476 3555

ORCHESTRE PHILHARMONIQUE DE MONTE

–

CAR LO

BRAD COHEN

I N MO N T E CA R LO

LEONARD BERNSTEIN 1918-1990

Candide

1 Glitter and Be Gay 6’13

Words by Richard Wilbur b. 1921

LÉO DELIBES 1836-1891

Lakmé

2 Où va la jeune Indoue (Bell Song) 8’08

Words by Edmond Gondinet 1828-1888 and Philippe Gille 1831-1901

FRIEDRICH VON FLOTOW 1812-1883

Martha

3 The Last Rose of Summer 3’06

Words by Thomas Moore 1779-1852

GAETANO DONIZETTI 1797-1848

Lucia di Lammermoor

4 Ancor non giunse... 4’12

5 Regnava nel silenzio... 4’00

6 Quando rapito in estasi 4’55

Words by Salvadore Cammarano 1801-1852

CATHERINE CARBY mezzo-soprano (Alisa)

3

HEINRICH PROCH 1809-1878 arr. Richard Bonynge

Deh! torna, mio bene

^ Theme 1’08

& Variation I 1’24

* Variation II 1’38

( Variation III 2’14

Words: Anonymous

CALVIN BOWMAN b. 1972

) Now Touch the Air Softly 2’28

Words by William Jay Smith b. 1918

WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

RICHARD MILLS b. 1949

The Love of the Nightingale

¡ The Nightingale’s Song 4’34

WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Total Playing Time 77’01

EMMA MATTHEWS soprano

Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo

(David Lefèvre leader)

BRAD COHEN conductor

VINCENZO BELLINI 1801-1835

I Capuleti e i Montecchi

7 Eccomi in lieta vesta... 5’13

8 Oh! quante volte 3’49

Words by Felice Romani 1788-1865

CHARLES GOUNOD 1818-1893

Roméo et Juliette

9 Dieu! Quel frisson court dans mes veines... 1’02

0 Amour, ranime mon courage 4’08

Words by Jules Barbier 1825-1901 and Michel Carré 1821-1872

AMBROISE THOMAS 1811-1896

Hamlet

! A vos jeux... 4’46

@ Partagez-vous mes fleurs... 1’51

£ Pâle et blonde... 2’26

$ La sirène passe et vous entraîne 4’03

Words by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré

JACQUES OFFENBACH 1819-1880

Les Contes d’Hoffmann

% Les oiseaux dans la charmille (Doll Song) 5’33

Words by Jules Barbier

4 5

The high soprano voice, particularly that superblyagile one known as the coloratura soprano, hasbeen one of the essentials of opera almostsince its inception. If opera is created out thetension between passion and artifice, then thecoloratura soprano most perfectly exemplifiedthis. It is an extreme form of singing, requiringtremendous technique and extraordinary vocalresources. At the same time, however, all theseneed to be at the service of a musical andemotional intelligence which can take the ornateand exotic writing for this voice and make it intoa means of expression rather than a way ofshowing off. The sound of a voice at theextremes of its range always implies highemotions, but the singer who can make thatsimultaneously a thing of beauty and a conduitfor the emotions – that singer has truly capturedwhat the coloratura soprano exists for.

Lucia di Lammermoor is perhaps the mostfamous of the coloratura soprano roles in theItalian repertoire. One of the main reasons forthis is that aesthetically and dramatically itepitomises everything that has been mentionedabove. Donizetti’s opera was one of many thathe wrote which centred upon the (for theItalians) wild and exotic landscape of Britain, andScotland in particular. For the Italians, Scotlandhad a dark, gothic streak which allowed them torun wild with their imaginations in a way theycouldn’t with a piece set in downtown Milan.

If people know anything about Lucia, it’s thatshe has a great mad scene after killing herhusband. The aria recorded here is from muchearlier in the opera. ‘Regnava nel silenzio’ is thecavatina – the first aria, which introduces thecharacter and which gives us an insight into thesort of person they are. In this case we areintroduced to a lonely, emotional young womanwith an active and morbid imagination. She tellsher companion about the story of a ghost seenby the fountain where they stand, whoseappearance presages misfortune in the family.This recording includes a rarely performed andextravagantly virtuosic passage of some 21 barsjust before the end of the aria, in which thebrilliant passagework of the vocal line rangesover two octaves.

