Charles Colin - Maitena (1909)

[Justin]

It appears that this composer has never been mentioned on these boards before, so this is an exciting annoucement!

Charles Colin (1863-1950) was a Basque composer known for Maitena, a groundbreaking opera for the Basque Theater world.

https://www.ibsclassical.es/product/maitena/ (Available now)
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/maitena/hnum/10699409 (Available October 15)

Below is a short description of the work:

"Maitena, the Basque opera by two authors from Labourd (Etienne Decrept and Charles Colin), was
created in Bilbao on 29th May 1909. Representing scenes of Basque partriarchal customs, it charmed the
public with its simple musique, based on traditional melodies, its impact and the reality of its scenic
presentation, and deeply engraved itself in the exhaltation of the traditional values preached by the nationalists.
Its Impact on upcoming Basque lyrical theatre was considerable. Leading work of the Bilbao Choral Society,
it was very successful throughout the Basque Country until 1955. when it was almost completely forgotten."

Original libretto: https://www.coraldebilbao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Libreto-Maitena.pdf
Revised libretto: https://www.coraldebilbao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/LIBRETO-REVISADO.pdf

Revised score: https://www.coraldebilbao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/PARTITURA-REVISADA-DOCUMENTO-WEB.pdf

[Alan Howe]

An interesting discovery - but once again, there's some terrible singing on offer here. Not good enough, I'm afraid, for repeated listening.