with a precision worthy of a surgeon, particularly in such moments as the death scene and Dulcinée's and Quichotte's final meeting. However, he also gave the character enough dignity that the role is still one of pathos rather than bathos, though an overindulgent performer can easily disrupt that balance. Similarly, while the Spanish flavor is synthetic, and not as memorable as that in Carmen, it is nonetheless infectious. ---Anne Feeney, allmusic.com

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1. Don Quichotte    2:01:02

Don Quichotte - Samuel Ramey
Sancho Panza - Jean-Philippe Lafont
Dulcinée - Carmen Oprisanu
Pedro - Jaël Azzaretti
Garcias - Allison Cook
Rodriguez - Jean-Pierre Trévisani
Juan - Kevin Greenlaw

L'Opéra Comique de Paris Chorus
L'Opéra National de Paris Orchestra
James Conlon – conductor

Jules Massenet was 67, a mere two years before his death, when he composed Don Quichotte (calling it a comedie-heroique); he produced one of his most lyrical and delightful works. The first performance was in 1910 in Monte Carlo and Feodor Chaliapin was noted for playing the Don.

The opera is in five short acts. The action introduces Don Quichotte and Sancho Panza to Dulcinee with the Don immediately falling in love with her(act one); followed by the Don Quichotte practicing a serenade for his new love and his combat with the windmills which the Don takes to be giants (act 2). Act 3 recounts the Don's capture by bandits and his being freed by them when they have pity on the old man, moved by his "final" prayer. In act 4, the action returns to Dulcinee's house where another fiesta is taking place and the Don proposed marriage to his love and is affectionately refused. In the final act, the Don realizes that he has lost touch with his purpose for living and that his death is near; he sees an image of Dulcinee before he quietly slips away. ---D. A Wend, amazon.com

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1 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: Prelude	3:12 	
2 La Navarraise: Act 1: L'assaut à couté cher, messieurs!	2:18 	
3 La Navarraise: Act 1: Capitaine, je vois que vous appartenez	3:30 	
4 La Navarraise: Act 1: Je ne pensais qu'à toi	2:42 	
5 La Navarraise: Act 1: Araquil! - Mon père!	1:38 	
6 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: Depuis deux ans je l'aime!	2:08 	
7 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: Ah! Mariez donc son coeur avec mon coeur!	2:45 	
8 La Navarraise: Act 1: Etes-vous de la compagnie?	1:32 	
9 La Navarraise: Act 1: Morts! Les vieux compagnons	4:00 	
10 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: Crénelons les maisons donnant sur la champagne 	1:13 
11 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: O bien aimée	1:39 	
12 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: Anita, la Navarraise?	2:09 	
13 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 1: J'ai trois maisons dans Madrid	3:07 	
14 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Nocturne	3:42 	
15 La Navarraise: Act 2: Alerte! Alerte!		0:19 	
16 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 2: Mon argent, mes deux mille douros!	3:07 	
17 La Navarraise: Act 2: Voici ma dot!	0:47 	
18 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 2: Blessée, mourant, j'espère!	0:51 	
19 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 2: Mourir! - Mourir par moi!	4:02 	
20 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 2: Mon fils! - Père!		1:29 	
21 La Navarraise: La Navarraise: Act 2: Merci, la bonne vierge	1:44

Anita – Marilyn Horne (mezzo-soprano)
Araquil – Plácido Domingo (tenor)
Remigio – Nicola Zaccaria (bass)
Garrido – Sherrill Milnes (baritone)
Bustamente – Gabriel Bacquier (baritone)
Ramon – Ryland Davies (tenor)
A Soldier – Leslie Fyson (bass)

Ambrosian Opera Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra
Henry Lewis - Conductor 

In these days of wine lakes, beef mountains and deserts of dried milk, a double supply of navarraise is probably nothing to write to the Marketing Board about. Still, it is notable. No doubt everybody thought (if anybody gave it a thought at all) that Massenet's sorely tried heroine had gone to her eternal rest along with the age of melodrama which produced her. But who laughs last laughs longest, and she certainly does both of those. So here is RCA blazing away with the guns of Navarraise...and casting it with a generosity that could be mistaken for profligacy.

"Worth waiting for" said the advertisement. And indeed the opera itself...is worth the rediscovery. It opens and closes with, as well as offering several reminders of, a big bold tune in D minor, full orchestra fff, that nowadays would make a fortune for someone as the 'theme music' of an epic film. It continues (and here is an attraction to the makers of 'large-scale' stereo recordings) with tremendous noises of canons and rifles which on the first night, as Bernard Shaw put it, "did heavy execution among the ladies and gentlemen who cultivate their nerves on tea and alcohol"; and it has a grand part for the heroine, especially if she takes a pride in the "voix rauque", the "voix etranglee" and the "crise de nerfs supreme" culminating (though the score does not insist on this) in a peal of mad laughter. Attention is not allowed to wander, and although the tenor does have an aria it is only ninety seconds long, and not even Polonius could complain about that. There are also: Drinking Song (combined with Soldiers' Chorus), Love Duet, Mad Scene and Intermezzo (entitled Nocturne). I suppose that Shaw, who enjoyed himself hugely on that first night, was right when he said that Massenet "has not composed an opera; he has made up a prescription", especially when he adds "and his justification is that it has been perfectly efficacious". That means that, like its prototype Cavalleria Rusticana, it is strongly theatrical, melodious and emotional. The main trouble about the efficacy of the prescription is that Massenet has increased the dose.