The Last Rose of Summer is of course a well-known Irish song, the words having beenwritten by the poet Thomas Moore, and set tomusic by Sir John Stevenson. It has a secondlife, however, as one of the musical highlights ofFriedrich von Flotow’s opera Martha. Flotow wasa German, but he studied in Paris and his workshave as much French influence as they doGerman. Martha was premiered in Vienna in1846 and rapidly became very popular. The LastRose of Summer was incorporated into theopera as a new development of a phenomenonwhich had for a long time been a feature ofopera – the imported aria. Quite often singershad what were known as ‘luggage’ arias which

6 7

and beautiful has secured him a place in thecomposer pantheon. Bellini’s operas have aquality the Italians call morbidezza – not what itsounds like in English, but rather a termindicating gentleness, vulnerability or sensitivity.Bellini’s writing for the voice can be extremelydifficult, not only in its technical demands, butalso in the way in which all the essence of thedrama needs to be expressed through thequality of the voice. Bellini does not requestsublimity, he demands it. When his musicreceives it, it is an incomparable experience. I Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and theMontagues) is not, as it would at first appear,inspired by Shakespeare. It seems that way onlybecause Shakespeare drew frequently andsubstantially on numerous Italian sources.Romeo and Juliet is based on several old Italianstories, and it was on these stories, rather thanShakespeare, that Bellini based his opera. Thearia ‘Oh! quante volte’ has Juliet, engaged tosomeone else, longing for Romeo, knowing hecan never be hers. In its deceptive simplicity andemotional intensity it is the quintessence of belcanto soprano singing.

Had it not been for Les Contes d’Hoffmann

(The Tales of Hoffmann), Jacques Offenbachwould be known for a series of beautifullyconstructed, brilliantly witty, rather superficialoperettas. As it is, although performances ofOrpheus in the Underworld (with its famous can-can) or La Belle Hélène regularly show off

Offenbach’s unimpeachable comic talent, hewould be very pleased to know that most peoplewho think of him, think of his last, unfinished (andserious) opera. Offenbach was a greatcraftsman,whose gift for melody was allied to adeep sense of orchestral colour and an instinct forstagecraft. The Tales of Hoffmann shows all thesegifts off to perfection. The Hoffmann of the titlewas a real person, the 18th-century Germanwriter (and composer, and lawyer, painter andcritic) Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann. Hisshort stories in particular were very influential,and way ahead of their time, being bizarre andoften dreamlike and surreal. Three of his storiesform the core of the opera, in which Offenbachmakes Hoffmann the narrator and centralcharacter, as he tells the stories of his three greatloves. In the first of the stories, Hoffmann is astudent of the inventor Spalanzani, who is aboutto unveil his greatest invention, his ‘daughter’Olympia, a lifelike automaton. At a party tocelebrate the occasion, Olympia performs a songfor the guests – a tour de force for the sopranovoice. In this case the ornamentation isconsciously used to create an effect of artifice,appropriately enough considering that the singeris meant to be mechanical – something especiallynoticeable when she winds down and stops atthe end of each verse.

Lakmé, an opera now undoubtedly knownmainly through the wonderful ‘Flower Duet’ forsoprano and mezzo, was designed to appeal to

particularly suited them and which they wouldcarry with them, to feature in their performancesrather than the ones the composer had written.Flotow pre-empted this, incorporating a beautifulfolk tune into the piece not just to feature thesoprano but also as an integral part of the plot –it is by singing the song again at the end of theopera that ‘Martha’ (actually a noble lady inmufti) is recognised by her lover, upon which (ofcourse) it turns into a duet. Try pulling that songout and substituting it!

