Friedemann Layer, Orchestre de l'Opéra de Montpellier - Amilcare Ponchielli: Marion Delorme (2002)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 517 Mb | Total time: 129:20 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Accord | 474 613-2 | Recorded: 2001
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 517 Mb | Total time: 129:20 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Accord | 474 613-2 | Recorded: 2001
My late, lamented colleague, Michael Oliver, would have exulted at the prospect of reviewing this hardly-ever-heard example of verismo, a genre (like so many others) of which he made a speciality. Ponchielli’s last opera appears never to have been recorded before, and has received few performances, even in Italy, after its comparatively successful première at La Scala in 1885.
Based on a drama by Victor Hugo (source of so many 19th-century libretti), it is far from being the best plotted of operas. Taking place in 1638 France, dominated by Cardinal Richelieu, it concerns that favourite Romantic figure of the good-hearted demi-mondaine, the Marion of the title, who is greatly loved by the youthful, unhappy Didier, who has no idea of her courtesan past in Paris. Eventually he learns about it and of her numerous lovers, among them the devil-may-care Severny (who eventually goes to the stake with Didier, as a punishment for duelling, outlawed by the Cardinal) and the Scarpia-like Laffemas. As with Tosca and Scarpia, Marion agrees to give herself to him to save Didier, all to no avail.
Largely eschewing the melodramatic gestures and invigorating energy of Gioconda, Ponchielli shows the influence of the school of his French contemporaries in his light, elegant scoring and through the presence of a peripheral, travesty character, Lelio, sung by a mezzo. The work is lop-sided in that the longest, most emotion-laden Act is the fourth and last. There Marion and Didier have finely shaped solos, then a lengthy duet of recrimination with an original structure. Act 1 has a warm romance for the heroine followed by a love duet. All the other characters have solos suited to their characters, Lelio’s appropriately light and catchy. There is rather too much anonymous infilling, but enough of merit to make the opera worthinvestigating, especially to those sated by the regular repertory.
The performance is a good advertisement for the work. Denia Mazzola-Gavazzeni, widow of the conductor Gianandrea Gavazzeni, pulls out all the stops in portraying Marion’s predicament, exploiting to the full a dark chest-register and an exciting top. Casanova has a forward, Italianate production and an attractive manner, with a deal of sensitivity, to make the most ofthe lovelorn Didier. Jenis’s mellow baritone is ideal for Severny. The Italian bass, Carlo Cigni, is a welcome find in an area sparsely populated these days, and he gives a suitably saturnine account of Laffemas’ machinations.
Friedemann Layer presides over all with a refined ear for the keen scoring and for keeping the drama on the move. He is particularly good in the concertato (large ensemble) that closes Act 3. The recording, though a shade confined, is adequate enough for anyone to enjoy thiswelcome newcomer to the catalogue.–Alan Blyth
Performer:
Marion Delorme - Denia Mazzola-Gavazzeni
Didier - Francisco Casanova
Marchese di Saverny - Dalibor Jenis
Il Signor di Laffemas - Carlo Cigni
Lelio - Francesca Provvisionato
Brichanteau - Franck Bard
Capitano - Hervé Mann
Chœur de l'Opéra de Montpellier
Chœur de la Radio Lettone
Orchestre National de Montpellier
Conductor - Friedemann Layer
Track List:
CD1:
01. Preludio
02. Atto I. No 1. Scena e duetto: E che? Mentre il bel mondo (Marion e Saverny)
03. No 2. Recitativo e romanza: Il vil… (Marion)
04. Atto II. No 3. Scena e duetto: Mezzanotte e non giunge (Marion e Didier)
05. No 4. Scena e terzzetto - Finale primo: A me soccorso (Marion, Didier e Saverny)
06. No 5. Coro d'introduzione e stofe: Non ha che un tempo solo (Lelio)
07. No 6. Scena: Miei cari vi saluto (Saverny) - Recitativo ed aria: Che mi vale il poter (Laffemas)
08. No 7. Scena della sfida e finale secondo: Marchese di Saverny ei disse nomarsi
CD2:
01. Atto III. No 8. Introduzione e scena: Venir qui tel ripeto
02. No 9. Scena e canzone: Il campo finalmente (Lelio)
03. No 10. Scena e duetto: Seguirmi volesti (Marion e Didier)