The RCA recording does nothing to moderate it. If the CBS version opened fff; this one adds another f for good measure... Henry Lewis has drawn rather finer playing from the LSO than Antonio de Almeida did; the recorded sound has more depth and warmth, and important instrumental figures are given more prominence in relationship with the voices... With Marilyn Horne we know by the end of her first phrase, with its voluptuous chest notes, that (as Micaela sings of Carmen) "elle est dangereuse". Horne is much more in line with what we read of the great Emma Calve in the role, and what presumably Massenet had in mind when he wrote the part for her, filling the score with directions to sing "avec ivresse", "avec élan" and so forth, as well as the incitements to the "hoarse" and "strangled" mentioned earlier... Domingo's rich tone matches Horne's... Milnes has little to do, but is better than Sardinero; Zaccaria is better than Souzay...

"Worth waiting for" then? RCA's sound is rather richer, the conductor's reading rather more studied, the drama rather more vivid...[and] the general feeling is grander. --- Gramophone [11/1975], arkivmusic.com

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01 Introductions
02 Cendrillon - Act 1
03 Set Change
04 Cendrillon - Act 2
05 Interval
06 Cendrillon - Act 3
07 Set Change
08 Cendrillon - Act 4
09 Curtain Calls

Cendrillon - Joyce DiDonato (Mezzo-soprano)
La Fee - Eglise Gutierrez (Soprano)
Le Prince Charmant - Alice Coote (Mezzo-soprano)
Madame de la Haltičre - Ewa Podles (Mezzo-soprano)
Pandolfe - Jean-Philippe Lafont (Baritone)
Noemie - Madeleine Pierard (Soprano)
Dorothee - Kai Ruutel (Mezzo-soprano)
Roi - Jeremy White (Bass)
Doyen de la Faculte - Harry Nicoll (Tenor)
Surintendant des Plaisirs - Dawid Kimberg (Baritone)
Premier Ministre - John-Owen Miley-Read

The Royal Opera Chorus
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Bertrand de Billy – conductor

ROYAL OPERA HOUSE, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON
9 July 2011

The solid-looking walls in this production carry the text of Perrault’s fairy tale Cinderella, as if to reassure us that our lovely heroine will indeed eventually get her prince. For there is delicious uncertainty in Act III of this Massenet opera when Cinderella’s nasty step-mother and sisters assure her that after the bold intruder made her rapid exit from the ball, the prince decisively rejected her. This is too much for her father, who notices her grief and finally finds the backbone to defy his wife. In a tender duet with his daughter he promises they will return to his country seat and leave this town where he’s seen her cheerfulness fade away. Rather than allow her father to share her pain, however, she decides to run away and die alone. Her plaintive soliloquy Adieu, mes souvenirs de joie was most beautifully sung by Joyce DiDonato, ending with quietly sweet regret. The woodland scene that follows was played among roofs and chimney pots, and it worked well as the fairy godmother conjures up a gradual recognition between Cinderella and her prince, most gloriously and strongly sung by Alice Coote. Their duet was fabulous.

Why do we not see this opera more often? Preliminary plans were made in 1896 at the Cavendish hotel on Jermyn Street when Massenet and his librettist Henri Cain were in London for the premiere of La Navarraise. Upon its completion three years later a lavish first production was given in Paris at the Opéra Comique and was a great success, yet its first UK production was not until 1928, and this is amazingly its first performance at Covent Garden. In this version of the Cinderella story by Massenet and Cain, the two young principal characters are portrayed as desperate, lost children, hence the musical reason for not casting a tenor as the prince, yet the most widely available recording at one time did precisely this, and as Rodney Milnes writes in the Grove Dictionary of Opera, “there is neither authority nor tradition for this reprehensible practice”.

Could this be partly a reason for the neglect of this opera? To be sure, Massenet was viewed unkindly at one time as a composer of drawing room romances, reflecting the personal and intimate nature of many of his works, but failing to credit their well-organised dramatic element, and the composer’s uncanny ability to fit music to words in a way that seems utterly natural. Cinderella’s Vous êtes mon Prince Charmant is a delightful example. And then there is the wonderful orchestration, such as the off-stage use of a lute, viola d’amore and ‘glass flute’ for the entrance of Prince Charming in Act II. The orchestration of this scene even reminded me of the meeting between Octavian and Sophie in Strauss’s Rosenkavalier. Ballet lovers will also recognise some of the music from Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet Manon, which was arranged by Leighton Lucas to music entirely from Massenet’s works.

