Unsung Composers

The Music => Recordings & Broadcasts => Topic started by: BerlinExpat on Saturday 06 May 2017, 22:11

Title: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: BerlinExpat on Saturday 06 May 2017, 22:11
There's no information about a recording or a broadcast at the moment, but suffice to say that on November 24th & 26th this year a concert performance of Saint-Saëns' Ascanio will be performed at the Grand Théâtre Genève. It will be the first performance following the original manuscript.

Here's an extract from the Grand Théâtre's home page:

Ascanio

Opera in five acts and seven tableaux by Camille Saint-Saëns

Libretto, by Louis Gallet, is based on the 1852 play Benvenuto Cellini by Paul Meurice. First performed on March 21, 1890, at the Académie Nationale de Musique in Paris.

Concert version
In coproduction with the Haute école de musique de Genève

Sung in French with English and French surtitles

Of the thirteen operas by Saint-Saëns, just one, Samson, remains in the repertoire, while another, Ascanio, is yet to be showcased in its complete, original version. And yet the eponymous play by Paul Meurice, based on the memoires of Benvenuto Cellini, inspired the composer to produce an extraordinary work, blending – in a masterful tapestry of leitmotifs – the sensuality of French music, the passionate accents of Italian lyricism and the refinement of the melodies and dances of the Renaissance repertoire. Far from the hieratic style of Samson, Ascanio is a true lyrical drama during which Benvenuto Cellini, envied for his genius, prestige and the power he holds over the King of France, triumphs over the court intrigues by saving his disciple Ascanio, whose life is in danger...
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: edurban on Saturday 06 May 2017, 23:08
Hooray!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Mark Thomas on Sunday 07 May 2017, 09:02
Really good news.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: mjmosca on Tuesday 16 May 2017, 11:28
This is really wonderful news! Martin Cooper, the English musicologist, in his "French Music from Berlioz to Faure" indicated that in his opinion, Ascanio was Saint-Saens finest opera (after Samson). I sure hope that a recording of this work will be made. The ballet music is available on a fine recording. And I am eager to hear Le Timbre d'Argent in the not too distant future.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Ebubu on Sunday 10 December 2017, 21:31
Following the performances of Saint-Saëns' ASCANIO, at the Genève Grand-Théâtre, a recording will be issued, even more eagerly waited as the reviews were quite positive, concerning the work as well as the performances.

https://www.forumopera.com/ascanio-geneve-revelation-dun-authentique-chef-doeuvre
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Christopher on Monday 11 December 2017, 12:12
Great news!  Any idea when?
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Monday 11 December 2017, 15:58
The review doesn't give any details of timescale.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Friday 03 August 2018, 00:13
Here's news of the CD release:
https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8473956--saint-saens-ascanio (https://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/classical/products/8473956--saint-saens-ascanio)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Mark Thomas on Friday 03 August 2018, 07:34
Not too long to wait, then.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: adriano on Friday 03 August 2018, 21:26
Already pre-ordered. So this seems to be a studio recording. The CD release will be on 21st September and the performances in November??
https://www.geneveopera.ch/programmation/saison-17-18/ascanio/

Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Friday 03 August 2018, 23:50
No, the performances took place last year. Take another look!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: adriano on Saturday 04 August 2018, 06:11
Oh I see, thanks Alan :-)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 04 August 2018, 13:35
An easy mistake to make...
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: JimL on Sunday 05 August 2018, 00:22
I wonder if it has a discrete overture...
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: adriano on Sunday 05 August 2018, 07:18
It hasn't. The First Act starts directly with a boisterous ensemble for Cellini, Ascanio, Pagolo and the Choir.
What is important: it's another opera about Benvenuto Cellini, based on his adventurous autobiography - so it has nothing to with the subject of Mozart's "Ascanio in Alba". It requires quite a large orchestra and an extra stage music ensemble of 18 players plus 2 percussionists. It also has a ballet scene.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Christopher on Sunday 05 August 2018, 12:15
This is great news, thanks!  Although I am in general a "Russianist", I have always liked Saint-Saens and seek to have at least one version of everything by him that has been recorded.  Regarding his operas, does his mean that only three remain unrecorded?  I think the list of his operas is as follows (wikipedia...)