Shakespeare was, directly and indirectly, anabsolute goldmine for the European Romantics.For German, French and Italian writers andcomposers, Shakespeare’s plays represented theantithesis of the Classical ideal. For these peoplethe idea of this man from the edge of Europe,writing sprawling plays which combined sublimetragedy and vulgar comedy, was somethingtremendously novel and exciting. In the English-speaking world we have come to putShakespeare on a pedestal and have had atendency to look down upon anything whichdilutes his genius. Strip-mining his works foropera libretti has excited outrage in the past; butthink of it as like adapting a novel for a movie –the two art forms are so different that thingshave to change radically in order to make oneinto the other. If the story and the ‘feel’ of thestory are strong enough, they will come through.

Romeo and Juliet is a great example of such astory. There have been innumerable works

inspired by it for any number of media. Thisalbum includes excerpts from two of thoseworks, Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette and Bellini’sI Capuleti e i Montecchi (The Capulets and theMontagues). Gounod’s opera still enjoys a certainamount of well-earned popularity. It captures twoof the essential qualities of the play: the way itstarts light-heartedly, only to darken progressivelyinto deepest tragedy; and the youth andvulnerability of its lovers. One of the mostbeautiful elements of Gounod’s opera is the wayhe never tries to turn his Romeo and Juliet intosome grand, over-the-top passion. Even in themost powerfully, self-consciously ‘operatic’moments, they are still young, and the couragethey have is not given to them by the music, butis courage they have to wring out forthemselves. There is no better example thanJuliet’s scene from the fourth act. As she isabout to take the potion which will make herseem dead so that she can avoid marriage withPrince Paris and (she hopes) be reunited withRomeo, she pauses to think about what it will belike to wake up in the tomb of the Capulets. Sheremembers particularly that the newly interredbody of her cousin Tybalt – killed by Romeo – willbe there. Nevertheless, for the sake of her love,she summons her courage and drinks.

Vincenzo Bellini was perhaps the purest voice ofthe bel canto composers: by his own confessionno master of orchestration, his extraordinaryawareness of how to make the voice expressive

8 9

10 11

inspired to write it during the MacCarthy era inthe USA, when he and many of his friends andcolleagues fell under the stigma of beingcommunist sympathisers. For Bernstein, whowas openly and proudly socialist, the inanity ofthe idea that somehow the hysteria andoppression generated by the House Un-American Activities Committee would lead to abetter world was utterly repugnant. His responsewas to create a work inspired by Voltaire’sviciously satirical novel Candide. Voltaire wrotehis book to pillory the philosophy of ‘optimism’,which claimed that since God was perfect hemust have created a perfect world, and anythingwhich seems less than perfect is simply sobecause we haven’t seen how it is in fact ‘all forthe best in the best of all possible worlds’.Voltaire’s response was simple and devastating.His main characters, the gullible Candide and hisbeloved Cunegonde, are persuaded of thisphilosophy, and then subjected to every form ofarbitrary misfortune that Voltaire’s fertileimagination can conjure. Left to puzzle out howsuch dreadful tribulations are meant to benefitanyone, they eventually come to the conclusionthat people are neither pure, nor wise, nor goodand that each person has to find their own wayto make their garden grow. Bernstein’s work,which is neither a musical nor an opera, is atremendous plea for humanism and tolerancewhich is also regularly devastatingly funny. Oneof the high points is Cunegonde’s aria ‘Glitterand Be Gay’. After an initial round of disasters,

Cunegonde finds herself in Paris, believingCandide to be dead. She becomes the mistressof not one but two wealthy men. In this aria, abrilliant parody of the style heard elsewhere inthis collection, she tries to reconcile themortification she thinks she ought to be feelingat her lost virtue with the undoubted benefits of material comfort.

Heinrich Proch lived at almost exactly the sametime as Flotow, the composer of Martha.Although Proch lived almost his whole life inVienna as an opera conductor and singingteacher, he also had a moderate success as acomposer of songs and operettas. The only oneof his pieces at all known these days is his Deh!

torna, mio bene – also known as the ProchVariations. It’s a genre which was quite commonup to the 19th century – a lyrical concert piecefor soprano, designed to showcase all of themost spectacular and outrageously difficulttechniques that could be required of the voice. It was a sort of vocal equivalent of some ofPaganini’s caprices for the violin. ‘Deh! torna,mio bene’ was traditionally slipped in to Rossini’sThe Barber of Seville.