But this is an opera that needs to be seen rather than just heard, and Laurent Pelly’s production, first staged at the Santa Fe Opera in 2006, is superb. I love the set designs by Barbara de Limburg, the choreography by Laura Scozzi, and the unnatural fairy tale element expressed by those extraordinary red costumes designed by Pelly himself, along with the red make-up on the footmen, and the absurd derrière of Madame de la Haltière, the stepmother. She was gloriously performed by Ewa Podles who used her vast range of pitch to the full, giving us low notes that seemed to run along the floor of the stage.

The nasty sisters were vivaciously played by Madeleine Pierard and Kai Rüütel, both in the young artists programme, and Eglise Gutiérrez exhibited wonderful top notes as the fairy godmother. Jean-Philippe Lafont was a quietly engaging and immensely sympathetic father who gained vocal strength as the evening progressed, and I loved his gravelly tone. Altogether this was staged to perfection with a wonderful cast, and the fact that it is a co-production with Barcelona and the Theatre de la Monnaie in Brussels speaks for its international attraction. Well-known operas occasionally attract very odd and self-indulgent productions, but this relatively unknown work has been given the magical production it needs to engage us. Do not miss it, because although it will surely be revived, this is a terrific cast, with very fine musical direction from Bertrand de Billy. ---Mark Ronan

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CD1
1. Acte Un - Voici le pain	Olivier Schock	4:50	
2. Acte Un - Le voici! Le voici!	Olivier Schock	1:46	
3. Acte Un - Hélas! enfant encore	Thomas Hampson	1:59	
4. Acte Un - Nous nous mêlons jamais, mon fils	Stefano Palatchi	3:51	
5. Acte Un - Vision ...Honte! Horreur!	Thomas Hampson	1:53
6. Acte Un - Toi, qui mis la pitié dans nos âmes	Thomas Hampson	2:18	
7. Acte Un - Mon fils, nous nous mêlons jamais	Stefano Palatchi	2:34
8. Acte Un - Prélude (Deuxième Tableau)	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine		1:44
9. Acte Un - Va, mendiant chercher ailleirs ta vie!	David Grousset		1:04	
10. Acte Un - Voilà donc la terrible cité	Thomas Hampson	3:07
11. Acte Un - "Ah! Ah! Ah!...Athanaël, c'est toi!"	Marie Devellereau	4:11
12. Acte Un - "Ah! Ah! Ah!...Je vais donc te revoir"	Marie Devellereau	3:47
13. Acte Un - Garde-toi bien! Voici ta terrible ennemie!	Giuseppe Sabbatini	2:05	
14. Acte Un - C'est Thaïs, l'idole fragile	Renée Fleming		3:16	
15. Acte Un - Quel est cet étranger	Renée Fleming		2:05	
16. Acte Un - Qui te fait si sévère	Renée Fleming		2:24	
17. Acte Un - Non! Non! je hais vos fausses ivresses	Thomas Hampson	2:01
18. Acte Deux - Ah! je suis seule, seule enfin!	Renée Fleming		2:29
19. Acte Deux - Dis-moi que je suis belle	Renée Fleming		4:46
20. Acte Deux - Etranger, te voilà comme tu l'avais dit	Renée Fleming		5:14
21. Acte Deux - Eh bien, fais-moi connaître tou cet amour	Renée Fleming		2:02	
22. Acte Deux - Je suis Athanaël, moine d'Antinoé	Renée Fleming		0:58	
23. Acte Deux - Je n'ai pas plus choisi mon sort que ma nature	Renée Fleming		4:58	
24. Acte Deux - Méditation religieuse - Symphonie	Renaud Capuçon	5:48

