F DAVID Lalla Roukh
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: David Newman, Félicien David
Genre:
Opera
Label: Naxos
Magazine Review Date: 06/2014
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 107
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 8 660338/9
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Lalla Roukh |
Félicien David, Composer
Andrew Adelsberger, Kaboul, Bass-baritone Bernard Delétré, Baskir, Bass-baritone David Newman, Composer Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, Noureddin, Tenor Félicien David, Composer Lafayette Opera Chorus Marianne Fiset, Lalla Roukh, Soprano Nathalie Paulin, Mirza, Soprano Ryan Brown, Conductor |
Author: Edward Greenfield
Before writing his two-act fantasy, the composer had in fact travelled in the Middle East and had been captivated by its atmosphere. He took the plot of Lalla Roukh from a story by the Irish writer Thomas Moore (1779-1852), a friend of Lord Byron, telling of an Indian princess promised in marriage to the King of Bukhara who, on the way to meet him, is captivated by the singing of a minstrel. She falls in love and determines not to marry the king. But then it turns out that the minstrel is the king in disguise wanting to test his bride in advance, so all ends happily.
The big strength of this debut recording by Opera Lafayette of Washington DC is that all the principals have such firm, clear voices, very precise, with not a single wobbler among them. Marianne Fiset as the heroine has a bright, perfectly placed soprano, attacking even the most exposed notes with precision. She is matched by the lighter soprano of her companion, Mirza, sung by Nathalie Paulin, who copes superbly with the coloratura writing, clear and precise in everything, sweet and pure.
The tenor role of the hero Noureddin (alias the king) is sung by the tenor Emiliano Gonzalez Toro, again with a firm, clear voice. There remains the buffo character of Baskir, beautifully sung, with extremely clear diction in all his patter numbers. Add to that a couple of extra characters and an excellent chorus and you have a most attractive package, with each act complete on a single Naxos disc.
As presented there is no recitative, and I can only assume that any spoken dialogue is omitted – perfectly acceptable in such a novelty. One can simply sit back and enjoy a sequence of delightful numbers, notably Lalla’s ‘O nuit d’amour’ at the start of Act 2, the charming if brief Romance of the hero and the ecstatic final solo for the heroine, exuberant in joy. The whole opera is rounded off with a march ensemble, again typical of the genre. Clear, atmospheric recording; a synopsis is provided in the booklet while the libretto may be found online.
Explore the world’s largest classical music catalogue on Apple Music Classical.
Included with an Apple Music subscription. Download now.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Events & Offers
From £9.20 / month
SubscribeGramophone Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Events & Offers
From £11.45 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.