La Guerre des Bouffons reaches my site today, with works from opposing sides of the French operatic conflict. Rousseau is better known as a philosopher, but fancied himself as something of a musician, and his “Le Devin du Village” was extremely influential in its day. It was later parodied by Mozart in “Bastien und Bastienne.” Rousseau was a proponent of Italian operatic style as exemplified by Pergolesi’s “La serva padrona,” and wrote articles supporting the Italian as opposed to the French style espoused by Rameau. Rousseau’s own amateur attempt at opera, though hugely popular at the time, sounds somewhat trite and pedestrian now, though it is given as good a performance as one could hope for in the recording below. Gedda is perhaps too strong for the role of Colin sometimes. The Rameau excerpts, to me, win out easily, directed by Nadia Boulanger.
Rousseau – Le Devin du Village
Mediafire link for Rousseau – Le Devin du Village – de Froment (1956)
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
Columbia 33CX 1503
Matrices XPTX 394 21, 395 21 (M6 176329/30)
Recorded April 1956
Issued February 1958
Orchestre de Chambre Louis de Froment, Louis de Froment
Nicolai Gedda, tenor (Colin)
Janine Micheau, soprano (Colette)
Michel Roux, bass (Le Devin)
Choeurs Raymond Saint-Paul
Rameau – Operatic Excerpts
Mediafire link for Rameau – Operatic excerpts – Boulanger
(This is a zip file – left click the link, download the file, then unzip when downloaded)
Brunswick AXTL 1053
Matrices MC 3135-1B, MC 3136-3B
Issued 1954
Instrumental Ensemble, Nadia Boulanger
Dardanus – Act 2. Introduction – Tout l’avenir… Suspends ta brillante carrière… Hâtons-nous!… Nos cris ont pénétré
Doda Conrad, baritone with vocal ensemble
Castor et Pollux – Prologue: Minuet… Naissez, dons de Flore
Paul Derenne, tenor
Jean Maciet, tenor
Nadine Sautereau, soprano
Flore Wend, soprano
Hippolyte et Aricie – Act 5. Rossignols amoureux
Flore Wend, soprano
Dardanus – Act 3. O jour affreux!
Irma Kolassi, mezzo-soprano
Les Indes Galantes – Entrée 2. Clair flambeau
Bernard Demigny, baritone with vocal ensemble
Hippolyte et Aricie – O disgrâce cruelle – Overture and Fanfare
Irma Kolassi, mezzo-soprano with vocal ensemble
Hippolyte et Aricie – Ballet figuré
Castor et Pollux – Act 4. Séjour de l’éternelle paix
Paul Derenne, tenor
Les Fêtes d’Hébé – Prologue: Volons sure les bordes de la seine;
Acanthe et Céphise – Entr’acte;
Les Fêtes d’Hébé – Entrée I. Je vous revois
Nadine Sautereau, soprano
Flore Wend, soprano
Platée – Chantons Bacchus!
Paul Derenne, tenor with vocal ensemble
In the early years of his recording career, Eugene Goossens frequently recorded operatic pots-pourris, though it was something he did more often for Columbia than for HMV as here with the Royal Albert Hall Orchestra
Puccini arr. Tavan – Tosca – Selection
Download – Puccini/Tavan – Tosca – selection – Goossens
(mp3 file – right click the link, then select “Save as” or click the play button)
His Master’s Voice D 913
Matrices Cc 2668-IV, 2669-II (single side numbers 4-0592/3)
Recorded 19th January 1924, 7th March 1923, Hayes
Royal Albert Hall Orchestra, Eugene Goossens
The French violinist Renée Chemet is a virtually unknown name to most, but she did record extensively for the Gramophone Company. Her recorded repertoire consists mostly of minor works which were the staple fare for violinists on record at the time. She did however record a number of sonata movements, an arrangement of a Vivaldi concerto, a Mozart concerto with Goossens conducting (albeit the doubtful No.6, K268), and this favourite Saint-Saens work.
Saint-Saens – Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso
Download – Saint-Saens – Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso – Chemet
(mp3 file – right click the link, then select “Save as” or click the play button)
His Master’s Voice DB 887
Matrices Cc 6789-I, 6790-II (single side numbers 4-07955/6)
Recorded 28th September 1925, Hayes
Renée Chemet, violin
Harold Craxton, piano
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