CD2
1. Acte Deux - Père, Dieu m'a parlé par ta voix	Renée Fleming		2:01
2. Acte Deux - Non loin d'ici, vers l'occident	Renée Fleming		3:09	
3. Acte Deux - Considère, ô mon père	Renée Fleming		4:14	
4. Acte Deux - Suivez-moi tous, amis!	Giuseppe Sabbatini	1:15
5. Acte Deux - Divertissement: 1. Allegro vivo	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine		2:06
6. Acte Deux - Divertissement: 2. Mélopée orientale	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine	2:39
7. Acte Deux - Divertissement: 3. Allegro brillante	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine	1:48
8. Acte Deux - Divertissement: 4. Allegretto con spirito	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine	2:12
9. Acte Deux - Divertissement: 5. Mouvement de valse	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine	1:42
10. Acte Deux - Voilà l'incomparable!...Divertissement: 6 La Charmeuse	Giuseppe Sabbatini	4:20
11. Acte Deux - Divertissement: 7. Finale	Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine		2:39
12. Acte Deux - Eh! C'est lui!...Athanaël	Giuseppe Sabbatini	1:17
13. Acte Deux - Il dit vrai!	Renée Fleming		2:21
14. Acte Trois - L'ardent soleil m'écrase	Renée Fleming		5:52	
15. Acte Trois - "Ah! des gouttes de sang coulent de ses pieds"	Renée Fleming		2:19	
16. Acte Trois - O messager de Dieu, si bon dans ta rudesse	Renée Fleming		2:43
17. Acte Trois - Baigne d'eau mes mains et mes lèvres	Renée Fleming		3:50	
18. Acte Trois - La paix du Seigneur soit avec toi		Thomas Hampson	1:24
19. Acte Trois - Mon oeuvre est accomplie!	Thomas Hampson	3:51
20. Acte Trois - Que le ciel est pesant!	Stefano Palatchi	2:20
21. Acte Trois - C'est lui qui vient!	Thomas Hampson	4:26	
22. Acte Trois - Qui te fait si sévère	Renée Fleming		2:30	
23. Acte Trois - Thaïs va mourir!	Thomas Hampson	4:38	
24. Acte Trois - Seigneur, ayez pitié de moi	Choeur de l'Opéra de Bordeaux		2:03	
25. Acte Trois - Sois le bienvenu dans nos tabernacles	Enkelejda Shkosa	1:54	
26. Acte Trois - C'est toi, mon père	Renée Fleming		5:22	

Renée Fleming (Soprano)
Thomas Hampson (Baritone)
Giuseppe Sabbatini (Tenor)
Stefano Palatchi (Bass)
David Grousset (Baritone)
Enkelejda Shkosa (Mezzo Soprano)
Isabelle Cals (Mezzo Soprano)
Marie Devellereau (Soprano)
Elisabeth Vidal (Soprano)
Renaud Capuçon (Violin)
José Luis Victoria (), Loïc Cassin ()
Bruno Moga (), Bernard Mansencal (), Olivier Schock ()

Bordeaux Aquitaine Orchestra,  Bordeaux Grand-Theatre Chorus
Yves Abel – conductor

Renée Fleming adds another role to her repertory on disc -- and accomplishes some of her finest singing to date -- with this lavish recording of Jules Massenet's 1894 opera, Thaïs. A lush fin-de-siècle blend of exoticism, sex, and religion set in fourth-century Egypt, this lyrical gem by the composer of Werther and Manon hasn't had a complete recording since the 1970s, when Anna Moffo and Beverly Sills both took it into the studio as a star vehicle. Ironically, this little-heard opera has spawned one of classical music's most ubiquitous hits, the "Méditation," an orchestral interlude that's been a favorite encore of violinists for more than a century. But there's much more to Thaïs than this though the tune is also woven through the score of the opera at telling moments. Fleming has already proven her affinity for Massenet with an acclaimed recording of his Hérodiade, and her lustrous voice is in absolute top form for Thaïs, a vocally and dramatically challenging role in which a worldly, seductive courtesan becomes an ascetic Christian hermit. Fleming inhabits both of these facets credibly, and her emotional range and commitment take the music out of the realm of the merely "pretty" to give a strong taste of Massenet's theatrical achievement, not to mention his skill in setting the French language. As the monk who first thinks he loves Thaïs only spiritually, confronting his more physical desires too late, Thomas Hampson sings with granitic force. Initially, he may seem to lack subtlety, but Athanaëel is for the most part an unsubtle character; when tenderness creeps into Hampson's voice in the final act -- as he begins to express human feelings rather than religious dogma -- the thoughtfulness of his interpretation is revealed. As Thaïs's debauched suitor Nicias, tenor Giuseppe Sabbatini also makes a strong, characterful impression. Massenet's music has ample charms to beguile the operaphile, and this new version, captured in spacious, sumptuous sound, is sure to win Thaïs many new fans. --- Scott Paulin, barnesandnoble.com

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1. Sellé, paqueté, bridé
2. À chacun son devoir
3. Qui, je t'aime
4. Le parc!...Et le perron!
5. Mais qu'est-ce que leurs mains
6. Oubliez! Je ne veux plus aimer
7. Je ne pense qu'a lui
8. Entr'acte - Menuet lent         play
9. Jour de juin! jour d'été        play
10. Que dis-tu?
11. Ah! vous?...Quoi donc, Morel?
12. Loin de toi...c'est la mort
13. Qui vient la?
14. Il est sauvé!

Thérèse - Huguette Tourangeau
Armand de Clerval - Ryland Davies
André Thorel - Louis Quilico
Morel - Neilson Taylor
Un Officier - Ian Caley
Un Autre Officier - Alan Opie
Un Officier Municipal - Alan Opie

New Philarmonia Orchestra
Linden Singers
Richard Bonynge, 1973

Thérèse is an opera in two acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Jules Claretie. It was first performed at the Opéra in Monte Carlo on 7 February 1907, with Lucy Arbell in the title role. The story takes place during the French Revolution and concerns Thérèse, who is torn between duty and affection, between her husband André Thorel, a Girondist, and her lover, the nobleman Armand de Clerval. Although she had decided to follow her lover into exile, when her husband is being led to execution she shouts "Vive le roi!" (Long live the king!) amid the frenzied crowd and is dragged to her husband's side and marched to the guillotine.

