Composer: André Messager
Performer: Véronique Gens, Chantal Santon Jeffery, Nicole Car, Eric Huchet, Étienne Dupuis, Armando Noguera
Orchestra: Munich Radio Orchestra
Conductor: Stefan Blunier
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Bru Zane
Release: 2021
Size: 784 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Messager: Passionnément
Acte I
01. I. Introduction. Terre, terre droit devant nous !
02. II. Légende. Quand l’Éternel, au Paradis
03. III. Duo. Il ne faut pas croire aux serments des femmes
04. IV. Couplets. Si l’Amérique est le plus grand pays du monde
05. V. Couplets. L’amour est un oiseau rebelle
06. VI. Couplets. Pour sortir, en toute saison
07. VII. Trio. Dès que l’âge sème sur nous des fils d’argent
08. VIII. Finale. Dites-vous que c’était un rêve
Acte II
09. I. Trio et Couplets. Non ! je n’ai pas souvenance
10. II. Couplets. Ah ! Madame, j’ai comme un pressentiment
11. III. Duetto. Je lui ai dit
12. IV. Ensemble et Chanson. Nous apportons vos valises
13. V. Couplets. Moi, toute la vie, je me la représente
14. VI. Duetto. Voulez-vous bien signer ces pièces
15. VII. Valse. Puisqu’elle ne peut elle-même
16. VIII. Finale. Non, non, vous n’irez pas là-bas
Acte III
17. I. Entracte
18. II. Couplets. J’ai lu, dans la Sainte Écriture
19. III. Couplets. Oh ! oui, mon bonheur fut immense
20. IV. Trio. Cette nuit, la chose est trop forte
21. V. Rondeau. N’imaginez pas qu’il m’en coûte
22. VI. Couplets. Julia, jusqu’à cette heure il me semble
23. VII. Finale. Le bon et le doux vin de France
André Messager’s deliciously French art offers the perfect combination of refined music and frivolous – but never facile – operetta. This recording was a product of the constraints of the 2020 pandemic. Musicians and producers were forced to downgrade many projects in order to comply with the health guidance which was then in force. With its modest instrumental requirements, its smattering of soloists and its lack of a choir, the operetta Passionnément, which enjoyed a triumphal opening in a cheery inter-war Paris in 1926, was perfect for these challenging conditions.
In France, operetta has often suffered from mediocre vocal talent. All the more reason, then, to enjoy this high-quality production, with excellent vocalists, starting with Australian soprano Nicole Car as Julia, a crafty chambermaid who is dreaming of a bourgeois life with an American millionaire, and who ends up hitting the bottle at the height of Prohibition. The libretto by Hervé Hennequin and Albert Willemetz is full of salacious allusions only scantily concealed by candid lyrics.
This is the first time ever that Passionnément has been committed to disc. This release was a co-production between the Munich Radio and Palazzetto Bru Zane. This full, uncut version was directed by Stefan Blunier, who offers a wonderful rendering of André Messager’s melodic talents, bringing a sense of joy and subtlety to every moment. The flawless cast brings together Véronique Gens as Ketty, the wife abandoned by her wealthy American husband, played by Eric Huchet. Etienne Dupuis, Chantal Santon Jeffery and Armando Noguera round out an excellently-put-together cast, which does full justice to this piece of classic workmanship. A superb document of the atmosphere of the 1920s.