BaL 7.12.19 - Delibes: Lakmé

[Barbirollians]

They were welcome to it - couldn't hear a word she was singing as I recall .

I see the Dessay recording is down to £9.90 on Presto till Monday

Duly purchased after hearing the extracts on their site.

[verismissimo]

I had always dismissed Delibes as second-rate without really listening to any, until about two years ago at BRB's Coppelia in Birmingham, which was a total delight, with excellent music!

I've only ever had a neglected highlights LP of Mesple/Lombard, which I now find is equally good. :)

[Maclintick]

This piece a lacuna to me. Thanks to Vints & Master Jacques for explication & context -- but has it ever been performed in a UK opera house within living memory ?

[Master Jacques]

This piece a lacuna to me. Thanks to Vints & Master Jacques for explication & context -- but has it ever been performed in a UK opera house within living memory ?

Holland Park did it in 2015, with fairly good reviews. The Royal Opera has steered clear of it for many years, perhaps due to the strong anti-British Raj sentiments of the text and story - it really does not make the British look good. I remember, when I did a production in my youth (c. 1985, with professional soloists and excellent amateur chorus in Southampton) the audience was quite shocked to find it so disparaging of "our Empire", especially where I used photomontage footage of the British army in India within the production, for the "march past" scene. Oh dear!

It is a tremendously good opera - a masterpiece, in my opinion, which got richer the more I worked on it, fully the equal of Sylvia - and I am sure Ms Willson will do it justice, if she is given a chance to talk and doesn't get too hung up on the heroine!

[Master Jacques]

Admirable, expertly-informed summary by Flora Willson this morning - and as she came out in favour of my own, two recommendations above the rest, I can't even grumble about the result! This is how BaL ought to be, and still can be.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Really enjoying the Lakmé BAL. Dessay’s trill in the Bell song must be the ninth wonder of the world...even though not the ultimate choice.
Master Jacques - I would have thought the anti-British Empire take would make the piece a shoo-in for a production in our opera houses today. Isn’t the real problem the casting? I’m also surprised that there wasn’t a bit of opera houses riding off the back of the BA ad when that was everywhere .

[DracoM]

Suspect that today's RR / BAL were not live but recorded.
If AMcG does not greet the previous presenter by name at the 9 a.m. hand-over, I'm guessing that the show is NOT live. Sounds different - plus fewer AMcG's breathy intakes before telling us who the music was by etc.
And Flora Wilson's BAL was singularly uninterrupted - I wonder if that too had been re-edited?

[edashtav]

Suspect that today's RR / BAL were not live but recorded.
If AMcG does not greet the previous presenter by name at the 9 a.m. hand-over, I'm guessing that the show is NOT live. Sounds different - plus fewer AMcG's breathy intakes before telling us who the music was by etc.
And Flora Wilson's BAL was singularly uninterrupted - I wonder if that too had been re-edited?

Thank you, Sherlock.

Yes, today's BAL was a corker and Flora Wilson characterised the varied voices and approaches vividly and well. Her analysis was based firmly on comparative evidence. My only worry was did she employ the 'absolute' standard: Delibes' score sufficiently?

[gurnemanz]

Suspect that today's RR / BAL were not live but recorded.
If AMcG does not greet the previous presenter by name at the 9 a.m. hand-over, I'm guessing that the show is NOT live. Sounds different - plus fewer AMcG's breathy intakes before telling us who the music was by etc.
And Flora Wilson's BAL was singularly uninterrupted - I wonder if that too had been re-edited?

Good detective work.

I found the BaL useful. I got the Sutherland/Bonynge as part of a big opera box and will confess that I have never really listened to it and might have been nudged into remedying this, even though it was not recommended. I am not inclined to get another full version. I have three Lakmé arias from Mady Mesplé on her good value and very worthwhile 80th birthday box. I loved the Natalie Dessay which was played.

[Barbirollians]

Good detective work.

I found the BaL useful. I got the Sutherland/Bonynge as part of a big opera box and will confess that I have never really listened to it and might have been nudged into remedying this, even though it was not recommended. I am not inclined to get another full version. I have three Lakmé arias from Mady Mesplé on her good value and very worthwhile 80th birthday box. I loved the Natalie Dessay which was played.

Who won ? If A McG was largely edited out I might listen to the podcast of this.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Suspect that today's RR / BAL were not live but recorded.
If AMcG does not greet the previous presenter by name at the 9 a.m. hand-over, I'm guessing that the show is NOT live. Sounds different - plus fewer AMcG's breathy intakes before telling us who the music was by etc.
And Flora Wilson's BAL was singularly uninterrupted - I wonder if that too had been re-edited?

First rate sleuthing . I thought things sounded unnaturally fluent.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Who won ? If A McG was largely edited out I might listen to the podcast of this.

Mesplé with Lombard conducting on Erato with Dessay highly commended....

[underthecountertenor]

Suspect that today's RR / BAL were not live but recorded.
If AMcG does not greet the previous presenter by name at the 9 a.m. hand-over, I'm guessing that the show is NOT live. Sounds different - plus fewer AMcG's breathy intakes before telling us who the music was by etc.
And Flora Wilson's BAL was singularly uninterrupted - I wonder if that too had been re-edited?

Yes, a totally different sound from the very beginning, familiar from the recorded Summer Record Reviews. And we were also spared the awkward chat at about 8.45, which invariably concludes with Elizabeth Alker saying ‘fanTAStic’ unconvincingly.

[vinteuil]

.

... yes, an excellent BAL. The Mesplé/Toulouse/Lombard and Dessay/opéra Comique/Plasson were shown to deserve their place. I was also very taken by the 1952 Robin/opéra Comique/Sébastien and particularly by the 1941 Lily Pons/Met/Pelletier :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0000263V4

.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Was sorry Flora Wilson couldn't find space for the very best version of the Flower Duet, post-British Airways to borrow her categories. So here it is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp_hzrB_FI4

Hides behind sofa