Gounod's 'La Nonne Sanglante'

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I note from the booklet notes accompanying CPO's recent d'Albert Symphony that "soon available" will be Gounod's 1854 opera 'La Nonne Sanglante'.

Whoopee I proclaim (even if the idea of this opera with a libretto by Scribe loosely adapted from Monk's Gothic novel, and complete with frustrated lovers, dark castles, ghosts, murder, midnight and other gothic stock in trades fills other Forum friends with horror).

Anyone happen to know how soon that "soon available" might be?

Peter

[Alan Howe]

Presumably sometime this year because it's in cpo's 2010 catalogue.

[Mark Thomas]

I'm happy to echo your "whoopee", Peter, and add that a typical Scribe plot fills me with anticipation, not horror. I have the feeling that I really shouldn't enjoy Gounod, or at least admit to enjoying his music, but Faust was the first opera I ever saw, I loved it then and I love it still.

[edurban]

I can't wait for this, either.

The source, btw, is The Monk, a mad and marvelously over-the-top novel (1796) by Matthew Gregory Lewis. I heartily recommend it!  The book was so popular in its day that Lewis became known as "Monk" Lewis.  The Scribe libretto, which has a loose relationship with the incident in Lewis' book, was shopped all over the place before young and untried Gounod took it.  Berlioz took a stab at it at one point and fragments remain....Theophile Gautier damned the libretto, and not faintly:

Le poème, combiné avec une maladresse et une négligence qui étonne chez un homme d'une habilité aussi proverbiale que M. Scribe, contenait cependant deux ou trois situations de nature à tenter un musicien, et dont M. Gounod a tiré le plus grand parti. . . .

Tomorrow night, I'm off to a (probably) greater French grand opera, Ambroise Thomas' Hamlet.  Amazing that it's at the Metropolitan Opera, hardly a home for unsung operas...

David

[Alan Howe]

The opera is slated for an April release in Germany...

https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Charles-Gounod-La-Nonne-Sanglante/hnum/1001656

[edurban]

Thomas' Hamlet was absolutely marvelous tonight, with the great Simon Keenlyside.  More French grand operas, please!

David

[petershott@btinternet.com]

You lucky, lucky chap, David!!!

Peter

[Pengelli]

Just noticed this thread,a bit too late I'm afraid. 'The Monk' had me glued,page by page,as a teenager. Along with Robert Graves translation of Apuleius 'The Golden Ass' and Sax Rohmer's now un pc Fu Manchu books. I thought this was some kind of April Fool at first. Apparently,entitled 'The Bloody Nun' in english (will I get moderated for using language like that?) I love Gounod,especially 'Faust',but,let's face it,he's not Weber or even Marschner,and I would have thought that Gounod's style wouldn't be quite up to what is,at least for it's time,a very sensationalist and way over the top Gothic novel. Still,it could be fun.Although,hopefully not as disappointing as Boieldieu 'La Dame Blanche',which I have only played once (I think it's the singers. Good,but a trifle bland!).

[Steve B]

Pengelli,

Gounod can WELL do over the top and sensationalist: do you know "Mors et Vita"; especially the frightening brass writing in parts of the "Mors" section?!

Steve

[Pengelli]

No, I'm afraid not. So,this is obviously one to look forward to!

[Pengelli]

I see there is an online translation of the libretto,into English, on the 'Romantic Circles' website (University of Maryland).

[edurban]

"...I love Gounod...but,let's face it, he's not Weber or even Marschner..."

Or even Marschner?  Holy mackeral!  What a thing to say! 

Fortunately, the two are apples and oranges!

David

[Pengelli]

I didn't actually intend that comparison to be taken at face value. Being largely familiar with Gounod's unscary but delightful 'Faust',and not the rest of his output, I just felt that Gothic horror type plots were more Weber or Marschner's forte. Fortunately,as Steve B pointed out, I was obviously wrong. I must admit to being really suprised that Gounod had tackled anything of that nature,although I was aware of the supernatural element in 'Mireille',for instance, (although I haven't actually heard it). I have actually read 'The Monk', and it really is more than just a ripping yarn. Also,the opera isn't actually of the whole book itself, (it would have to be very long) ,but of a small portion of it,somewhat watered down,to say the least.

[JimL]

[T]he opera isn't actually of the whole book itself, (it would have to be very long) ,but of a small portion of it,somewhat watered down,to say the least.

One could say much the same of Faust.

[Pengelli]

Now I know why Wagner wrote his own libretto's!