Richard Mills is one of Australia’s leadingcomposers and conductors, and his most recentopera The Love of the Nightingale was a greatsuccess at the Perth International Arts Festival in February 2007, following which the otherpresenters of the co-production, Opera

the tastes of the Parisian public in the 19thcentury. Léo Delibes, the composer, wascertainly in a good position to know what wouldwork – as chorus master and accompanist at thetwo great opera houses of Paris, he knew muchof the music of his time at first hand. Lakmé isset in the India of the Raj, for its time asurprisingly contemporary setting in many ways,but still as exotic as any costume-fancier couldwish. The story concerns the love of the Hindugirl Lakmé for a young British officer, Gerald.Lakmé’s father, the Brahmin Nilakantha, isdetermined to thwart them, and forces Lakmé tosing in the marketplace in order to lure Gerald.The Bell Song, which she sings at her father’sbehest, tells the story of the ‘daughter of thepariahs’ who, walking in the forest at night, seesa young man set upon by wild beasts. By ringingthe bell on an enchanted wand she carries, he isrescued; and he turns out to be the god Vishnu,who raises her to heaven for her deed. Thedramatic irony of the song will only becomeapparent in retrospect. Gerald is duly drawn byLakmé’s singing, only to be stabbed by herfather. She defies her father to nurse Gerald backto health, but he is ultimately induced by hisfriends to return to his duty, and leaves her. Indespair, she poisons herself.

As we have already seen, Shakespeare was agreat inspiration for the Romantic composers.Although Romeo and Juliet was the obviouschoice, and was set numerous times, many ofthe other works were also tackled with varying

degrees of success. The liberties of tone andplot taken by Ambroise Thomas’ Hamlet aremore than enough to make most Englishspeakers wince; but setting this aside, it has tobe counted one of the more successfuladaptations of Shakespeare for the operaticstage. Consider Shakespeare in the context ofthat taste for the exotic and rugged which droveDonizetti to draw on Walter Scott and set hisworks in the dark and mysterious landscape ofScotland. Mediaeval Denmark and the intriguesof its tormented, brooding hero were similarlyattractive, especially when the story included awonderful mad scene for the leading lady.Thomas’ opera is a very fine example of FrenchRomantic opera, and stands up well as long as itis not compared to Shakespeare’s play – thefinest quality chalk will always fall short if it isjudged by the standards of cheese. Thomas’treatment of Ophelia’s mad scene is, naturally, avery spectacular one in which the fragility of hermental state is portrayed through the abruptshifts of musical colour and tone. As inShakespeare, it’s a showstopping moment(Emma’s top F-sharp especially!) – it just createsits effects differently.

Leonard Bernstein was one of the great musicalpolymaths of the 20th century – conductor,composer, pianist, essayist, educator – heexcelled in all these fields. Bernstein’s Candide

is a brilliant work but a sprawling and unwieldyone. At its best, though, it stands comparison with any opera past or present. Bernstein was

13

Cunegonde:

1 Glitter and be gay,That’s the part I play;Here am I in Paris, France,Forced to bend my soulTo a sordid role,Victimized by bitter, bitter circumstance.Alas for me! Had I remained Beside my lady mother,My virtue had remained unstainedUntil my maiden hand was gainedBy some Grand Duke or other.

Ah, ‘twas not to be;Harsh necessityBrought me to this gilded cage.Born to higher things,Here I droop my wings,Ah! Singing of a sorrow nothing can assuage.

And yet of course I rather like to revel, ha ha!I have no strong objection to champagne, ha ha!My wardrobe is expensive as the devil, ha ha!Perhaps it is ignoble to complain...Enough, enoughOf being basely tearful!I’ll show my noble stuffBy being bright and cheerful!Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha!

