Auber (The) Diamonds in the Crown
The lack of a translation is unfortunate given the amount of dialogue‚ but performances are idiomatic and the impeccable diction delights
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Daniel-François-Esprit Auber
Genre:
Opera
Label: Mandala
Magazine Review Date: 10/2001
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 160
Catalogue Number: MAN 5003/05
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(Les) diamants de la couronne, 'Crown Diamonds' |
Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, Composer
Armand Arapian, Rebolledo, Baritone Christophe Einhorn, Don Henrique, Tenor Cori Spezzati Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, Composer Dominique Ploteau, Don Sebastien Edmon Colomer, Conductor Ghyslaine Raphanel, Catarina, Soprano Mylène Mornet, Diana Nicolas Gambotti, Mugnoz Orchestre de Picardie Paul Médioni, Count of Campo Mayor Sébastien Lemoine, Barbarigo, Baritone |
Author:
Like many innovators‚ Auber has been somewhat forgotten‚ resting in the shade of his successors. It was he‚ though‚ who forged both the opéracomique style and its more ambitious counterpart‚ the Parisian grand opéra. Les diamants de la couronne comes quite late in his long list of stage works. First performed in 1841‚ the triumphs of La muette de Portici‚ Gustave III and‚ in a lighter vein‚ Fra Diavolo and Le domino noir were already behind him.
The libretto‚ by his usual collaborator‚ Eugène Scribe‚ concerns the queen of a South American country who steals her own crown jewels in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of corrupt politicians who are bankrupting the state. While she is disguised as a bandit she meets the hero‚ taking him hostage for a while‚ before a series of disguises and misunderstandings leads to an eventual happy ending.
The music and the mood foreshadow the Offenbach of La GrandeDuchesse de Gérolstein and Les brigands. There are elaborate finales and some virtuoso arias – the most famous in its day being the Act 2 Boléro and variations‚ long ago recorded by Lucette Korsoff (reissued by Rubini‚ LPRS302). Ghyslaine Raphanel is a spirited Catarina – a sort of female Zorro in the firstact bandit scene. Although her voice is sometimes overtaxed by the higherlying passages‚ she deals with the coloratura efficiently and‚ as this is a live recording‚ as the opera progresses she and all the other soloists gain momentum. Christophe Einhorn has a somewhat fluttery light tenor‚ but he is quite touching as the putupon Don Henrique.
Edmon Colomer conducts the Picardie orchestra in a performance that at its best evokes something of the authentic opéracomique style. The diction of the entire cast is impeccable – when one hears French spoken and sung like this‚ it is a reminder of how much is often missing when singers from other countries attempt this tricky genre.
The problem with the piece is that there are lengthy scenes of dialogue (there is a libretto but no translation – rather essential‚ especially at full price). Even at first hearing this can become a bit tedious and Auber’s music suffers from a lack of that forwardmoving verve that Offenbach would later find in similar situations. I am delighted to have heard this‚ but it’s a rarity strictly for specialists.
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