Massenet: Cleopatre

1. Cléopâtre, opera in 4 acts
   Composed by Jules Massenet
   Performed by Saint Etienne Nouvel Orchestra
   with Martine Olmeda, Jean Luc Maurette, Didier Henry, Mario Hacquard, Philippe Georges, Danielle Streiff, Kathryn Harries, Claude Massoz
   Conducted by Patrick Fournillier
   
   

Massenet: Cleopatre,Jules Massenet,Patrick Fournillier,Nouvel Orchestre de Saint Etienne,Claude Massoz,Danielle Streiff,Didier Henry,Jean Luc Maurette,Kathryn Harries,Mario Hacquard,Martine Olmeda,Philippe Georges,Koch Schwann (Germ.),Classical,French Romantic Opera,Opera,Opera / Operetta / Oratorio

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Average customer rating: Un repertorio nuevo para Magdalena Kozena Pure!

French Arias Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Offenbach | Offenbach, Jacques | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Arias | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Lamento Mozart Arias Magdalena Kozená - Le belle immagini (Mozart, Gluck, Myslivecek) Songs: Magdalena Kozena Enchantment ASIN: B0000A2YCU Release Date: 2003-10-14

Tracks:

1. Ah! Quelle Nuit!... Flamme Vengeresse
2. Nuit Resplendissante
3. Que Fais-Tu, Blanche Tourterelle
4. J'ai Verse La Poison
5. Choeur Des Dames
6. Chanson Du Voile
7. Autrefois Un Roi De Thule
8. Oh! La Pitoyable Aventure!
9. J'ai Bien Assez De Mes Tristesses... Ne Pensons Qu'au Plaisir D'aimer
10. Connais-tu Le Pays
11. D'ici Voyez Ce Beau Domaine
12. O Ma Lyre Immortelle
13. Pardieu! J'etais Bien Sur...Voyez-la Sous Son Eventail
14. Reste Au Foyer, Petit Grillon
15. Les Tringles Des Sistres Tintaient

Amazon.com

Having dazzled us with her coloratura ability in arias by Mozart, Gluck, and her fellow Czech, Myslivecek, this luscious young mezzo-soprano now offers us a generous program of French arias--15 of them, widely varied in tone, weight, dramatic intent, and style--and conquers and convinces in them all. Beginning again in coloratura territory, an aria from Auber's rare Le domino noir catches our attention with the heroine's opening words, "Je suis sauvée enfin!" ("I am safe at last!"), in which she paints the picture of our out-of-breath heroine immediately. Throughout the CD we meet the doomed, tragic Sappho in Gounod's opera; Dulcinée in the same composer's Don Quichotte, here presented first as lamenting lover, then as spitfire, with Kozena reaching down into her most sultry chest voice; a dreamy Marguerite in Berlioz's La damnation de Faust; a Princess languorously singing of the night in an exquisite aria from Gounod's all-but-unknown Cinq-Mars; and many others, each of whom Kozena imbues with her individual stamp, flawless technique, musicality, and beautiful tone. Almost as a bonus, the CD ends with Carmen's Gypsy Song - a real razzle-dazzler. Kozena is a great singer and this is a great recital CD--a must. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Un repertorio nuevo para Magdalena Kozena.......2005-07-13

MAGDALENA KOZENA es una mezzosoprano basicamente ligada al barroco, y particularmente a Bach y Haendel. Sorprende por tanto la aparición de este cd dodne interpreta un variado abanico de arias francesas, roles que no ha debutado en teatro y que se alejan de su estilo habitual.
Aun así, Kozena canta estas arias divinamente con estilo propio: impone un timbre seductor, claro y mórbido y un dominio absoluto del canto, aunque el registro agudo no es siempre todo lo homogeneo que sería deseable. Con todo, su interpretación de estas páginas es notable y sorprendente.
Otra baza del disco es el repertorio, que incluye arias de óperas más bien desconocidas, como 'Cleopatre' de Massenet, 'Le Cincq-Mars', 'La dame Blanche', 'Don Quixote', 'Sapho', 'Le domino Noir'....junto a otras más habituales del repertorio como 'Carmen' (aunque no está la popular habanera), 'Don Carlos' (en su versión francesa) o 'La Hora Española', además de un aria para Niclausse de 'Los Cuentos de Hoffmann' que suele cortarse en la mayoría de las representaciones. La selección es acertada y gratificante.
La orquesta, al mano de un MARK MINKOWSKI que siempre se ha interesado mucho por este repertorio, suena a las mil maravillas, y es complemento perfecto para la mezzo. Lo mismo puede decirse del coro y de las más que correctas voces escogidas para algunas partes solistas de arias puntuales.
En conclusión, este 'French Opera Arias' de Kozena es un cd muy recomendable, complemento perfecto a los recientes registros del mismo título de Natalie Dessay y Rolando Villazón (ambos en Virgin Classics)

