This
is an excellent recording of Messager's most celebrated work.
Véronique is remembered for some catchy pockets
of melody and although the De ci, de là (Trot here,
trot there) [CD1 tk.14] is the most notable, another Helene
& Florestan duet, Ah! méchante [CD2 tk.2] contains
haunting undercurrents of melody (reminiscent of his ballet, Les
Deux Pigeons written in 1886). Also popular is Agathe's more
robust Rondo Lisette avait peur du loup that follows the
above duet [CD2 tk.4]. One should add that the fine final of Act
II with its rhythmic vitality is certainly in the Bouffes-Parisien
tradition.
The
brilliance and inventive scoring of
Véronique brought success
to Messager and ensured his name was
married to the operetta genre.
It
is evident that Messager worked in a
couple of ideas, from Sullivan's Mikado
and Gondoliers, composed about a
decade earlier. The two composers knew
each other well through Richard D'Oyly
Carte and the pastiche may well have
been used by Messager as a tease. The
opening chorus here is similar to List
and Learn from the Gondoliers,
and try Florestan's Une grisette
mignonne [CD2 tk.6] for its hint
of 'Here's a how-de-do' Mikado
likeness.)
This
is a first class recording and its mono
status should not detract potential
buyers. The length is similar to that
of an alternative EMI stereo recording:
with 2CDs for the price of one this
is worthy of serious consideration.
The cast work well as a team in a spirited
and polished performance put together
under Max de Rieux's experienced eye.
The leads, Hélène and
Florestan sing well and portray their
roles perfectly. Agathe tends to be
rather brittle and shrill in voice yet
her diction is clear. Only the solo
comedy lines in the opening chorus number
by M. Coquenard are harsh and overdone.
The
orchestra is on good form and the gusto
of conductor, Pierre Dervaux makes sure
this operetta keeps moving. The De
ci, de là number is taken
rather fast for my liking and tends
to lose some of the attractiveness of
its orchestration.
Brief
notes in French are provided in the
attractive card case.
Messager
composed other operettas of note and
one in particular, La Basoche,
I had hoped to find featured in this
series. This piece followed Ivanhoe
at the Royal English Opera House (now
Palace Theatre, London), and was revived
by the BBC in the Twenties as part of
an opera series yet hasn't been heard
in the UK since. Apparently there is
a Basoche highlights recording
available on the Gaite Lyrique label.
Raymond
Walker
Operette
series from Universal Accord reviewed
by Ray Walker
Further reading: "Operetta",
Traubner (Routledge 2003); ‘Musicals",
Ganzl (Carlton 1995)
Géori
Boue (sop) Helene (Veronique); Roger Bourdin (ten)
Florestan; Geneviève Moizan (sop) Agathe;
Max de Rieux (bar) Loustot; Marcel Carpentier
(bar) Coquenard