Spyridon Samaras: Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle

[Alan Howe]

...an opera from 1905, forthcoming from Naxos, recorded in Bulgaria:
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8915455--spyridon-samaras-mademoiselle

An idea of Samaras' style can be gained from his opera Rhea (1908):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxjbicmLs08

Greek verismo, maybe?

[Mark Thomas]

Interesting. I have recordings, made from YouTube videos, of four of Samaras' operas and he has everything going for him... except the ability to write a memorable tune.

[Alan Howe]

Just a slight deficiency, then 

[Mark Thomas]

It might be my tin ear, of course.

[Alan Howe]

Unlikely. Very unlikely. Impossible, actually. After all, you're a Raff man! And he wrote the odd tune or two...

[Alan Howe]

The Naxos set arrived today - and it's very enjoyable and pretty well sung, although the orchestral playing (as recorded) lacks finesse. What I hadn't realised is that the recording dates from 1995. As Mark indicates above, the main issue with the opera is that it lacks the sort of 'big tunes' that would raise it from the second rank of verismo-style operas. Nevertheless, this is worth considering, particularly at Naxos' low price.

[Mark Thomas]

I've downloaded the recording, but haven't yet summoned up the enthusiasm to listen to it. The conductor, Byron Fidetzis, has quite a few recordings of operas by Greek romantic-era composers on YouTube and deserves an award of some sort for his tireless exploration and promotion of this unknown (to me at least) area of the repertoire.

[Mark Thomas]

Having now, some six weeks on, listened to the opera it is clearly no exception to Samaras' other operas which have been available on YouTube for some time: an approachable and attractive idiom comparable to those of Cilea or Giordano, sumptuously and imaginatively orchestrated with vocal writing which showcases the talents of the principals without being dramatically inappropriate, but unfortunately a complete absence of memorable melody to stick in the ear. It's a shame, because on many levels this is an attractive work, worth listening to, but little remains in the memory to encourage a return.