{"title":"Karina Gauvin","description":"\u003cp\u003eb. 1966. Canadian soprano. in the Historically Informed Performance tradition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCanadian soprano specializing in Baroque and Classical repertoire, frequently collaborating with period ensembles like Les Talens Lyriques and conductor Christophe Rousset. Limited catalog data; known in early music circles.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"bertin-fausto-talens-lyriques","title":"Bertin: Fausto \/ Rousset, Les talens lyriques","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt was around 1825 that Louise Bertin, pupil of Reicha and friend of Berlioz, tackled the subject of Faust with all the energy and confidence of a young woman of twenty. She entirely exceeded the public’s expectations and won over the critics with her daring. Colourful orchestration, charming cantabiles, vigorous choruses – everything seemed to promise the work would enter the repertory. But the closure of the Théâtre-Italien after just three performances in 1831 decided otherwise, and the score languished in the vaults of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France for 190 years. The leading role, conceived for the mezzo-soprano Rosmunda Pisaroni, was finally created by the tenor Domenico Donzelli. In this complete recording with period instruments, Christophe Rousset presents the work in its original form, which has never been heard before, even in the composer's lifetime. Once again, Les Talens Lyriques and the Palazzetto Bru Zane join forces in an adventurous French operatic rediscovery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEW:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLimelight Magazine Recording of the Month, May 2024\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e“Mademoiselle Louise Bertin, the daughter of the proprietor of the Journal des \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eDébats\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e, and sister of its chief editor, has been remarkably successful, both in literature and music. She is one of the ablest women of our time. Her musical talent, to my mind, is \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003erather rational\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e than emotional; but it is a real talent \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003enotwithstanding\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eThat’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e Berlioz in his \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eMémoires\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e, responding to criticisms of his boss’ \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003edaughter’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e fourth and final opera \u003cem\u003eLa Esmeralda\u003c\/em\u003e (based on \u003cem\u003eNotre Dame de Paris\u003c\/em\u003e; Bertin was the only composer with whom Victor Hugo ever collaborated).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eAs Berlioz makes clear, she had to struggle with not just the usual prejudice against a female composer but with those who wanted to knock her powerful family connections. The result: in 1836 she abandoned opera for good. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eIt’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e often been assumed that Berlioz was being paid to be kind, but with Fausto, the latest release from \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003ePalazetto\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e Bru Zane, we have ample proof that Bertin was a force to be reckoned with.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eShe was just 20, when in 1825 she began working up Goethe’s masterwork into an Italian opera \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003esemiseria\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e. \u003cem\u003eFausto\u003c\/em\u003e, to her own libretto, was meant to premiere in 1830, but unforeseen complications meant it \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003edidn’t\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e reach the stage until 1831. Bad \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003enotices\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e and the closure of the Théâtre-\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eItalien\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e condemned it to just three performances. Intriguingly, the title role was conceived for the mezzo-soprano Rosmunda \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003ePisaroni\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e but ended up being sung by the tenor Domenico Donzelli. In this recording, with period instruments, Christophe Rousset and Les Talens \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eLyriques\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e present the work in its original form, and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eit’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e an absolute cracker. Despite its Italian title, Fausto is more Weber than Rossini, although there are clear bel canto elements here and there. The orchestrations are highly original for its day – snipers in 1836 accused Berlioz of having written parts of La Esmerelda – and the dramatic effects are bold, sometimes startlingly so. Listen to the percussive wallop which kicks off the lengthy overture. Or the striking Gothic \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eexcesses\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e as Fausto \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eseals\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e the pact with \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eMefistofele\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eThere’s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e no shortage of good tunes either, with Margarita \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun AdvancedProofingIssueV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003ein particular getting\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e some real charmers.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eDramaturgically, there are one or two missteps – Margarita asking the elderly Fausto to heal Catarina delays the devil’s arrival, and the final trio peters out (one suspects that Bertin might have fixed that if \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eshe’d\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e ever had the chance). Otherwise, a good stage director could do something with the opera, not to mention singers with three meaty parts on offer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eThe cast here is outstanding. French mezzo-soprano Karine Deshayes hurls herself fearlessly at Fausto’s challenging lines (the role is often high). The voice is bright and flexible, and she conveys the doctor’s mixture of ardent determination, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003edespair\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e and desperation. Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin may not sound the innocent victim, but her Margarita is beautifully sung and full of fire. The voice is luscious with first-rate diction. Croatian bass Ante \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eJerkunica\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e is a sonorous \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eMefistofele\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e with plenty of personality (though the role could use an aria or two). Nico Darmanin displays a bright, thrilling tenor as Margarita’s brother Valentino (his military aria, drums and horns popping, is a bel canto bombshell), and Marie Gautrot is ripe and characterful as the elderly Catarina. Best of all is Rousset who delivers a high-octane account of this remarkably original score. Not only does he bring it to life with judicious pacing and a winning flexibility, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003ehe\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e draws out the unique textures of Bertin’s orchestrations with a sensitive ear for \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003ecolour\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eLes Talens \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SpellingErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eLyriques\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun ContextualSpellingAndGrammarErrorV2Themed SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eplay\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e like demons. Period strings are full of bite, while the individual timbres of wind, brass and percussion combine to create delicate and dramatic textures. Beautiful recording in vivid, in your face sound, and smartly documented, Fausto is more than just an intriguing rediscovery. It makes you long to hear \u003cem\u003eLa Esmerelda\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003eby all accounts a\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e more mature work and with a Victor Hugo libretto no less.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\" lang=\"EN-US\" data-contrast=\"auto\" xml:lang=\"EN-US\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"NormalTextRun SCXW198518005 BCX0\"\u003e-- Limelight (Clive Paget)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Bru Zane","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012554477802,"sku":"8055776010144","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4281821-3125384.jpg?v=1778236907"},{"product_id":"marie-hubert-fille-du-roy","title":"Marie Hubert - Fille du Roy","description":"Marie Hubert - Fille du Roy","brand":"ATMA CLASSIQUE","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":46012777726186,"sku":"722056282727","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0614\/3423\/3066\/files\/4320416-3546590.jpg?v=1778211599"}],"url":"https:\/\/arkivmusic.com\/collections\/karina-gauvin.oembed","provider":"ArkivMusic","version":"1.0","type":"link"}