Donizetti Le Duc d'Albe I Elder, Spyres, Meade, Naouri, Buratto | Opera Rara, The Hallé

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Gaetano Donizetti
LE DUC D’ALBE
Opera in four acts
Libretto by Eugène Scribe and Charles Duveyrier

Henri de Bruges, a young Flemish patriot ….. Michael Spyres
Hélène d’Egmont ….. Angela Meade
Le Duc d’Albe, governor of Flanders ….. Laurent Naouri
Daniel Brauer ….. Gianluca Buratto
Sandoval, captain of the Spanish troops ….. David Stout
Carlos ….. Trystan Llŷr Griffiths
Balbuena ….. Robin Tritschler
Un Tavernier ….. Dawid Kimberg
Soldiers, Sailors, Flemings, Spaniards, People …. Opera Rara Chorus
Stephen Harris, chorus master
The Hallé (Lyn Fletcher, leader)
Sir Mark Elder, conductor


Recorded at Hallé St Peter’s, Ancoats, Manchester, June 2015

For this recording of Le Duc d’Albe, Opera Rara made the decision to record only the first two acts of Le Duc d’Albe, the part of the opera that was 95% completed by Donizetti himself. Acts 3 and 4, although they have some sketches of Donizetti’s ideas, have virtually no orchestration and leave two large sections (the first number of Act 3 and the crucial finale of Act 4) with virtually no music at all. However, Acts 1 and 2 show thrillingly how, at the end of his hectic career, the composer was still adapting his musical language to new dramatic challenges.

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ACT I

00:00:00 [1] Prélude
00:03:46 [2] Chorus, Carlos, Sandoval: ‘Espagne! Espagne! Espagne!’
00:07:52 [3] Sandoval: ‘Par Saint-Jacques, messieurs’
00:10:39 [4] Sandoval: ‘Voyez donc cette belle’
00:12:46 [5] Hélène: ‘C’est donc ici!!... Daniel...’
00:15:53 [6] Chorus: ‘Honneur à lui! Ce guerrier...’
00:17:57 [7] ‘Balbuena: ‘Pourquoi dans cette foule...’
00:19:44 [8] Hélène: ‘Au sein des mers...’
00:21:40 [9] Hélène: ‘Du courage, du courage’
00:24:06 [10] ‘Chorus: ‘Cette fille noble et belle’
00:27:34 [11] ‘Le Duc: ‘Race faible et poltronne’
00:30:44 [12] Henri: ‘Hélène! O ciel!... Henri...’
00:33:04 [13] Le Duc: ‘Toi tu resteras!’
00:35:29 [14] Henri: ‘Punis mon audace!’
00:37:54 [15] Le Duc: ‘Je devrais te punir!’
00:39:32 [16] Henri: ‘Non, non, point de grâce’
00:42:00 [17] Henri: ‘Je suis libre et sur la terre’

ACT II

00:44:54 [18] Chorus: ‘Liqueur traîtresse’
00:46:15 [19] Daniel: ‘Ici l’on travaille’
00:49:03 [20] Chorus: ‘Vive la bière’
00:49:37 [21] ‘Daniel: ‘Mais j’entends battre la retraite’
00:50:18 [22] Hélène: ‘Es-tu seul?’
00:52:30 [23] Hélène: ‘Ton ombre murmure’
00:57:14 [24] Hélène: ‘Quoi! Déjà de retour?’
00:58:27 [25] Daniel: ‘Plus bas! plus bas!’
01:00:20 [26] Hélène: ‘Vous exposer encore!’
01:01:33 [27] Hélène: ‘Comment dans ma reconnaissance
01:03:36 [28] Henri: ‘Ah! Oui, longtemps en silence’
01:08:42 [29] Hélène: ‘Malheureuse et proscrite...’
01:10:42 [30] Hélène, Henri: ‘Noble martyr de la patrie’
01:12:41 [31] Chorus: ‘Les derniers feux...’
01:18:54 [32] Henri: ‘Amis! L’heure d’agir...’
01:20:39 [33] Henri: ‘Marchons...’
01:21:43 [34] Henri: ‘Liberté... chérie!’
01:24:42 [35] Henri: ‘Ciel!’
01:25:46 [36] Chorus: ‘Liqueur traîtresse’
01:26:24 [37] Sandoval: ‘Maître Daniel est seul...’
01:28:47 [38] Hélène, Henri, Daniel, Chorus: ‘Nous n’avons qu’un roi...’
01:29:56 [39] Henri: ‘Oui, bravons le tyran...’
01:30:46 [40] Hélène: ‘O ciel, O surprise’