Pure!.......2004-02-12

this mzzo-soprano is great... she is a lighter and lyric mezzo. In this album... she sung the french arias with phrasing in detail... especially in the "Nuit Resplendissante". The balance between head vioce and chest voice in her singing is good. Her singing can really touches my heart...
it is worthy to buy this album... especially than you are tired in listening to the darker or dramatic mezzo-sopranos.

Average customer rating: Outstanding! What sweet music!

Michael Schade & Russell Braun - Soirée française / Richard Bradshaw Jules Massenet , Ambroise Thomas , Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber , Edouard Lalo , Gaetano Donizetti , Charles Gounod , Ferdinando Paer , Etienne-Nicolas Méhul , Gioachino Rossini , Richard Bradshaw , Michael Schade , Russell Braun , Canadian Opera Company Orchestra , and Peter Cook Manufacturer: Cbc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Lalo, Edouard | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Thomas | Thomas, Ambroise | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Michael Schade & Russell Braun - Serata Italiana / Richard Bradshaw ASIN: B000003WUJ Release Date: 1997-11-18

Tracks:

1. Les Pecheurs de perles, Acte I: C'est toi!... Au fond du temple saint
2. Le Roi de Lahore, Acte IV: Aux troupes du Sultan... Promesse de mon avenir
3. Cleopatre, Acte II: A-t-il dit vrai?... Solitaire sur ma terrasse
4. Le Roi d'Ys, Acte III: Puisqu' on ne peut flechir... Vainement ma bien-aimee
5. Manon, Acte II: En fermant les yeux
6. Sapho, Acte I: Ai-je devine?... Puis-je oublier, o ma Glycere
7. Le Songe d'une nuit d'ete, Acte II: Ou suis-je?
8. Hamlet, Acte II: O vin, dissipe la tristesse
9. La Favorite, Acte II: Leonor viens... Leonor, mon amour brave
10. La Muette di Portici, Acte I: Mais j apercois Pietro... Mieux vant mourir
11. Le Maitre de chapelle, Acte I: Ah! quel bonheur de pressentir... Pour imiter son seducteur
12. Le Legende de Joseph en Egypte, Acte I: Vainement Pharaon... Champs paternels
13. Moise et Pharaon, Acte II: Moment fatal

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding!.......2007-01-23

In an era when broadcast recitals are an increading rarity, listening to an album like this is a very special treat. Listening to Schade and Braun provides an exquisite evening's entertainment, what genuinely used to be called a "soiree" in the good old days. I can't say enough for this album; both their phrasing and their enthusiasm are infectious and highly enjoyable. A real treat!!

What sweet music!.......2000-08-28

This compilation of french classics is artistically priceless. Michael Schade and Russell Braun deliver charm and beauty mixed with subtle sadness on certain pieces, that only true musical genius can convey effectively. Michael Schade's crystal clear voice is pure, sweet and high, a gift that few possess and even fewer utilize. I would listen to Michael Schade over Pavarotti any day of the week! Russell Braun delivers an equally endearing baritone voice that conveys dramatic phrases as well as more expressive passages.

It is this type of quality music that makes me fiercely proud to be Canadian. I only wish that more Canadians would see the value of this art and push their elected representatives to keep it alive and make it thrive. To read more on this topic, read the article Richard Bradshaw has written on the Canadian Opera Company Web Page.

This cd is a must have for anyone who is remotely musically adept. If you have ears you will enjoy this cd. Need I say more?...

Average customer rating:

Marcel Journet Manufacturer: Nimbus Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Boito, Arrigo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Offenbach | Offenbach, Jacques | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weber | Weber, Carl Maria von | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music ASIN: B00000AFKO Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