Le timbre d'argent
La princesse jaune
Samson et Dalila
Étienne Marcel
Henry VIII
Proserpine
Ascanio
Phryné
Frédégonde
Les barbares
Hélène
L'ancêtre
Déjanire

- ie - Frédégonde, L'ancêtre and Déjanire?
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Monday 06 August 2018, 08:45
Please could we keep to Ascanio in this thread? For Frédégonde see:
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6931.msg73412.html#msg73412 (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,6931.msg73412.html#msg73412)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: pcc on Sunday 02 September 2018, 19:19
I'll be very curious to hear this.  I like the ballet music very much, which seemed to have retained some popularity into the 20th century. I have it by the Band of the Grenadier Guards under Albert Williams, who recorded it complete on four 12" 78 sides for Columbia in about 1913-14. That was an unusually lengthy instrumental piece to issue at the time, which indicates both Williams's interest and Columbia's generosity.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: mjmosca on Saturday 08 September 2018, 20:04
The Ballet music from Ascanio has been recorded on a disk entitled "Elan: Ballet Music from Operas by Saint-Saens" along with selections from Henry VIII, Etienne Marcel and Les Barbares, with the same maestro who is at the helm of this complete recording, Guillaume Tourniaire. A fine recording on the Melba label.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: BerlinExpat on Wednesday 10 October 2018, 22:36
Ascanio is out but unfortunately the presentation is disappointing. It comes in book form, 15 x 19.5 cm, and the pink box you see on the advertising is in fact a sticky label which goes around the opening side of the book and is perforated to enable you to open the book. Despite breaking the perforations as carefully as I could the front part of the remaining sticky label is slightly damaged.
The book is nicely produced, but oh, how difficult it is to follow the libretto. Instead of the French and English side by side on one page as is common practice, there are two columns of French on the left hand page and two columns of English on the right hand page. In addition to that the start lines of the respective singer texts are not always level between the two languages.
The CDs are held in pockets inside the front and back covers but the slots in which they sit close flat when the CD is removed. I had great difficulty in replacing CD 1 after playing it.
There is no overall timing for the individual CDs or acts. Timings are given for each track and there are 60 in total.
All texts in French are printed on pink paper (quite useful for finding your way around) and double pages of monochrome photographs are inserted between the lengthy synopsis and libretto as well as between the libretto sections pertaining to each CD.
Otherwise a quality product but I would have preferred a CD sized book similar to the one produced by Challenge Classics for the De Nederlandse Opera recording of Schreker's Der Schatzgräber.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 10 October 2018, 22:39
I always remove CDs from releases like this one and keep them in separate cases to prevent damage.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: BerlinExpat on Wednesday 10 October 2018, 22:41
I will too. I have done so with all the Palazzetto Bru Zane releases!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 10 October 2018, 22:53
Moi aussi!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 25 October 2018, 12:11
I have now merged the existing two threads on Ascanio. Hope this makes things clearer.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 25 October 2018, 12:19
Here, by the way, is an interesting article on Saint-Saëns' operas:
https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2014/5/Features/Lost_Legacy.html (https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2014/5/Features/Lost_Legacy.html)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 25 October 2018, 12:37
This is a very fine opera, verging in places on greatness. The only problem is a rather variable amount of memorable material early on. But then comes CD2, which contains some really mesmerising extended passages. After that there's CD3 - wow! I'm glad to report that there are some superb vocal contributions, notably from two Swiss singers, mezzo-soprano Eve-Maude Hubeaux (Scozzone) and tenor Bernard Richter (Ascanio), and also two Canadians, baritone Jean-François Lapointe (Benvenuto Cellini) and Karina Gauvin (Duchess).

It is a great pleasure to welcome this outstanding recording. The sound is spacious and full of impact. Altogether a triumph, I'd say - and surely the best Saint-Saëns opera after Samson et Dalila.

This'll be my Operatic Discovery of 2018. By a long way!

Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Revilod on Thursday 25 October 2018, 22:27
My copy arrived in the post this morning. I'm busy at the moment but will listen soon. Is "Ascanio" really superior to "Henri VIII"?
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 25 October 2018, 22:52
I'd say so - but I'm speaking from memory. At all events, this is a fabulous opera, superbly done here. A revelation!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 25 October 2018, 23:22
Someone's going to say that this is the greatest thing Saint-Saëns ever wrote. I may even agree...
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Mark Thomas on Friday 26 October 2018, 08:25
I haven't had time to listen to my copy of Ascanio yet, but my appetite for Saint-Saëns was whetted again by watching a cinema simulcast last Saturday of the Met's spectacular production of Samson et Dalilah with Roberto Alagna and Elīna Garanča (who was superb). What a piece! I had quite forgotten just how powerful it is.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Friday 26 October 2018, 08:59
Did Alagna have any voice left? Samson is way beyond his Fach...
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Mark Thomas on Friday 26 October 2018, 14:18
I wasn't expecting much from him, but he was surprisingly convincing. His final few lines (tearing down the temple) were delivered at a squawk, though!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Friday 26 October 2018, 16:52
I can't take him at this stage of his career. Anyway, with apologies, back to Ascanio...
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Friday 26 October 2018, 17:21
...and my firm conclusion is that, relatively speaking, the weakest part of this fabulous opera (and recording) is Act 1. After that, the tide of invention is virtually unceasing.

