Composer: Fromental Halévy
Performer: Flemish Radio Choir, Véronique Gens, Christophoros Stamboglis, Tomislav Lavoie, Cyrille Dubois, Artavazd Sargsyan, Éric Huchet, Étienne Dupuis
Orchestra: Orchestre de Chambre de Paris
Conductor: Hervé Niquet
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Bru Zane
Catalogue: ES10328RSK
Release: 2018
Size: 2.48 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
La Reine de Chypre
CD 01
Acte I
01. Introduction
02. Récitatif “Enfin, c’est aujourd’hui !”
03. Romance “Le ciel est radieux”
04. Duo “Gérard, Mon Gérard !”
05. Récitatif et Trio “Salut noble Gérard !”
06. Récitatif “Mais qu’ai-je vu !”
07. Duo “Sommes-nous seuls ici ?”
08. Chœur “Joie infinie !”
09. Final “L’autel est préparé”
Acte II
10. Entracte
11. Air “Le gondolier, dans sa pauvre nacelle”
12. Air (Suite) “Et je perdrais mon bien suprême !”
13. Récitatif “Catarina !”
14. Duo “Arbitre de ma vie”
Acte III
15. Chœur et Ensemble “Buvons à Chypre”
16. Chœur et Couplets “Au jeu mes amis !”
17. Récitatif “Infâmes assassins !”
CD 02
Acte III
01. Duo “Vous qui de la chevalerie”
02. Duo (Suite) “Triste exilé”
Acte IV
03. Introduction et Chœur “Le beau jour, la belle fête”
04. Récitatif, Chœur et Ensemble “Peuple de Chypre”
05. Chœur et Marche “Gloire à la Reine !”
06. Scène et Air “Le voici donc enfin, l’instant de la vengeance”
07. Final “Qu’ai-je vu !”
Acte V
08. Introduction et Récitatif “Des docteurs de Venise”
09. Air “Gérard ! Et c’est lui qui l’appelle !”
10. Récitatif “Catarina ! Seigneur ! ”
11. Cavatine “À ton noble courage”
12. Récitatif “Un chevalier français”
13. Duo “Quand le devoir sacré”
14. Récitatif “Gérard ! Fuyez !”
15. Quatuor “À cet instant suprême”
16. Marche et Final “Nous triomphons !”
Berlioz wrote of Halévy’s La Reine de Chypre (1841): ‘Its success will at least equal that of La Juive. And Wagner added: ‘It is in La Reine de Chypre that Halévy’s new style has appeared with the most brilliance and success.’ So several voices – and those by no means insignificant – have declared this work, written six years after La Juive, to be its composer’s masterpiece. Premiered on 22 December 1841, Halévy’s opera offered the limelight to Rosine Stoltz in the title role: she was the only woman in the cast, for it had been found preferable to isolate her, following her incessant disputes with the other female singers in the company. Alongside her, the tenor Gilbert Duprez shone in the role of Gérard. The story takes the spectator on a voyage from the palaces of Venice to those of Cyprus. But despite an initial success confirmed by several translations and adaptations that appeared shortly after the first run (notably Lachner’s Caterina Cornaro in 1841 and Donizetti’s in 1843), the work gradually vanished from European opera houses.
A French composer of many grand operas of the mid-19th century, Fromental Halévy received the greatest acclaim for La Juive (1835), and while his works of the 1830s and 1840s enjoyed varying levels of popularity, he could also count La Reine de Chypre (1841) as a major success. This five-act opera received high praise from Hector Berlioz and Richard Wagner, and its effectiveness as entertainment in the grand style is apparent. Halévy’s music today seems tuneful and competently scored, though hardly the masterpiece it was hailed at the time. Indeed, after the composer’s death in 1862, La Reine de Chypre faded from the repertoire. This revival production by Hervé Niquet and the Orchestre de chambre de Paris re-creates the opera’s vibrant atmosphere, and as much as this splendid recording can convey its drama and color through sound, the spectacle is easy to imagine. A strong cast is featured, including Véronique Gens as Caterina Cornaro, the Queen of Cyprus; Cyrille Dubois as Gérard de Coucy, a French chevalier; Étienne Dupuis as Jacques de Lusignan, the King; and Éric Huchet as Mocenigo, in the leading roles. As always, Niquet presents the music in exquisite period style, and the sound of the performance, recorded at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, seems to be in keeping with Romantic era practices at the Paris Opéra. Recommended for fans of French opera and the indefatigable Niquet.