1. Cleopatre: Tes Messages D'amour
2. Le Chalet: Dans Le Service De L'Autriche
3. La Reine De Saba: Sous Les Pieds D'une Femme
4. Les Huguenots: Piff Paff, Piff Paff
5. Les Contes D'Hoffman: Scintille Diamant
6. Robert De Diable: Valse Infernale
7. Lohengrin: Mein Herr Und Gott
8. Tannhauser: O Du, Mein Holder Abendstern
9. Das Rheingold: Abendlich Strahlt Der Sonne Auge
10. Gotterdammerung: Hier Sitz' Ich Zur Wacht
11. Ascanio: Enfants, Je Ne Vous En Veux Pas
12. Sigurd: Au Nom Du Roi Gunther
13. Monna Vanna: Je N'ai Rien Entendu...Dis-La Vite, Vanna
14. La Boheme: Vecchia Zimarra
15. Mefistofele: Ave Signor
16. Mefistofele: Son Lo Spirito Che Nega
17. Nerone: Ecce Il Magico Specchio
18. Il Barbiere Di Siviglia: La Calunnia E Un Venticello
19. Der Freischutz: Schweig, Schweig
20. Il Trovatore: Abietta Zingara
21. Don Carlos: Ella Giammai M'amo
22. I Puritani: Suoni La Tromba E Intrepido - Marcel Journet /Pasquale Amato

Average customer rating:

Highlights from Prima Voce Manufacturer: Nimbus Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by J.S. Bach | Bach, Johann Sebastian | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Bellini, Vincenzo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Boito, Arrigo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Glinka | Glinka, Mikhail | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Leoncavallo | Leoncavallo, Ruggiero | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rubinstein | Rubinstein, Anton | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Songs & Lieder | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Choruses | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Operas | Opera & Vocal | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Similar Items: Divas 1906-35 Legendary Baritones Ponselle Prima Voce ASIN: B00001O2XO Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

1. Madama Butterfly: Un Bel Di Vedremo - Geraldine Farrar
2. Pagliacci: Si Puo? Si Puo? (Prologue) - Pasquale Amato
3. Lucrezia Borgia: Il Segreto Per Esser Felice - Sigrid Onegin
4. Die Walkure: Der Manner Sippe - Lotte Lehmann
5. Don Giovanni: Dalla Sua Pace - Richard Tauber
6. A Life For The Tsar: I Do Not Grieve - Antonina Nezhdanova
7. Les Pecheurs De Perles: Je Crois Entendre Encore - Dmitri Smirnov
8. Cleoptre: Tes Messages D'Amour (Air De La Lettre) - Marcel Journet
9. Louise: Depuis Le Jour - Nellie Melba
10. Un Ballo In Maschera: Eri Tu, Che Macchiavi - Mattia Battistini
11. La Sonnambula: Ah! Non Giunge - Luisa Tetrazzini
12. I Puritani: Ah, Per Sempre Io Ti Perdei - Giuseppe De Luca
13. Tosca: E Lucevan Le Stelle - Miguel Fleta
14. Persian Love Song - Feodor Chaliapin
15. Cant, No.81: Jesus Schlaft, Was Soll Ich Hoffen - Marian Anderson
16. Mefistofele: L'Altra Notte In Fondo Al Mare - Claudia Muzio
17. Le Postillon De Lonjumeau: Mes Amis, Ecoutez - Helge Roswaenge
18. Atalanta: Care Selve - Eide Norena
19. Werther: Io Non So...O Natura - Tito Schipa

Average customer rating:

Lebendige Vergangenheit: Marcel Journet II Manufacturer: Preiser Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Boito, Arrigo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Godard, Benjamin | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Verdi | Verdi, Giuseppe | ( V ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Marches | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music ASIN: B0000023OB Release Date: 1996-02-20

Tracks:

1. La Favorita: Redoutez Le Fureur D'Un Dieu Terrible
2. Lucia De Lammermoor: Dalle Stanze, Ove Lucia
3. Les Huguenots: Pif, Paf, Pouf
4. Il Travatore: Abietta Zingara
5. Cleopatre: Solitaire Sur Ma Terrace
6. Le Chant Du Depart
7. Le Toussaint: Conte Bleu
8. Credo D'Amour
9. Au Morts Pour La Patrie
10. Priere
11. Le Cure De Vareddes
12. Hosanna!
13. Ascanio: Enfants
14. Monna Vanna: Dis La Vite Vanna
15. La Walkyrie: Adieu Superbe
16. I Maestri Cantori De Norimberga: Monologo Di Sachs
17. I Maestri Cantori De Norimberga: Follia, Follia
18. Nerone: Gloria Al Tuo Dio
19. Nerone: Ecco Il Magico Precchio

Average customer rating: A lovely surprise

Massenet: Cleopatre Manufacturer: Koch Schwann (Germ.) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000001SPD Release Date: 1994-09-15

Tracks:

1. 1st Act: Introduction - Choeurs du Festival/Didier Henry
2. 1st Act: Et toi qui restes seul devant nous... - Didier Henry/Jean-Luc Maurette
3. 1st Act: Coulez, coulez entre nos doigts, calices blancs... - Choeurs du Festival/Didier Henry/Jean-Luc Maurette
4. 1st Act: Daigne accepter le cinname et la myrrhe... - Choeurs du Festival/Didier Henry/Martine Olmeda
5. 1st Act: Tu veux la voir...Eh bien! Dans la splendeur du soleil - Jean-Luc Maurette/Didier Henry/Martine Olmeda/Choeurs du Festival
6. 1st Act: Je suis venue quittant mes palais enchantes - Kathryn Harries
7. 1st Act: Est-ce toi, Cleopatre?... - Didier Henry/Kathryn Harries
8. 1st Act: Eh bien...que veux-tu? Parle!... - Didier Henry/Kathryn Harries
9. 1st Act: Qui donc ose venir vers moi?... - Didier Henry/Mario Hacquard
10. 1st Act: Marc-Antoine...adieu donc... - Kathryn Harries/Didier Henry/Choeurs du Festival
11. 2nd Act, 1st Scene: Introduction - Mario Hacquard/Philippe Georges
12. 2nd Act, 1st Scene: Hymenee! Hymenee! Ah! c'est la jeune epouse - Choeurs du Festival/Mario Hacquard
13. 2nd Act, 1st Scene: Toi qui franchis, voilee... - Didier Henry/Danielle Streiff/Choeurs du Festival
14. 2nd Act, 1st Scene: Triumvir, ton bonheur rejouit - Claude Massoz/Didier Henry
15. 2nd Act, 1st Scene: A-t-il dit vrai?... - Didier Henry
16. 2nd Act, 1st Scene: Octavie! Marc-Antoine...qu'as-tu?... - Didier Henry/Danielle Streiff
17. 2nd Act, 2nd Scene: Introduction - Claude Massoz/Danielle Streiff
18. 2nd Act, 2nd Scene: Spakos! tune dis rien... - Kathryn Harries/Jean-Luc Maurette
19. 2nd Act, 2nd Scene: Ai-je comble tes voeux? - Claude Massoz/Kathryn Harries/Jean-Luc Maurette/Choeurs du Festival
20. 2nd Act, 2nd Scene: Je croyais tout connaitre - Kathryn Harries/Claude Massoz/Choeurs du Festival
21. 2nd Act, 2nd Scene: Charmion!... - Kathryn Harries/Martine Olmeda/Jean-Luc Maurette

Tracks:

1. 3rd Act: Introduction/Danses: Syriennes - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
2. 3rd Act: Danses: Chaldeennes - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
3. 3rd Act: Danses: Amazones - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
4. 3rd Act: J'ai verse le poison dans cette coupe d'or - Kathryn Harries
5. 3rd Act: Viens, toi...Je suis la mort divine... - Kathryn Harries/Didier Henry
6. 3rd Act: Danses: Lydiennes - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
7. 3rd Act: Danses: Ensemble - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
8. 3rd Act: Danses: Scythes - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
9. 3rd Act: Octavie!... - Danielle Streiff/Didier Henry
10. 3rd Act: Par vous, j'ai tout perdu - Danielle Streiff
11. 3rd Act: Octavie a raison...Que dis-tu?... - Kathryn Harries/Didier Henry/Danielle Streiff
12. 3rd Act: Helas! Tout est perdu!... - Danielle Streiff/Jean-Luc Maurette/Kathryn Harries/Martine Olmeda/Choeurs du Festival
13. 4th Act: Prelude - Nouvel Orch de Saint-Etienne/Patrick Fournillier
14. 4th Act: Hatez-vous d'accomplir les rites funeraires... - Kathryn Harries/Martine Olmeda/Jean-Luc Maurette
15. 4th Act: Je l'aime maintenant... - Kathryn Harries/Jean-Luc Maurette/Philippe Georges
16. 4th Act: Marc Antoine!... - Kathryn Harries/Didier Henry
17. 4th Act: Le triumvir est mort! - Kathryn Harries

Customer Reviews:

A lovely surprise.......2005-12-01

Massenet's later operas have never had a good press. His style was said to have become much too etiolated ["To become blanched or whitened, as when grown without sunlight. To appear pale and sickly: 'a face that was etiolated from years in prison'",] overrefined, rarefied, tenuous, semioccasional... W. H. Henderson, the most influential and best-remembered of the Old Guard NY critics from the 1870s until his suicide in 1936 (he was said by Irving Kolodin to have been "present at the Creation"!) described Cléopâtre as consisting mostly of "vapid arioso".