04. No 11. Scena e aria: Ma dimmi un po (Saverny)
05. No 12. Coro dei comici e finale terzo: Circondato e il castel
06. Atto IV. No 13. Intermezzo: Marcia funebre
07. No 14. Recitativo e scena: Ecco…Son giunta (Marion)
08. No 15. Scena: Alcuno…Lui! (Marion e Laffemas)
09. No 16. Scena ed aria: Tutto quest'uom puo dunque? (Marion)
10. No 17. Scena: Almen piu liberi qui si respira (Didier e Saverny)
11. No 18. Romanza: Ed or si muoia (Didier)
12. No 19. Scena e duetto: Badate ad esser lungi (Marion e Didier)
13. No 20. Scena e finale ultimo: Ah!L'ora scorse
Exact Audio Copy V1.6 from 23. October 2020
EAC extraction logfile from 13. January 2021, 15:50
Multi Interprètes, Choeurs De L'Opéra National De Montpellier LR, Choeur De La Radio Lettone, Orchestre National De Montpellier - L.R., Friedemann Layer / Ponchielli: Marion Delorme
Used drive : TSSTcorpDVDWBD SE-406AB Adapter: 1 ID: 1
Read mode : Burst
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 1024 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "COMMENT=%comment%" -T "BAND=%albuminterpret%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albuminterpret%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" %haslyrics%–tag-from-file=LYRICS="%lyricsfile%"%haslyrics% -T "DISCNUMBER=%cdnumber%" -T "TOTALDISCS=%totalcds%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" %hascover%–picture="%coverfile%"%hascover% %source% -o %dest%
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Range status and errors
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Filename I:\Rips\Ponchielli - Marion Delorme - Layer\CD2\Friedemann Layer - Ponchielli - Marion Delorme CD 2.wav
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Extraction speed 14.4 X
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Copy CRC 52FE75AF
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
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–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.6
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Submit result: bzUsTkYRsGG8sW5NztBFidNF_u8- has been confirmed
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==== Log checksum 59FCF39B0418F101A8F5E835F262A05DDDA7D88003F6912CF744D13596E6B71E ====
Exact Audio Copy V1.6 from 23. October 2020
EAC extraction logfile from 13. January 2021, 15:34
Multi Interprètes, Choeurs De L'Opéra National De Montpellier LR, Choeur De La Radio Lettone, Orchestre National De Montpellier - L.R., Friedemann Layer / Ponchielli: Marion Delorme
Used drive : TSSTcorpDVDWBD SE-406AB Adapter: 1 ID: 1
Read mode : Burst
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 1024 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%artist%" -T "TITLE=%title%" -T "ALBUM=%albumtitle%" -T "DATE=%year%" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%tracknr%" -T "GENRE=%genre%" -T "COMMENT=%comment%" -T "BAND=%albuminterpret%" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%albuminterpret%" -T "COMPOSER=%composer%" %haslyrics%–tag-from-file=LYRICS="%lyricsfile%"%haslyrics% -T "DISCNUMBER=%cdnumber%" -T "TOTALDISCS=%totalcds%" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%numtracks%" %hascover%–picture="%coverfile%"%hascover% %source% -o %dest%
TOC of the extracted CD
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Range status and errors
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Filename I:\Rips\Ponchielli - Marion Delorme - Layer\CD1\Friedemann Layer - Ponchielli - Marion Delorme CD1.wav
Peak level 92.5 %
Extraction speed 6.2 X
Test CRC 221A0BF1
Copy CRC 221A0BF1
Copy OK
No errors occurred
AccurateRip summary
Track 1 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [C7F58EF1] (AR v2)
Track 2 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [1005F486] (AR v2)
Track 3 accurately ripped (confidence 4) [67E21FC6] (AR v2)
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All tracks accurately ripped
End of status report
–– CUETools DB Plugin V2.1.6
[CTDB TOCID: rvYSAYkDoPrFlLlJF2HJMK6XmJk-] found
Submit result: rvYSAYkDoPrFlLlJF2HJMK6XmJk- has been confirmed
Track | CTDB Status
1 | (9/9) Accurately ripped
2 | (9/9) Accurately ripped
3 | (9/9) Accurately ripped
4 | (9/9) Accurately ripped
5 | (9/9) Accurately ripped
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==== Log checksum E5910347991DC6214582E8923F6718E6C6424FCE189F24EB75D123E41D4C245D ====
Thanks to the original releaser