Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)L'ÉTOILE (1877)
Colette Alliot-Lugaz, Georges Gautier, Gabriel Baquier
Ghyslaine Raphanel, Magali Damonte, François Le Roux
Orchestre et Choeurs de l'Opéra de Lyon
dir : John Eliot Gardiner
EMI 7478898, [P] 1984
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Stravinsky considered L'Etoile a little masterpiece; Debussy, Duparc and Ravel all held it in the highest esteem; Reynaldo Hahn, most sensitive of conductors and composers of light opera, called it a ''rare jewel of French operetta where the buffoonery and poetic verve of Offenbach are presented with all the musical charm, elegance and profusion the latter never sought''. It was produced in 1877 at the Bouffes-Parisiens, where the orchestra initially took fright at the unaccustomed subtlety of the scoring, and the more conservative critics inveighed against Chabrier's 'Wagnerism' (it being known that he was a fervent Wagner admirer): its sparkling brilliance was not generally recognized until the production in 1941, the composer's centenary. The present recording was made a year ago in the opera house at Lyons (a trifle dry acoustically) following public performances of the work there; and that production will be staged at the Edinburgh Festival in a couple of month's time.
The libretto (which contains several witty and untranslatable puns) incorporates as a central point of the plot a quite outrageous idea from Chabrier's friend Verlaine—that of a king providing, each year, an impalement to entertain his people. This was turned from black comedy to farce by making the court astrologer, when no victim appears to be forthcoming, warn the king that the stars foretell that the death of a young pedlar, Lazuli, whom he has managed to provoke into denouncing his government, would be followed within 24 hours by both their own deaths. Frantic attempts are thereafter made to keep the young man alive, even when he and the princess whom the king is due to marry (but who has been passed off as the wife of the ambassador taking her to the royal court) have fallen in love. When an over-zealous guard shoots at the pair as they are absconding by boat and the pedlar is apparently drowned, the king and his astrologer are in despair (and seek to comfort themselves with liberal draughts of Chartreuse); but needless to say, the hero turns up safe and sound, and in his relief the king allows the lovers to marry. (The Mikado, produced eight years after L'Etoile, contains some curious affinities of detail with its plot.)
This is an altogether slighter affair than Le roi malgre lui (which has delighted us all—Erato/Conifer NUM751623, 11/84), but having been recorded with the dialogue (admirably done, in very rapid French) it gives a far more vivid impression of a production. The musical numbers are generally shorter and less ambitious, but they are full of inventive nuance, vivacity and humour, and several achieve distinction in this field of opera-bouffe—Lazuli's charming invocation of his star, the 'impalement' verses, the abduction trio, the narration of the shooting of Lazuli, and the parody-Italian 'Chartreuse' duet (which always brings the house down), not to mention the two short orchestral interludes in which Gardiner secures playing of delicacy and elegance from his smallish orchestra. He has also obviously taken great pains with the singers in matters of phrasing and dynamics; and except for some casual intonation early on by a mezzo-soprano, the cast (which includes several familiar names) does the score proud: vocally, however, the show hinges on Colette Alliot-Lugaz in the travesti role of Lazuli, and she brings a sense of character as well as beauty of tone to everything she does here—a splendid performance.
It unfortunately has to be reported that some busybody has needlessly and ill-advisedly interfered with the dramaturgy of the work. The business of the king and his astrologer putting the clock back has been cut, which weakens the final denouement; far worse, Lazuli is made to sing his star romance before his entry couplets, which not only makes nonsense of the situation and (his meeting with the astrologer being omitted) removes the whole raison d'etre for that romance, but renders meaningless his mention of the veil'' (on the face of the princess with whom he has become enamoured). What's more, confusion is caused because the writer of the synopsis was unaware of these senseless changes.'
GRAMOPHONE