"Therese" is not a very famous opera. Today exist three recording of the opera (one with Baltsa and Araiza and the other on Canal Grande with Jeanne Piland). This recording have a very good trio of singers: in the title role, Huguette Tourangeau, mezzo with a sensual voice who is capable to extract the heroism and the mathernal face of the role. With she, the tenor Ryland Davies and the baritone Louis Quilico, both of them very well in their roles. The orchestra sound excitant and strong. A good recording, specially for the fans of Massenet.

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1. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Castillane
2. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Andalouse
3. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Aragonaise
4. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Aubade
5. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Catalane
6. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Madrilène
7. Le Cid, opera: Ballet Suite: Navarraise
8. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Le Sommeil de Cendrillon
9. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Les Filles de Noblesse
10. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Menuet de Cendrillon
11. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Les Tendres Fiances
12. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Les Mandores
13. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Le Florentine
14. Cendrillon, opera in 4 acts: Ballet Suite: Marche des Princesses
15. Thais, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 1. Andante - Allegro vivo - Largo - Allegro moderato - Lento - Presto vivace
16. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 2. Andante cantabile
17. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 3. Scherzetto molto vivace
18. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 4. Allegro moderato - Tres lent
19. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 5. Allegro maestoso
20. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 6. Andante religioso
21. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 7. Allegro vivace. Frenetico
22. Thaïs, opera in 3 acts: Ballet Suite: 8. [Unspecified]

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner – conductor

During the mid-19th century, it was traditional for all operas performed in Paris to have a ballet sequence inserted into one of their acts. One of the most prolific and celebrated opera composers of the era was Jules Massenet; this fantastic CD surveys ballet suites taken from three of his most popular works in the genre, all of which were written at the height of his career.

The release begins with one of Massenet’s most highly regarded compositions, the Le Cid suite of 1885. Based on the story of the Castilian nobleman Rodrigo, who was responsible for saving Spain through his defeat of the Moors, the work comprises a series of picturesque movements brimming with dance rhythms drawn from different regions, and is followed by the composer’s Cendrillon suite – a masterpiece of orchestral writing that draws its material principally from the Act 2 ball scene. In the concluding suite, we move from Cendrillon’s fairy-tale enchantment to the spiritual Thaïs, which takes as its basis the tragic legend of a courtesan- turned-saint and includes some of the French composer’s most sombre music.

Although history has not taken kindly to all of Massenet’s operas, the suites heard here have remained enormously popular as concert pieces, testament to their quality and appeal. With Le Cid’s inventive use of percussion and Thaïs’s religious treatment of the organ, this collection abounds in colourful orchestration that recalls the grandeur of 19th-century Parisian opera. It’s an ideal purchase for the Romantic ballet connoisseur. ---arkivmusic.com

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CD1
1. 	Hérodiande (Oper In 4 Akten)
2. 	Alerte! Levez-vous! Le Palais Est Ouvert! (5:15)
3. 	Encore Une Dispute (3:30)
4. 	Ah! Salomé! Dans Ce Palais (6:29)
5. 	Jérusalem! Salut! Ville Fortunée! (0:58)
6. 	Introduction - Elle A Fui Le Palais (1:24)
7. 	Salomé, Salomé! Reviens, Je Te Veux! (1:10)
8. 	Venge-moi D'une Supreme Offense! (6:31)
9. 	Frappe Donc! (1:42)
10. 	Calmez Donc Vos Fureurs (8:41)
11. 	Roi, Tu Peux T'assoupir (4:01)
12. 	Danse Babylonienne - Que Ce Philtre Amoureux (2:00)
13. 	Maitre, Bois Dans Cette Amphore (2:22)
14. 	Vision Fugitive Et Toujours Poursuivie (6:51)
15. 	Voilà L'homme Qui Fait Trembler Tout En Empire! (2:00)
16. 	Explique-moi D'abord Le Mal Que Je Ressens! (4:25)
17. 	Roi, Que Ta Superbe Vaillance (4:55)
18. 	Aux Romains Orgueilluex (1:04)
19. 	Vous Qui Tenez Conseil (1:21)
20. 	Ah! Le Romain! (0:38)
21. 	Mon Approche Quel Trouble (3:42)
22. 	Hosannah! (1:30)
23. 	Je Tiens Ma Vengeance! Toute Justice Vient Du Ciel! (1:49)

