Review of Robert le Diable (Paris, 1985) CD released by Lyric Distribution 1997
by Tom Kaufman (January 26, 1998)
Note: It has just been released on the Legato label (available from Lyric). It is a 3 CD set on Legato LCD 229-3 with Vanzo (Robert), Anderson (Isabelle), Ramey (Bertram), Lagrange (Alice) and Donati (Raimbaut). Thomas Fulton conducts.
Much has been written about
Meyerbeer's one time enormous popularity during his lifetime, and
his eventual fall from grace during the twentieth century. Many
explanations have been proffered for this fall from
grace--changes in taste, shortage of the singers who can execute
the music, costa of mounting them, and the like. His detractors,
including Schumann, and others were noted for their jibes, such
as the anti-Semitic Wagner's "Effects without causes".
Be that as it may, the effects have lingered, and, as Michael
Scott says in his notes for the Opera Rara recording of Dinorah,
"we are still living in the wake of these prejudices. The
German ideal has triumphed, the opera house has ceased being a
place of entertainment, and has become a temple of enlightenment,
with the composer as high priest, where formerly the prima donna
had been mistress of ceremonies."
Actually, the last statement does not really hold for French
grand opera, since the tenor is frequently the main protagonist,
as in Les Huguenots and La juive. But, in the
case of Robert le Diable, it is generally considered to
be the bass. Robert le Diable has become a rarity during
the 20th century, although it was given in Barcelona in 1917 with
Jose Palet, in Bordeaux in 1928 with Alexandre Guys, and in
Florence in 1967 with Boris Christoff and Renata Scotto. The
latter was brutally cut, with the result that the opera is almost
ruined. Then it was given in Paris in 1985, and issued on LP, at
which time I fell in love with the music. Now that it is
available on CD, I can fall in love with it all over again. It
was composed by Meyerbeer a few years after William Tell,
and, while it still shows many influences of Rossini, there are
substantial departures. These are primarily in the greater values
attached to the dramatic side.
While William Tell is is four acts, Robert le Diable
has five. The highlights of Act I are a fine aria for Alice,
another one for Rambaud, and the Siciienne sung by Robert. The
best music in Act II, the tenor's grand aria, was not composed
until several years after the premiere, and is omitted from the
Paris recording..Things really start moving in Act III: first
there is a fine duet for Bertram and Raimbaut, then the wonderful
"Valse infernale for bass and chorus, followed by a second
aria for Alice, a striking duet for Robert and Bertram, and
finally the highlight of the opera, Bertram's "Nonnes qui
reposez".
Act IV is even better, and consists primarily of an extended duet
for Isabelle and Robert (Anderson and anzo) which includes the
justly famous, and strikingly beautiful "Robert, toi que
j'aime". But Robert's music in this duet is also of the
highest quality. Act V has a major trio for Alice, Robert and
Bertram, which can be viewed as a precursor of the great Act IV
duet from Les Huguenots.
When this opera was performed in 1985, June Anderson was at the
peak of her powers, and sings beautifully. Michele Lagrange was
at the beginning of her career, but is a fine Alice, and has
since reached near stardom. Vanzo has long been regarded as the
finest French tenor of the post-war era, although he really lacks
the brilliant top notes required for some of the music. Rockwell
Blake, who sang some later performances, has the top, but is far
too "white voiced" for the role. Vanzo, on the other
hand has a strikingly beautiful voice, and is quite effective in
the dramatic sections. As for the bass, Sam Ramey, the role is
almost perfect for him. The conducting is fine, and the Legato
recording is in decent sound.
Finally, there is a major bonus-----Chris Merritt in the big
tenor aria composed for Mario, and sung only a few times. In
fact, there is a good chance that Mario never sang the cabaletta,
which would make this the world premiere of that particular piece
of music.
This set can be highly recommended to all opera fans. If you
already love Meyerbeer, as I do, it will become one of your
favorites. If you have not yet experienced this wonderful
nineteenth century composer, this is probably the best way to
start.
Tom Kaufman