Pearls and ruby rings...Ah, how can worldly thingsTake the place of honor lost?Can they compensate

Queensland and Victorian Opera, also performedit. Emma Matthews won a Helpmann Award forher portrayal of the Athenian girl Philomene, theill-fated sister of Procne, who is married to theThracian King Tereus. The opera uses themythical setting to explore questions about thewellspring of violence, and what perpetuates it.Philomene, after suffering terribly at the handsof Tereus, is transformed by the gods into anightingale, where she is beyond the cycle ofviolence as either victim or perpetrator.

Calvin Bowman is known to many as one ofAustralia’s leading and most acclaimed organists,but he is also a very fine composer, particularlyof art songs, having won the Ned Rorem Awardfor Song Composition, the Diana BarnhartAmerican Song Competition, and the EnglishPoetry and Song Society Artsong Award for anumber of his works. Now Touch the Air Softly

sets a text by William Jay Smith. Smith, who haswritten over ten volumes of poetry, is now over90 years old, and among many other distinctionswas for a time the closest thing the US has to apoet laureate, the poetry consultant to the Libraryof Congress. It is part of a seven-song cycle byBowman set to Smith’s poems. Originally writtenwith piano accompaniment, it has beenorchestrated especially for this recording.

Antony Ernst

12

14 15

For my fallen state,Purchased as they were at such an awful cost?

Bracelets...lavalieresCan they dry my tears?Can they blind my eyes to shame?Can the brightest broochShield me from reproach?Can the purest diamond purify my name?

And yet of course these trinkets are endearing, ha ha!I’m oh, so glad my sapphire is a star, ha ha!I rather like a twenty-carat earring, ha ha!If I’m not pure, at least my jewels are!Enough! Enough!I’ll take their diamond necklaceAnd show my noble stuffBy being gay and reckless!Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha!

Observe how bravely I concealThe dreadful, dreadful shame I feel.Ha ha ha ha!

Lakmé:

2 Où va la jeune Indoue, Where is she going, the young Hindu girl,Fille des pariahs, daughter of pariahs,Quand la lune se joue when the moon playsDans les grands mimosas? in the tall mimosa trees?Elle court sur la mousse She runs over the mossEt ne se souvient pas and she doesn’t rememberQue partout on repousse that everywhere the pariah child L’enfant des pariahs; is shunned.Le long des lauriers roses, Past the pink laurels,

Rêvant de douces choses dreaming of sweet things,Elle passe sans bruit she passes noiselessly,Et riant à la nuit. laughing at the night.

Là-bas dans la forêt plus sombre, Over there in the darker forest,Quel est ce voyageur perdu? who is this lost traveller?Autour de lui, des yeux brillent dans l’ombre, All around him, eyes shine in the shadows;Il marche encore au hasard, éperdu. he wanders on aimlessly, exhausted.Les fauves rugissent de joie, The wild beasts roar with pleasure,Ils vont se jeter sur leur proie. they are ready to leap on their prey.Le jeune fille accourt The young girl runs upEt brave leur fureur. and braves their fury:Elle a dans sa main la baguette she has in her handoù tinte la clochette the charmer’s rod des charmeurs. with its tinkling bell.

L’étranger la regarde, The stranger looks at her;Elle reste éblouie. she stands there dazzled.Il est plus beau que les rajahs, He is more beautiful than the rajahs!Il rougira, s’il sait qu’il doit sa vie He will blush, if he realises that he owes his lifeà la fille des parias. to a pariah girl.Mais lui, l’endormant dans un rêve, But he, lulling her to sleep in a dream,Jusque dans le ciel il l’enleve, carries her away to heaven,En lui disant: ‘Ta place est là!’ saying to her: ‘Your place is there!’C’était Vishnu, fils de Brahma! It was Vishnu, son of Brahma!Depuis ce jour, au fond des bois, Since that day, in the depths of the forest,Le voyageur entend parfois a traveller may sometimes hear Le bruit léger de la baguette the faint sound où tinte la clochette of the charmer’s rod des charmeurs! with its tinkling bell.

Lady Harriet Durham:

3 ’Tis the last rose of summerLeft blooming alone;

16 17

All her lovely companionsAre faded and gone;No flower of her kindred,No rosebud is nigh,To reflect back her blushes,Or give sigh for sigh.