CD2
1. 	Dors, O Cité Perverse! (4:39)
2. 	Ah! Phanuel! (3:16)
3. 	Si Dieu L'avait Voulu (3:12)
4. 	Prélude (1:42)
5. 	Hérode, À Toit Ces Palmes, À Toi Ces Fleurs! (4:10)
6. 	Charme Des Jours Passés (2:49)
7. 	C'en Est Fait! La Judée Appartient À Tibère! (4:46)
8. 	Que M'oses-tu Dire? (3:26)
9. 	Marche Sainte (5:13)
10. 	Scène Religieuse: Schemah Isreael! Adonai Eleheinou! (3:01)
11. 	Peuple Juif! Rends Justice (1:00)
12. 	Achève Donc Ton Oeuvre (1:42)
13. 	Comme Il Est Beau Dans Sa Misère (1:37)
14. 	Homme, Quel Est Ton Nom? (3:17)
15. 	C'est Dieu Que L'on Te Nomme (3:45)
16. 	Frappez Donc, Frappez Les Apotres (1:18)
17. 	Qu'ils Meurent (2:04)
18. 	Ne Pouvant Réprimer (5:18)
19. 	Salomé! - Jean! (3:10)
20. 	Ami, La Mort N'est Pas Cruelle (2:31)
21. 	Quand Nos Jours S'éteindront (2:59)
22. 	Romains! Nous Sommes Romains! (2:30)
23. 	Ballet. Les Gauloises (1:29)
24. 	Ballet. Finale (1:29)
25. 	Pourquoi Me Retirer Cette Faveur Supreme (3:05)
26. 	Ses Pleurs Ont Calmé Ma Fureur! (1:02)
27. 	Laissez-vous Émouvoir! (2:51)

Renée Fleming (Soprano)
Dolora Zajic (Mezzo Soprano)
Juan Pons (Baritone)
Kenneth Cox (Bass)
Hector Vásquez (Baritone)
Placido Domingo (Tenor)

San Francisco Opera Orchestra and Chorus
Valery Gergiev - conductor

Until a few months ago, there was little choice if you wanted to listen to Hérodiade, Massenet's first major work. Either you found a pirate of a 1970s French radio broadcast which was inadequately cast and incredibly cut, or a pirate of a 1980s Barcelona performance which was also cut and with the unlikely cast of Caballé, Carreras, Vejzovic and Pons. New recordings have now been released by Sony and EMI which are complementary rather than competitive. Michel Plasson and his Toulouse forces on EMI (3 discs) definitely offer the stronger version, but suffer at one crucial point, the duel of the prima donnas, as Cheryl Studer is simply no match for Renée Fleming. Studer is correct, sings more than well and continues to show an affinity for the French repertoire which she is given little opportunity to exploit in her public appearances. Fleming matches her point for point but seems far more to be living her role (is the fact that the recording was made during a series of performances at the San Francisco Opera a contributing factor?). Her voice also has a shade more body and the light vibrato is not unpleasant; moreover she does not hold back, which is sometimes the case with Studer.

One could make a case for Valery Gergiev (Sony) whose affection for the French repertoire has never been a secret. He comes close to Plasson in sustaining a single line from start to finish of the large curve that forms the first two acts, and he succeeds in finding the rubato which is essential to making this music live even though it doesn't always have the naturalness of Plasson. The affinities of Hérodiade with certain works in the Russian repertoire become even more apparent.

The Sony version is ruled out when we get to the men, because of the bullish bleatings in some unrecognizable language by baritone Juan Pons - no match for the suavity of Thomas Hampson on EMI - the inelegance of Placido Domingo who still refuses to observe the niceties of French pronunciation, a wooly bass in the role of Phanuel. On all three points the competition scores, with newcomer Ben Heppner in the role of John the Baptist showing that he can observe the markings of a score and sing persuasively in more than correct French. Hampson's virtues have been highly praised after each of his previous ventures into the French repertoire and this recording shows him maintaining the same high level. José van Dam may not have the lush bass voice envisioned by Massenet when he expanded the role of Phanuel for Edouard de Reszke, but his awareness and artistry compensate more than adequately.

The two women in the title role are more evenly matched, Dolora Zajick for Sony giving a whale of a performance, her vocalism very much in the "old" style, no less enjoyable for that, but when compared to Nadine Denize's way with the text - and she has never been known for subtlety or comprehensibility - there is definitely something lacking. And Mme Denize is no slouch vocally, even at this stage of her career.

The fact that Sony has fit the opera onto two CDs as opposed to EMI's three should not dissuade anyone but diehard Domingo fans or the burgeoning number of Fleming devotees from acquiring the Plasson version as first choice, the snips of the scissors which disfigure the last two acts on Sony becoming more and more egregious as the work reaches its conclusion.

But when, EMI, are you going to reissue the highlights record made in the early 60s with Crespin and Gorr under the baton of Georges Prêtre? What a pity that a nearly ideal cast that was also familiar with the tradition was not given the opportunity to set down for posterity the definitive version.

