Massenet - Bacchus

[BerlinExpat]

Don't get too excited, it's not the opera but 20 minutes of ballet music from the opera! At least it's a start. It isn't so far from Barcelona to St Etienne.

Also included is the ballet music from Thais, Hérodiade and Le Cid.

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.573123

[Mark Thomas]

I am an absolute sucker for Massenet, so this is a must buy, despite the duplication of other pieces. Thanks Colin. There can't be many unrecorded Massenet operas now...

[BerlinExpat]

The only full length opera that's missing is Don César de Bazan. The original full score was lost in a fire in 1887, but Massenet immediately prouced a new version in 1888! There's the one act Le Grand' Tante which is an amusing piece I saw earlier this year, but as far as I know only piano vocal score is extant. The full score was lost in the same fire in 1887 and Massenet obviously didn't value his first opera sufficiently to produce a new version.
James Harding's work list of 1970 lists several other operas that are not generally included in work lists, but it is not clear if the material is complete. Méduse and Phoebé are listed a being incomplete.
Demar Irvine, 1994, lists operas such as La Coupe de roi du Thulé and Le Florentin among others that were completed but never performed. At least two operas were destroyed.
Massenet also wrote incidental music to 14 plays and 4 ballets! Naxos have a lot still to do!

[Mark Thomas]

Well, let's hope that they do it!

[strelsa42]

Back around 2005 I spent a lot of time tracking down and finally getting a recording by the "Orchestre de l'Opera Ballet de Minsk" of the ballet scene from "Bacchus" which bears the subtitle "Les Mysteres Dionysiaque".It was coupled with a musique concrete piece entitled "Musique des Vignes". The Massenet is quite extensive and extremely entertaining and fits right in with his other ballet scena's such as the more extended ones from "Le Mage" and "Le Cid". I am glad to have a new recording of the "Bacchus" suite and hopefully look forward to a recording of the entire work at some future stage.

[Matt]

Great news : Bacchus will be performed on 25^th July 2020 at Festival Radio-France in Montpellier. There will be a radio broadcast !
Michael Schonwandt will be the conductor. The title role will be sung by Jean-François Borras.

[strelsa42]

Looks like 2020 will be a great year for Massenet devotees. "Don Cesar de Bazin" is due for a Naxos release [can't find a confirmed date yet] as performed by Les Frivolites Parisiennes and soloists. And now news of "Bacchus" coming around midyear. If we count the "unofficial" releases of "Panurge" and "Ariane" from St-Etienne this will mean we will have recordings of all the operatic works in the generally accepted canon of Massenet's completed operas.

[Matt]

The recording of Don César de Bazan will release in June, according to Les frivolités parisiennes.

[Mark Thomas]

That's excellent news.