I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one,To pine on the stem;Since the lovely are sleeping,Go, sleep thou with them.Thus kindly I scatter,Thy leaves o’er the bedWhere thy mates of the gardenLie scentless and dead.

Lucia:

4 Ancor non giunse!... He still has not come!

Alisa:

Incauta! A che mi traggi? Rash girl! What have you brought me to?Avventurarti, or che il fratel qui venne, Your brother is coming here, and you dare come also?è folle ardir. This is madness.

Lucia:

Ben parli! Edgardo sappia Well spoken! Edgar must learnQual ne circonda orribile periglio... of the terrible danger that surrounds us…

Alisa:

Perché d’intorno il ciglio volgi atterrita? Why do you keep looking around so fearfully?

Lucia:

Quella fonte, ah! That fountain, ah! mai senza tremar non veggo... I can never see it without trembling…Ah! tu lo sai. Ah! You know the story.

Un Ravenswood, ardendo di geloso furor, A Ravenswood, burning with jealous fury,l’amata donna colà trafisse; stabbed his beloved lady here,e l’infelice cadde nell’onda, and the unfortunate girl fell into the water,ed ivi rimanea sepolta... which became her tomb… M’apparve l’ombra sua... Her shade has appeared to me…

Alisa:Che dici!... What!

Lucia:Ascolta. Listen.

5 Regnava nel silenzio It was the dead of night; Alta la notte e bruna... silence reigned in the darkness…Colpìa la fonte un pallido A sad ray of pale moonlightRaggio di tetra luna... struck the spring…Quando un sommesso gemito And then a low groaningFra l’aure udir si fè, was heard on the breeze,Ed ecco su quel margine and there, on the edge there, L’ombra mostrarsi a me! the spirit showed itself to me!

Qual di chi parla muoversi I saw its lips movingIl labbro suo vedea, as if it were speaking,E con la mano esanime and with its bloodless handChiamarmi a sé parea. it seemed to be beckoning to me.Stette un momento immobile It stood there a moment, motionless Poi ratta dileguò… then suddenly vanished…E l’onda prìa sì limpida, And the water, which had been so clear,Di sangue rosseggiò! – became red with blood!

Alisa:Chiari, o Dio! ben chiari e tristi O God! the omens I hear in your words Nel tuo dir presagi intendo! are so clear and sad! Ah! Lucia, Lucia desisti Ah, Lucia, Lucia, give upDa un amor così tremendo. this terrible love!

18 19

Lucia:

Egli è luce a’ giorni miei, He lights up my days,è conforto al mio penar. and comforts me in my suffering.

6 Quando rapito in estasi When he is rapt in the ecstasydel più cocente ardore, of the most burning passion,col favellar del core with the language of the heartmi giura eterna fé. he swears to be faithful to me forever.Gli affanni miei dimentico, I forget my fears,gioia diviene il pianto, my tears turn to joy,parmi che a lui d’accanto while I am beside him,si schiuda il ciel per me. it’s as if the heavens open for me.

Alisa:

Ah, giorni d’amaro pianto, Ah, truly, days of bitter weepingah, s’apprestano per te, sì, sì. lie in store for you.Ah, Lucia, ah, desisti. Ah, Lucia, stop!

Lucia:

Quando rapito in estasi… When he is rapt in the ecstasy…

Giuletta:

7 Eccomi in lieta vesta... Look at me in these festive robes…Eccomi adorna... Look at me, dressed up…come vittima all’ara! like a victim ready for sacrifice.Oh! almen potessi qual vittima Ah, if only I were that victim cader dell’ara al piede! and could die at the foot of the altar!O nuziali tede, aborrite cosi, Oh nuptial torches – hideous things,cosi fatali, deadly things! – siate, ah! siate per me faci ferali. ah, be my funeral torches.Ardo... una vampa, I am burning… a flame,un foco tutta mi strugge. a fire is consuming me.

Un refrigerio ai venti io chiedo invano. In vain I beg the winds to send me a cooling breeze.Ove sei tu, Romeo? Where are you, Romeo?in qual terra t’aggiri? In what lands do you wander?Dove, dove, inviarti, dove i miei sospiri? Where, ah where can I send my sighs to you?