As a sidelight, Amadeus Press of Portland, Oregon, recently published Demar Irvine's Massenet: A Chronicle of his Life and Times, a work with a curious history. Irvine originally wrote his study in the early 1970s but could not find a publisher so he made a number of photocopies which he then distributed to various libraries. In the early 90s, the publisher came across a reference to this version in a French bibliography of Massenet and became so intrigued that Irvine, a resident of nearby Washington (the state) and an acquaintance from musicological conferences, had produced a work that had remained virtually a state secret. The result is a handsome publication which lives up to its title, debunking many of the myths which have accrued to the Massenet legend over the years. Our only regret is that almost nothing is said about the music, but there is ample compensation in the many photos and illustrations which are dispersed throughout the text. Highly recommended. --- Joel Kasow, culturekiosque.com

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Disc: 1
1. Prelude - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Miachel Plasson
2. Act I: Hola! He! Monsieur L'Hotelier! - Ghyslaine Raphanel/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Martine Mahe/Charles Brules/Jean-Marie Fremeau...
3. Act I: Allez A L'auberge Voisine - Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme/Gino Quilico/Roger Trentin/Jean Melac
4. Act I: Je Suis Encore Tout Etourdie - Ileana Cotrubas
5. Act I: Revenez, Guillot, Revenez! - Ghyslaine Raphanel/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Martine Mahe
6. Act I: Regardez-Moi Bien Dans Les Yeux - Gino Quilico
7. Act I: Voyons, Manon, Plus De Chimeres - Ileana Cotrubas
8. Act I: Et Je Sais Votre Nom - Alfredo Kraus/Ileana Cotrubas
9. Act I: Plus Un Sou! Le Tour Est Plaisant! - Gino Quilico/Charles Brules/Jean-Marie Fremeau/Jacques Loreau/Ghyslaine Raphanel...
10. Act II: Prld - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
11. Act II: On L'Appelle Manon - Ileana Cotrubas/Alfredo Kraus
12. Act II: Enfin, Les Amoureux, Je Vous Tiens Tous Les Deux! - Gino Quilico/Jean-Marie Fremeau
13. Act II: Allons! Il Le Faut - Ileana Cotrubas
14. Act II: Je Ne Suis Que Faiblesse - Ileana Cotrubas
15. Act II: Adieu, Notre Petite Table - Ileana Cotrubas
16. Act II: En Fermant Les Yeux - Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
17. Act III, Scene 1: Entracte - Minuet - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
18. Act III, Scene 1: C'est Fete Au Cours-La-Reine - Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
19. Act III, Scene 1: La Charmante Promenade - Ghyslaine Raphanel/Colette Alliot-Lugaz
20. Act III, Scene 1: A Quoi Bon L'economie - Gino Quilico
21. Act III, Scene 1: Voici Les Elegantes! - Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
22. Act III, Scene 1: Je Marche Sur Tous Les Chemins! - Ileana Cotrubas

Disc: 2
1. Act III, Scene 1: Gavotte: Obeissons Quand Leur Voix Appelle - Ileana Cotrubas/Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
2. Act III, Scene 1: Pardon! Mais J'etais La - Ileana Cotrubas/Jose Van Dam
3. Act III, Scene 1: Preambule: L'Opera, Voici L'Opera! - Jean-Marie Fremeau/Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme/Charles Brules
4. Act III, Scene 1: Ballet - Orch Du Capitole De Toulouse/Michel Plasson
5. Act III, Scene 1: Non, Sa Vie A La Mienne... - Ileana Cotrubas/Gino Quilico/Charles Brules/Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
6. Act III, Scene 2: Quelle Eloquence! - Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
7. Act III, Scene 2: Epouse Quelque Bonne Fille - Jose Van Dam
8. Act III, Scene 2: Je Suis Seul... Ah! Fuyez, Douce Image - Alfredo Kraus
9. Act III, Scene 2: Pardonnez-Moi, Dieu De Toute Puissance - Ileana Cotrubas
10. Act III, Scene 2: Oui, Je Fus Cruelle Et Coupable! - Ileana Cotrubas/Alfredo Kraus
11. Act III, Scene 2: N'est-ce Plus Ma Main Que Cette Main Presse? - Ileana Cotrubas
12. Act IV: Le Jouer Sans Prudence Livre Tout Au Hasard - Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
13. Act IV: A L'hotel De Transylvanie - Ghyslaine Raphanel/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Martine Mahe
14. Act IV: C'est Ici Que Celle Que J'aime - Gino Quilico
15. Act IV: J'enfourche Aussi Pegase - Charles Brules
16. Act IV: Manon! Manon! Sphinx Etonnant... - Alfredo Kraus/Ileana Cotrubas/Gino Quilico
17. Act IV: A Nous Les Amours Et Les Roses - Ileana Cotrubas/Ghyslaine Raphanel/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Martine Mahe
18. Act IV: Oui, Je Viens T'arracher A La Honte! - Jose Van Dam/Ghyslaine Raphanel/Colette Alliot-Lugaz/Martine Mahe
19. Act V: Manon, Pauvre Manon! - Alfredo Kraus/Gino Quilico/Choeur Du Capitole De Toulouse/Guy Lhomme
20. Act V: Tu Pleures! - Ileana Cotrubas/Alfredo Kraus

