Composer: Gaetano Donizetti
Performer: Angela Meade, Michael Spyres, Laurent Naouri, Gianluca Buratto, David Stout, Trystan Llyr Griffiths, Robin Tritschler, Dawid Kimberg, Opera Rara Chorus
Orchestra: Hallé Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Mark Elder
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Opera Rara
Catalogue: ORC54
Release: 2016
Size: 836 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Le duc d’Albe
CD 01
01. Ouverture
Act 1
02. “Espagne! Espagne! Espagne!” (Sandoval, Carlos, Il cancelliere del castello)
03. “Par Saint-Jacques, messieurs” (Sandoval, Carlos, Un Tavernier, Il cancelliere del castello)
04. “Voyez donc cette belle” (Sandoval, Daniel Brauer)
05. “C’est donc ici! Daniel” (Hélène d’Egmont, Sandoval, Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
06. “Honneur à lui! Ce guerrier” (Chorus)
07. “Pourquoi dans cette foule” (Hélène d’Egmont, Balbuena, Daniel Brauer)
08. “Au sein des mers” (Hélène d’Egmont)
09. “Du courage, du courage” (Hélène d’Egmont, Il cancelliere del castello)
10. “Cette fille noble et belle” (Hélène d’Egmont, Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
11. “Race faible et poltronne” (Hélène d’Egmont)
12. “Hélène! O ciel!. Henri…” (Henri de Bruges, Hélène d’Egmont, Daniel Brauer)
13. “Toi tu resteras!” (Henri de Bruges, Le duc d’Albe)
14. “Punis mon audace!” (Henri de Bruges, Le duc d’Albe)
15. “Je devrais te punir!” (Henri de Bruges, Le duc d’Albe)
16. “Non, non, point de grâce” (Henri de Bruges, Sandoval)
17. “Je suis libre et sur la terre” (Henri de Bruges, Le duc d’Albe)
CD 02
Act 2
01. “Liqueur traîtresse” (Chorus)
02. “Ici l’on travaille” (Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
03. “Vive la bière” (Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
04. “Mais j’entends battre la retraite” (Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
05. “Es-tu seul?” (Hélène d’Egmont, Daniel Brauer)
06. “Ton ombre murmure” (Hélène d’Egmont)
07. “Quoi! Déjà de retour?” (Hélène d’Egmont, Daniel Brauer)
08. “Plus bas! plus bas!” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges, Daniel Brauer)
09. “Vous exposer encore!” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges)
10. “Comment dans ma reconnaissance” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges)
11. “Ah! Oui, longtemps en silence” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges)
12. “Malheureuse et proscrite…” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges)
13. “Noble martyr de la patrie” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges)
14. “Les derniers feux…” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges, Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
15. “Amis! L’heure d’agir” (Henri de Bruges, Chorus)
16. “Marchons” (Henri de Bruges, Chorus)
17. “Liberté … Chérie!” (Henri de Bruges, Hélène d’Egmont, Chorus)
18. “Ciel!” (Henri de Bruges, Daniel Brauer, Sandoval, Chorus)
19. “Liqueur traîtresse” (Reprise) [Chorus]
20. “Maître Daniel est seul” (Sandoval, Daniel Brauer)
21. “Nous n’avons qu’un roi” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges, Daniel Brauer, Chorus)
22. “Oui, bravons le tyran” (Henri de Bruges, Sandoval)
23. “O ciel, O surprise” (Hélène d’Egmont, Henri de Bruges, Sandoval, Chorus)
Le Duc d’Albe stars the glorious American soprano Angela Meade, making her debut recording for Opera Rara. Joining Angela, and returning to Opera Rara following his astonishing performance on the label’s award-winning recording of Donizetti’s Les Martyrs, is tenor Michael Spyres, as well as Laurent Naouri, who recently sang on our recording of Gounod’s La Colombe.
Le Duc d’Albe is, believe it or not, a Donizetti world premiere recording. Donizetti left the work unfinished as he descended into syphilitic madness in the late 1840s; it seems to have been one of the last things he worked on. The opera is known, and not well known at that, in a later Italian-language completion (Il Duca d’Alba) by Matteo Salvi, and this French-language grand opera version received its premiere performance only in 2012. The story, set in the age of Spanish rule over the Netherlands, is the same as that of Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani, which also exists in a French version and which was written by the same librettists, but given a new locale. At any rate, here you get only the first two acts (Il Duca d’Alba fleshed out a partially sketched third act), and they’re well worth hearing. The story’s canvas is large, with a love story set against a background of military and political intrigue, and it is remarkable how Verdian Donizetti sounds here (indeed, a lot more Verdian than Verdi sounded in 1839, when the bulk of the music was composed). In structure it is a “number opera” with recitatives, arias, and big choruses, but the music is closely connected to the action and never seems to come to full stops. The performance by Opera Rara, which is true to its name, is very strong, with the Hallé Orchestra’s rehearsal room, the deconsecrated Hallé St. Peter’s church, providing a recording space of reasonable clarity. The star of the first two acts is the soprano role Hélène d’Egmont, daughter of a Flemish war hero executed by the titular duke and in love with his son. It’s a big part that demands both limpid tunes and some fireworks, and you get both from soprano Angela Meade. Sample her second-act aria “Ton ombre murmure” (CD two, track six). The unfussy choral and orchestral work by the Hallé Orchestra under Sir Mark Elder is another attraction of a release that will be a necessity for Donizetti buffs.