We Massenet fans are a defensive breed of special pleaders, and we tend to like etiolation, I fear (Amadis gives that word a whole new dimension!) but I would not call Cléopâtre anything but shamelessly colourful and wonderfully C. B. DeMille-ish. In the throats of great singing actors with total command of French déclamation and an appropriately over-the-top production, this expertly constructed exotic flower would be dynamite! The orchestration is beyond the beyonds. I love it, so there. And I would certainly pay good money so see and hear the likes of Denyse Graves clad-or, as it happens, unclad- in the come-hither gossamers of the asp-loving late Queen of Egypt.

Cléopâtre was created at Monte-Carlo in 1914-bad year-with the lovely Russo-French soprano Marie Kousnetzoff in the title part and the noted singing-actor Alfred Maguenat as Marc Antony. An even more famous acting bass-baritone, Vanni Marcoux, sang Antony when the Chicago Opera tried Cléopâtre in NYC (upon which occasion Henderson gave forth the quip for which the opera is sadly remembered.) MARY GARDEN was the Cléo then...!

Nothing quite so intoxicating is in evidence in this excellent live recording from the Massenet Festival in Saint-Etienne (near Lyons and, as it happens, old Jules' home town,) but the opera is given a fine, authentic, loving, respectful performance, with the usual superb conducting by Patrick Fournillier, to whom Massenet lovers owe so much.

The American mezzo Kathryn Harries as Cleopatra has a smooth, dark, smoky, slightly throaty voice and excellent French: one can hardly imagine the part better sung, except perhaps by the likes of Régine Crespin. The Antony, French baritone Didier Henry, has a good dark voice and if his legato could certainly be smoother, he nevertheless is always "in the part", and never sounds feeble. He's more than ok +, but TOO BAD IT WASN'T JOSE VAN DAM!!! The supporting cast is fine, even if Jean-Luc Maurette is often off-mike as the rejected Spakos (a part created by René Rousselière, a noted Wagnerian tenor.) When he gets close to the mike, he sounds very good indeed.

This recording is much more than a stopgap and should be reissued. The same source's Grisélidis has actually been re-issued on Brilliant Classics so here's to hoping. Meanwhile, if Amazon offers any used copies.....grab it!!

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Marcel Journet Career Highlights Manufacturer: Pearl ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Boito, Arrigo | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Franck, César | ( F ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gounod | Gounod, Charles | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Massenet | Massenet, Jules | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Meyerbeer | Meyerbeer, Giacomo | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Offenbach | Offenbach, Jacques | ( O ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Puccini | Puccini, Giacomo | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Saint-Saëns, Camille | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Robert Schumann | Schumann, Robert | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wagner | Wagner, Richard | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weber | Weber, Carl Maria von | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music | Baroque | Classical | General | Modern & 20th Century | Romantic | Sinfonia | Sinfonia Concertante General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000007TS9 Release Date: 1998-07-21

Tracks:

1. Faust: Vous qui faites l'endormie
2. Damnation de Faust: Demons fatals
3. Robert Le Diable: Demons fatlas
4. Mefistofele: Ave Signor
5. Barbiere Di Siviglia: La calunnia
6. Don Giovanni: Madamina
7. Don Giovanni: Madamina
8. La Boheme: Vecchia zimarra
9. Le Chalet: Dans la service de l'autrice
10. Contes D'Hoffman: Scintille diamant
11. Les Hugenots: Piff Piff
12. Herodiade: Dors o cite perverse
13. Sigurd: Au nom du roi Gunther
14. Cleopatre: Air de la lettre
15. Ascanio: Enfant je ne vuos en veux
16. Der Freischutz: Schweig...
17. Gotterdammerung: Hier sitz' ich zur Wacht
18. Rheinhold: Abendlich
19. Die Beiden Grenadiere
20. Louise: Louise! Louise!...Reste, reposetoi (Berceuse)
21. Jongleur de Notre Dame: La Vierge entend...Fleurissait une sauge
22. La Procession

Meditation Music:

1. Massenet: Thérèse
2. Maurice Ravel: L'Heure Espagnole
3. Mendelssohn: Die Hochzeit des Camacho (The Wedding of Camacho)
4. Montserrat Cabellé & José Carreras: Love Duets
5. Moussorgsky: Boris Godounov
6. Mozart: Così fan tutte
7. Mozart - Die Zauberflöte / Price, Serra, Schreier, Moll, Melbye, Adam, C. Davis
8. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro
9. Opera Treasure
10. Pelléas et Mélisande [Box set]

Meditation Music

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Meditation Music

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