Manon – Ileana Cotrubas, soprano
Le Chevalier des Grieux - Alfredo Kraus, tenor
Lescaut – Gino Quilico, baritone
Le Comte des Grieux – Jose van Dam, bass
Guillot de Morfontain – Charles Burles, tenor
De Bretigny – Jean-Marie Fremeau, baritone
Pousette – Ghyslaine Raphanel, soprano
Javotte – Colette Allioz-Lugaz, soprano
Rosette – Martine Mahe, mezzo-soprano
L’Hotelier – Jacques Loreau, baritone

Choeurs et Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse
Michel Plasson – conductor

This Manon has long been overshadowed by great recordings with the likes of Beverly Sills, Victoria de Los Angeles, and Angela Gheorghiu as the opera's title role. Ileana Cotrubas was a Romanian soprano famous for singing lighter roles, most notably a Violetta with Carlos Kleiber on Deutsche Grammophone. I own that recording, and I find that out of the several Violettas who have turned the opera into fodder for the soprano voice, Cotrubas gives it a dimension and perspective that only a few singers like Maria Callas did in their career. She probes into the character like no other and dazzles us with coloratura that the soprano could call her own. She also had an innocent quality about her voice which made her less lusty but more feminine than Maria. These are the reasons why I bought this recording of Manon.

I have heard several Manon's, the latest being Renee Fleming's disaster on Sony. Her extremely mannered character and jazzy swoops, scoops, and slides are totally uncalled for in a repertoire where style is everything. None of that, gladly, can be found in this performance. With a voice slightly darker than Sills and a quality as smooth and beautiful as de los Angeles and a command of the French language than can put many French Manons to shame, Cotrubas is my reference Manon. She is coquettish, flirtatious, frivolous, and correctly sad and full of abandon in the latter acts. She shows Manon's development as a character perfectly as no other singer ever did in their recordings. She should be a model for all singers who wish to interpret this role.

Cotrubas is partnerred by Alfredo Kraus' De Grieux, who is perhaps the best exponent of a role taken by beefier tenors lacking in style and lighter tenors who ought to sing more Taminos before taking on this very passionate, poetic, and ardent role. De Grieux lies within Kraus' comfortable range, and I find that he brings out more colors and emotions with his singing of this role than other tenors. He also sings all of De Grieux's notes with a charm and elegance rare among the breed of lighter tenors that dominate today's market. The Comte de Grieux is taken by Jose Van Dam, one of the baritones of the last few decades who brought a special touch to everything he sang without the overly decadent mannerisms associated with Fischer Dieskau. I love this singer's work, and he perhaps makes this role more special than any other person who sang the role.

Michel Plasson, a French conductor who gave us some of the best recordings of his native country's operas, brings a quasi-impressionistic-Romantic feel to this opera, which perfectly suits Massenet's orchestration. This is the definitive recording of Manon, so grab it while EMI has it in circulation still. --- The Cultural Observer, amazon.com

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01. Scenes Alsaciennes - Dimanche Matin    [0:06:59.67]
02. Scenes Alsaciennes - Au Cabaret    [0:05:09.18]
03. Scenes Alsaciennes - Sous les Tilleuls    [0:04:51.30]
04. Scenes Alsaciennes - Dimanche Soir    [0:05:59.40]
05. Scenes Pittoresques - Marche    [0:03:47.00]
06. Scenes Pittoresques - Air de Ballet    [0:02:48.17]
07. Scenes Pittoresques - Angelus    [0:05:04.40]
08. Scenes Pittoresques - Fete Boh me    [0:05:05.68]
09. Don Quichotte - Interlude 1 (S r nade de Don Quichotte)    [0:02:03.25]
10. Don Quichotte - Interlude 2 (La Tristesse de Dulcin e)    [0:03:38.20]

Orchestre National De l'Opera De Monte-Carlo 
John Eliot Gardiner – conductor

Massenet’s orchestral works are shamefully neglected. If you like, say, Tchaikovsky’s ballet suites, then you should love this richly scored, wonderfully tuneful music. Dramatic Scenes is fascinating in that its finale features a march theme curiously similar to that in the finale of Sibelius’ Third Symphony. Fairy Scenes is French Mendelssohn with sexier scoring, while The Last Sleep of the Virgin is one of those yummy bits of sugary fluff that only a French composer could take so seriously, and execute so flawlessly.

These are handily the best versions of these works available (not that there are many). Once upon a time John Eliot Gardiner was an up-and-coming conductor with what sounded like genuine talent. This was before he got hooked on the period-instrument cult, was dumped by Universal, and took revenge (just on who remains controversial) by embarking nonetheless on his egomaniacal “Bach pilgrimage”, a conceptually silly enterprise dedicated to the discographically redundant recording of all the Bach cantatas in different, often acoustically miserable churches across Europe. ---classicstoday.com

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