Enfin!!!
Gounod's Cinq-Mars to be performed in Paris on 29th January and hopefully broadcast over that week-end on Radio France.
Information about the opera here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinq-Mars_%28opera%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinq-Mars_%28opera%29)
This is a mouth-watering prospect. Thanks for the heads up, Mike.
Any hope that it would be made available as a download?
This Sunday January 25th, at 19:00, there will also be a live broadcast of "Cinq Mars" from the Bavarian Radio, a production conducted by Ulf Schirmer. Since this is being supported by Palazetto Bru Zane, there will most probably be a commercial CD later on.
Dont' forget that the plot comes from an excellent French novel by Alfred de Vigny and that there is a French feature film of 2013 on Richelieu about the notorious Cinq-Mars "affair" involving a young and beautiful adventurer who became Louis XIII's lover ("minion") after having been Richelieu's confidant. Of course, nothing sexual of that kind will be heard in Gounod's opera, but it is known that Cinq-Mars was bisexual - or perhaps just prostituting himself in order to become the King's personal confidant...
Here some better information:
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/118149/Henri-Coiffier-de-Ruze-marquis-de-Cinq-Mars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Coiffier_de_Ruz%C3%A9,_Marquis_of_Cinq-Mars
Here's a link to the BR Klassik broadcast to which Hadrianus refers: Cinq Mars on BR Klassik (http://www.br.de/radio/br-klassik/muenchner-rundfunkorchester/konzerte/konzertkalender-14-15-muenchner-rundfunkorchester-sonntagskonzerte-cinq-mars100.html). I'll try to record it.
I will certainly record this "Cinq Mars" broadcast and - if everything comes out well - offer despatches via wetransfer.com
As far as the connected "Marcello Viotti memorial" is concerned, I've known and worked with Viotti at the Zurich Opera between 1990 and 2004. He was a great conductor and a very sympathetic man - and was a great concert-hall conductor as well, never despising unusual repertoire. I can't remember having had such big laughs, funny talks and situations with any other conductor: he had the right distance towards opera, although he was a real belcanto expert. Will never forget a particular rehearsal when he mounted the podium with a small suitcase, showing it to the players and saying: "ladies and gentlemen, sorry for being a bit lat this morning, this is all what is left to me, since yesterday my house burnt down completely". And he told this as if he had been victim of a small traffic incident. Since 1998 he was director of the Munich Philharmonic. Compared to Ulf Schirmer, the Zurich Opera Orchestra adored him.
Speaking about fire, Marcello Viotti (a Swiss-born Italian) was nominated Direttore Generale of the Teatro La Fenice in 2002. This theatre had burnt down in 1996 and was to be re-opened, finally in 2010, but would continue working in other premises during the re-building. Since the burning just happened whilst the orchestra and chorus were guesting in Poland, already existing arsoning rumours increased...
I also remember Marcello swearing about his Munich CD of the complete "La Gioconda" with Domingo, whose part had to be recorded in playback in many places, since Domingo could not attend all the time.
In Zurich, Marcello and I also had worked in productions involving Edita Gruberova - that was no real great fun all the time!
Hi all ;)
It looks as my broadcast recording of Cinq-Mars has come out very well and in super sound. Another tenor had to take over, due to illness of Castronovo. Let me edit the whole tomorrow and I will offer it upon separate orders through wetransfer. Have a nice Sunday night and a good week's start.
Oh! What a splendid night for all us opera-tragics!
Thanks to Hadrianus for the early notice.
Those of you who missed this broadcast are in for a real treat with the promised UC download.
Oh yes, judging by a brief sampling of my own recording of the broadcast, Cinq Mars is an absolute must for anyone who loves French opera. I'm looking forward to a good wallow tomorrow.
Hi there again ;D
Just finished editing the Cinq-Mars broadcast in an excellently sounding .wav format.
Those who feel more confortable with MP3's, Mark Thomas offers his own download in this forum.
In my "version" have eliminated the interviews during the interval and shortened/faded-out all applauses. In view of eventual private CD transfers I avoided to interrupt the music in the midst of an act/scene, so the whole thing could be tranferrable to 3 CDs instead of 2 (total duration 2hrs 20min.).
Also included in my wetransfer files are the final credits and a PDF of the opera's vocal score.
I am ready to send these .wav files and the PDF upon request and e-mail address.
Enjoy! This is a real discovery. I do not agree with Schrimer telling in his interv iew that he would not welcome a staged production of this opera. With this attitued one also should eliminate Meyerbeer and many others from the repertoire. In a way, this Gounod piece has a Meyebeer grandeur.
There will be a commercial CD issue for sure.
Thanks for all your hard work Hadrianus. Here's the link to my recording (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5431.msg57217.html#msg57217) on 198kbps mp3s. I do recommend this opera to anyone who enjoys Gounod's music. If it lacks the instantly attractive melodic hit numbers which Faust and Romeo & Juliet have, it is still a wonderfully lyrical and atmospheric score, with an added robustness and seriousness as befits its subject. I'm really looking forward to hearing it for a second time in a couple of hours.