Excerpts can be heard here:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/saint-saens-ascanio/hnum/8727233 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/saint-saens-ascanio/hnum/8727233)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Saturday 27 October 2018, 17:52
Well, my mother's a pretty good judge of an opera and her verdict this afternoon was 'smashing!'. That, by the way, is her ultimate accolade.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: mjmosca on Sunday 04 November 2018, 13:03
I just received my copy of Ascanio and have listened to it twice so far. It is indeed a magnificent work, and a fine recording with a very good cast, able to realize their roles. Listening to it brought back thoughts of Debussy's comment that Saint-Saens entered the opera house as an confirmed symphonist- which Debussy meant as an insult, but is in fact a compliment. And Saint-Saens, rather fed up with the "Wagnerian" controversy of the time said that the listener should let the "river of music carry him along, without being too concerned about the chemistry of the water". This is a great opera, indeed a little slow to get underway but a thrilling, captivating work. And Ascanio, along with Henry VIII, Etienne Marcel and Proserpine, fills out a major gap in appreciating Saint-Saens style and approach to opera. thank you! Thanks to fine cast and most of all to conductor Guillaume Tournaire for his dedication to this brilliant work!
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: adriano on Sunday 04 November 2018, 14:27
I am quite enthusiastic about this recording too! The only drawback is the packaging; it's even worse that Ediciones Singulares as far as taking out and re-inserting the CDs is concerned... They never learn - or just don't care. It's like those (wonderful) Decca/RCA Opera re-issues with thick booklets (at least on a normal CD format, not like this impossible high-book format). CDs risk getting scratched even before they are taken out the first time by the listener because they already were carelessly inserted by "packers" or "packing machines" (it happened to me in 4 different Karajan operas, so I gave up buying them). It happened also with "Les Barbares" (Ediciones Singulares), which hat to be replaced two times before I could get clean CDs.

A historical note: The libretto, is, of course, far away from historical reality. Saint-Saens's Cellini - as Berlioz's, is not portrayed as a gay man.
Saints-Saens (he liked to travel to Algeria, in order to meet nice exotic young men) may have chuckled by his Cellini, addressing Ascanio with "Tu sais combien je t'aime" :-)
Cellini was convicted of "sodomy" twice before he decided to marry. His statue of "Perseus" has become a gay icon. And Schubert too: Incidentally, in one of Schubert's friend's diary, there is a mentioning that "Sch. needs young peacocks like Benv. Cellini". And Cellini himself used in his authobiography (which was translated into German by Goethe) bird's names for his many intimate friends.

Here some articles:

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-composer-who-disappeared-twice-560456.html
https://gayinfluence.blogspot.com/2011/08/charles-camille-saint-saens-1835-1921.html

Would it be an idea perhaps to start a UC discussion thread about queer composers and the inspiration of some of their works - to enlighten unaware music-lovers?

https://www.wfmt.com/2015/06/25/15-queer-composers-know/

(I am adding Marc Blitzstein, Claude Vivier and (the Swiss) Robert Oboussier to this list, who - all three - were brutally murdered whilst crusing...)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Monday 05 November 2018, 20:54
I think we'll stick to the music. Previous excursuses into such areas have drawn us away from the stated remit of UC.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: adriano on Tuesday 06 November 2018, 06:26
OK, sorry Alan - I am an incorrgible provocateur, I know :-)
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Tuesday 06 November 2018, 07:45
No need to apologise, I'm sure. We appreciate all of your contributions.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Mark Thomas on Wednesday 05 December 2018, 14:51
Oh, wow! I have at long last got around to listening to my copy of this recording and am totally bowled over by it. What a superb work, and what a blazing performance it gets. I won't repeat all that has already been said here, but I just had to add my voice to the chorus of praise. It's the opera "discovery" of 2018 for me.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 05 December 2018, 15:53
December's Gramophone magazine agrees.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Mark Thomas on Wednesday 05 December 2018, 17:34
It was reading that enthusiastic review that reminded me that I had yet to listen to it.
Title: Re: Another Saint-Saëns opera: Ascanio!
Post by: Alan Howe on Wednesday 05 December 2018, 18:23
For once the magazine is spot-on in its assessment of singing, playing - and the work itself.