Saturday, July 6, 2013

FRANCK : STRADELLA

Radio New Zealand Concert network
Sunday 7th of July 2013 at 3.03 - 5.05 pm

FRANCK: Stradella, an opera in three acts
Alessandro Stradella........ Marc Laho
Léonor.............................. Isabelle Kabatu
Duke of Pesaro................. Philippe Rouillon
Spadoni............................ Werner Van Mechelen
Beppo............................... Patrick Mignon
Pietro................................ Xavier Rouillon
Michael............................. Giovanni Iovino
Officer.............................. Roger Joakim
Wallonie Royal Opera Chorus, Children's Chorus & Orch/
Paolo Arrivabeni
 (recorded in the Wallonie Royal Opera House, Liège)

COMPOSER
REVIEW
AUDIOVISUAL ! (until October 2013)

Who knew that César Franck (1822-1890) wrote operas, except those who obsessively read encyclopedias? We know the violin sonata (even when it is a flute playing), the Symphonic Variations (the finale says: Get a haircut!), the one symphony, and some symphonic poems (Accursed Huntsman), organ pieces, and Panis Angelicus. But there were three operas in the books: Le Valet de Ferme (1852, comic opera not performed), Hulda (Monte Carlo 1894, after his death; set in 11C Norway), Ghiselle (Monte Carlo 1896); and then Stradella popped up (dating from his youth, 1841). Like Ghiselle it had to be completed by others.
    Franck became French but he was a Lowlander from Liège, and that city revived this work in 2012.
    Alessandro Stradella (born 1642, murdered 1682) was a composer of opera et cetera; Niedermeyer and then Flotow composed one about him. Franck's opera is set in Venice, which is constantly sinking into the sea, and this production has water, water, everywhere; it's raining all the time. Early in the piece you might think the characters were walking on water (moving along a narrow pier), but they are soon up to their middle in it, and completely submerged in the end; and a big clown fish (Nemo magnified) swims around.
    At present the performance can be watched (see AUDIOVISUAL); it is so original it deserves to be broadcast everywhere. I stumbled on it and stayed with it. During the overture a naked girl is making big bubbles with a simple contraption. There are no subtitles, and while we can see what is happening we are not sure what is going on.
   Basically, the story runs thus: the Duke of Pesaro has Léonor abducted to his mansion, and sends the musician Stradella in to soften her up in his favour. Actually, the pair is/are already a couple; they flee, but are pursued.

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