Théophile Alexandre & Quatuor Zaïde - No(s) Dames (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Genderless tribute to opera's divas by the countertenor Théophile ALEXANDRE & the female string quartet ZAÏDE, redistributing musical direction to women and Ladies' agonies to a man, to celebrate the divas' arias beyond their gender clichés. Starring heroines by Mozart, Verdi, Bellini, Bizet, Haendel, Saint-Saëns, Piazzolla, Haydn, Tchaïkovsky…

5 black silhouettes liberated from gender attributes, a long blood-red glove, a couture gown… On stage, NO(S) DAMES come alive in an operatic curiosity cabinet, mixing fantasized videos and divas’ accessories to explore the morbid fetichisms these “Divanities” carry, intertwining glamour and death in the great tradition of male Romanticism. In 3 acts, No(s) Madonnas, No(s) Bitches, No(s) Witches, the 5 artists redistribute the roles and disrupt these sexist clichés, to give a new life to our diva’s arias.

Combining the beauty of lyrical singing with a fresh look at opera and its dramas, countertenor Théophile Alexandre and the Zaïde revisit the great diva arias, from Carmen to Violetta, via Eurydice, Juliette or the Queen of the Night. Together, they question the duplicity of the roles assigned to women in all these operas composed by men: celebrated but caricatured caricatured and corseted, virtuoso but dehumanised, magnified but martyred… until the climax of their sublime agony. A lyrical show that shakes up the codes while paying a vibrant tribute to these great female characters and to the most beautiful operatic writings.

Tracklist:
01. Grieg: Peer Gynt Suite No. 2, Op. 55: Solveigs sang (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
02. Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq. 30, Act 3 Scene 1: Che fiero momento (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
03. Bellini: La Sonnambula, Act 2 Scene 12: Ah! Non credea mirarti (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
04. Tchaikovsky: The Maid of Orleans, TH 6, Act 1: Adieu forêts (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
05. Offenbach: Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Act 4: Barcarolle (Arr. for String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
06. Bizet: Carmen, Act 1 Scene 5: L'Amour est un oiseau rebelle (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
07. Piazzolla: María de Buenos Aires, Pt. 1 Scene 3b: Yo soy María (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
08. Verdi: I masnadieri: Prélude (Arr. for String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
09. Mozart: Zaïde, K.344, Act 2: Tiger, wetze nur die Klauen (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
10. Cavalli: Il Giasone, Act 1 Scene 14: Dell'antro magico (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
11. Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Act 2: Der Hölle Rache (Arr. for String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
12. Bellini: I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Act 1 Scene 4: Oh! Quante volte (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
13. Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro, K. 492, Act 4: L'ho perduta me meschina! (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
14. Verdi: La forza del destino: Prélude (Arr. for String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
15. Haydn: Armida, Hob XXVIII/12, Act 2 Scene 12: Odio, furor, dispetto (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
16. Haendel: Alcina, HWV 34, Act 2 Scene 5: Ah! Mio cor (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
17. Rossini: Maometto II, Act 3 Scene 5: Giusto Ciel (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
18. Strauss: Salome, Op. 54, TrV 215, Scene 4: Salomes Tanz (Arr. for String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
19. Massenet: Manon, Act 2 Scene 4: Adieu notre petite table (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
20. Verdi: La Traviata, Act 3 Scene 4: Addio del passato (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
21. Bellini: Norma, Act 2 Scene 3: Deh! Non volerli vittime (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
22. Saint-Saëns: Samson & Dalila, Op. 47: Prélude (Arr. for String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
23. Weill: Marie-Galante ou l'Exil sans retour: Youkali [part 1] (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)
24. Weill: Marie-Galante ou l'Exil sans retour: Youkali [part 2] (Arr. for Countertenor & String Quartet by Eric Mouret)


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