MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


CD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

alternatively
CD: AmazonUK AmazonUS
Download: Classicsonline

 

Georges BIZET (1838–1875)
The Pearl Fishers (Les Pecheurs des Perles) (1863) (Highlights: sung in English)
Simon Keenlyside (baritone) – Zurga; Barry Banks (tenor) – Nadir; Rebecca Evans (soprano) – Leïla; Alastair Miles (bass) - Nourabad
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra/Brad Cohen
rec. Blackheath Halls, London, 10-12 September 2007. DDD
CHANDOS CHAN3156 [79.00]
 
Experience Classicsonline


This is a highlights disc in the Opera in English series by Chandos sponsored by the Peter Moores Foundation. 

The opera itself ran for eighteen performances in 1863 and then lay forgotten until after the composer’s death. It was the success of Carmen which prompted the publishers Choudens to re-publish The Pearl Fishers.

The disc under review includes the opening prelude and all the music up to the famous duet for Nadir and Zurga, then Nadir’s Romance, and the final Air with chorus from Act 1; Leila’s Cavatina and the duet with Nadir from Act 2; Zurga’s Air, his duet with Leïla and their scene with the priest Nourabad where they prepare for their execution, from Act 3.  So, apart from the very end of the opera, we have the main turning points of the plot represented here.

After the Prelude, the chorus open with their songs and dances and set the festive mood which belies the tragic nature of the opera. After they elect Zurga as their leader, we have the return of Nadir and the recognition scene, leading to the duet ‘Then, from the holy shrine’ (Au fond du temple saint). This last is not with the usual ending but the original 1863 version, which comes as quite a surprise to those used to the more traditional one.  Both singers deliver the text with clarity, and their voices are well matched.  Barry Banks is very Italianate and has none of the traditional ‘French’ sound. Nonetheless he gives an elegant account of the romance with lovely poised pp high notes in each verse. We do without the ‘traditional’ melisma over the orchestral postlude at the end.

The final air with chorus ‘Brahma the god’ (Oh Dieu Brahma) rounds off the first act where the priestess Leila, while singing in praise of the god Brahma, recognises Nadir’s voice. Rebecca Evans takes the opening with good legato and the coloratura in the final section is delicately placed. She has the bonus of a real trill.

The Act 2 selection is Leila’s Cavatina beautifully expressing her reawakened love after hearing Nadir.  He then makes his way into the enclosure and they are reunited in a rapturous duet declaring their love in spite of the dangers. This is sung by both singers with an ardour fitting with the sentiments expressed.

Act 3 focuses on Zurga’s remorse and then his anger at the events. Simon Keenlyside uses his not inconsiderable skills to convey all the conflicting emotions of this character. This is evident in the duet where he begins sympathetically disposed to Leila, but changes when he learns the true situation of her love towards Nadir.  There follows the scene where the two condemned profess their undying love in the face of death.

There are two bonus tracks.  The first is a trio attributed to the composer Benjamin Godard, where Nadir and Zurga sing of their love for Leila, who accepts them both. The second is the traditional version of the duet ‘Then, from the holy shrine’ (Au fond du temple saint).

The orchestra play extremely well throughout with a good sense of the French style. Brad Cohen never allows the singers to be overwhelmed, and lets them sing well within their capacity so they don’t have to strain to be heard.  The chorus give solid support when required and sing with verve and energy in the opening dances. The recording is well balanced with some attempt at perspective: offstage singing, singers moving across the stereo image and the like. 

The English translation used here is by David Parry.  It is a more modern idiomatic translation than in my old Choudens score, but without the use of very modern TV soap-opera style expressions.  The text generally comes across well and is, for the most part understandable, which is a credit to the singers and the listed vocal consultant, Ludmilla Andrew.

The extensive booklet, as usual with these issues, has articles about the opera; a full plot summary of the whole opera; biographies of the singers and conductor - this last in English, French, German, and Italian. There’s also a full English text as sung.

This is one of the most enjoyable highlights CDs I have heard for a long while.

Arther Smith


 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.