Viardot: Le Dernier Sorcier / Owens, Barton, Myra Huang

$18.99
Label
Bridge Records
Release Date
March 1, 2019
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      VIARDOT, PAULINE GARCÍA
    • PERFORMER
      Various
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      March 01, 2019
    • UPC
      090404951527
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      BCD9515
    • LABEL
      Bridge Records
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Classical
    Works ⌄

    1. Overture

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Myra Huang

    2. Act I: In a great forest, in a land far, far away (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    3. Act I: Introduction: Par ici (Krakamiche, Verveine, Chorus)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Ensemble: Manhattan Girls Chorus

      Performer: Eric Owens, Sarah Brailey, Myra Huang

    4. Act I: Not far from the forest, in a neighboring kingdom (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    5. Act I: Chanson: Dans le bois frais et sombre (Prince Lelio)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Adriana Zabala, Myra Huang

    6. Act I: Knowing that Prince Lelio cannot risk being seen (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    7. Act I: Romance: Ramasse cette rose (La Reine)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Jamie Barton, Liana Pailodze Harron

    8. Act I: Alone and frustrated, Krakamiche laments his lost powers (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    9. Act I: Air: Ah, la sotte existence (Krakamiche)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Eric Owens, Myra Huang

    10. Act I: Stella overhears Krakamiche bellowing (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    11. Act I: Chanson: Coulez, coulez, gouttes fines (Stella)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Camille Zamora, Myra Huang

    12. Act I: The Fairy Queen appears again (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    13. Act I: Romance: Sur les yeux de ton père (La Reine)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Jamie Barton, Liana Pailodze Harron

    14. Act I: Krakamiche's hapless servant Perlimpinpin sings with longing of his glory days (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    15. Act I: Chanson: Quand j'étais un géant (Perlimpinpin)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Michael Slattery, Myra Huang

    16. Act I: A triumphant march announces the arrival of the Cochinese dignitaries (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    17. Act I: March

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Myra Huang

    18. Act I: Krakamiche is eager to try the magic Moly herb that will restore his power (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    19. Act I: Ronde de lutins: Tourne, tourne comme un tonton (Krakamiche, Chorus)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Ensemble: Manhattan Girls Chorus

      Performer: Eric Owens, Myra Huang

    20. Act I: Exhausted and half-dead from his mad dance, Krakamiche escapes into his hut (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    21. Act I: Ronde Finale: Compagnes ailées (Verveine, Chorus)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Ensemble: Manhattan Girls Chorus

      Performer: Sarah Brailey, Myra Huang

    22. Act I: The following afternoon. Lelio counts the minutes until nightfall (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    23. Act II: Stornello: Pourrais-je jamais aimer (Prince Lelio)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Adriana Zabala, Myra Huang

    24. Act II: Inside the cramped hut. Krakamiche and Stella sit together (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    25. Act II: Mélodrame

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Myra Huang

    26. Act II: Stella asks Krakamiche to rest and forget the insult inflicted upon him by the fairies (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    27. Act II: Duet: Si tu ne sais pas (Krakamiche, Stella)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Eric Owens, Camille Zamora, Myra Huang

    28. Act II: As Krakamiche continues his search for the missing, all-powerful spell. (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    29. Act II: Couples du rouet: Quand vient la saison fleurie (Stella, Prince Lelio)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Camille Zamora, Adriana Zabala, Myra Huang

    30. Act II: Lelio approaches, assuring Stella that she need not fear her father's wrath (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    31. Act II: Duet: C'est moi, ne craignez rien (Prince Lelio, Stella)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Adriana Zabala, Camille Zamora, Myra Huang

    32. Act II: Having confessed his feelings, Lelio kneels before Stella (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    33. Act II: Exorcisme: Loupprola, Schibbola, Trix (Krakamiche)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Eric Owens, Myra Huang

    34. Act II: Instead of a monster, Krakamiche's spell brings forth from the earth a little goat (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    35. Act II: Quartet: Adieu, témoins de ma misère (Krakamiche, Stella, Prince Lelio, Perlimpinpin)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Eric Owens, Camille Zamora, Adriana Zabala, Michael Slattery

    36. Act II: A wedding march is heard, and the young couple bid a grateful farewell (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    37. Act II: March: O bienfaisante fée (Stella, Prince Lelio)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Camille Zamora, Adriana Zabala, Myra Huang

    38. Act II: Krakamiche, Perlimpinpin, Lelio, and Stella set off for the neighboring kingdom (Narrator)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Performer: Trudie Styler

    39. Act II: Finale: Salut! Salut! O forêt bien aimée (Verveine, Chorus)

      Composer: Pauline Viardot

      Ensemble: Manhattan Girls Chorus

      Performer: Sarah Brailey, Myra Huang


"One hundred fifty years ago, the great mezzo-soprano, composer, and pedagogue Pauline García Viardot created the salon opera Le dernier sorcier ('The Last Sorcerer') in collaboration with the acclaimed Russian novelist Ivan Turgenev. The piece centered on themes of power and progress, gender and equality, and the restoration of natural order in an ever-changing world. A chamber opera in two acts, Le dernier sorcier revolves around Krakamiche, a once-powerful sorcerer whose presence in the great woods has upset the fairies, the forest’s rightful inhabitants, and disturbed the harmony of the land. Through the combined efforts of the fairy folk and their queen, the sorcerer's daughter and her prince, and a hapless valet, Krakamiche ultimately learns key truths about humility, love, and living in harmony with the natural world. Viardot's original manuscript, scored for solo voices, treble chorus, and piano, was held in a private collection for over a century, and as such, the work essentially vanished. Recently, the original piano-vocal score was acquired by Harvard University’s Houghton Library, which has granted permission to produce this world premiere recording."

REVIEWS:

Le dernier sorcier is a lovely discovery. It is not a lost masterpiece, but it is a work that brought me real pleasure. I will return to it in the future, especially in this high-spirited performance. The recorded sound is a bit cavernous and unfocused for my taste; I would have appreciated a greater presence for the voices. Bridge provides extensive and informative notes and a complete French-English libretto.

– Fanfare

If you ever thought that opera is sometimes an overblown genre and could profit from a bit of modesty, here’s a wonderful example of that. The Last Sorcerer could be performed in a small hall or even somebody’s living room and lasts a mere hour, yet it addresses deep human issues and a wide range of feelings. Bridge came out last year with a superb first complete recording of The Cradle Will Rock by Blitzstein with the original orchestrations. Here they take a chance on an even more obscure but also delightful and sometimes touching work.

– American Record Guide