8 Oh! quante volte, oh quante Ah, how many times, how many,ti chiedo al ciel piangendo! I have called to heaven in tears, asking for you!Con quale ardor t’attendo, I wait for you with such passion,e inganno il mio desir! deluding my desire!Raggio del tuo sembiante Ah, to me your face shinesah! parmi il brillar del giorno: with the brilliance of the sun: ah! l’aura che spira intorno ah, the breeze whispering around memi sembra un tuo sospir. seems like one of your sighs.

Juliette:

9 Dieu! quel frisson court dans mes veines? God! What is this chill running through my veins?Si ce breuvage était sans pouvoir! What if the potion has no power!Craintes vaines! Vain fears!Je n’appartiendrai pas au Comte malgré moi! I shall not be forced to belong to the Count!Non! non! ce poignard sera le gardien de ma foi! No! This dagger will defend my honour!Viens! viens! Come! Come!

0 Amour, ranime mon courage, Love, reawaken my courageEt de mon cœur chasse l’effroi! and drive the fear from my heart!Hésiter, c’est te faire outrage, To hesitate would be an insult to you;Trembler est un manque de foi! trembling is a lack of faith!Verse! verse! Pour out the potion!Verse toi-même ce breuvage! Pour it out!Ô Roméo! Je bois à toi! O Romeo! I drink to you!Mais si demain pourtant dans ces And yet… What if tomorrow I awaken in these

caveaux funèbres vaults of deathJe m’éveillais avant son retour? Dieu puissant! before he returns? Almighty God!Cette pensée horrible a glacé tout mon sang! This horrible thought has quite frozen my blood!

20 21

Que deviendrai-je en ces ténèbres What would become of me among these shadows,Dans ce séjour de mort et de gémissements, in this house of death and groans,Que les siècles passés ont rempli d’ossements? filled with centuries of bones?Où Tybalt, tout saignant encore de sa blessure, Where Tybalt, still bleeding from his wound,Près de moi, dans la nuit obscure dormira! will sleep near me in the dark night!Dieu, ma main rencontrera sa main! God, my hand will touch his hand!Quelle est cette ombre à la mort échappée? Who is this ghost, evading death?C’est Tybalt! il m’appelle! il veut de mon chemin It’s Tybalt! He’s calling me! He wants to Écarter mon époux! lead my husband on a false path, away from me!Et sa fatale épée; And his sword of death;Non! fantômes! Disparaissez! No! Phantoms! Vanish!Dissipe-toi, funeste rêve! Fade away, deadly dream!Que l’aube du bonheur se lève May the dawn of happiness breakSur l’ombre des tourments passés! over the shadows of past torments!Amour, ranime mon courage… Love, reawaken my courage…

Ophélie:

! A vos jeux, mes amis, permettez-moi de grâce My friends, be so kind as to allow me to joinDe prendre part! Nul n’a suivi ma trace. in your entertainments. No-one followed my trail.J’ai quitté le palais aux premiers feux du jour. I left the palace at the first light of day.Des larmes de la nuit, la terre était mouillée, The earth was wet with the tears of night,Et l’alouette, avant l’aube éveillée, and the lark, awake before the dawn,Planait dans l’air, ah! soared in the air, ah!Mais vous, pourquoi parler bas? But why are you speaking in hushed tones?Ne me reconnaissez-vous pas? Don’t you recognise me?Hamlet est mon époux, et je suis Ophélie! Hamlet is my husband, and I am Ophelia!Un doux serment nous lie. A sweet oath binds us.Il m’a donné son cour en échange du mien, He gave me his heart in exchange for mine,Et si quelqu’un vous dit qu’il me fuit et m’oublie, and if anyone tells you he has fled from me

and forgotten me,N’en croyez rien! don’t believe a word of it!Si l’on vous dit qu’il m’oublie, If they tell you he has forgotten me,

N’en croyez rien; don’t believe it!Non, Hamlet est mon époux, et moi, je suis Ophélie. No, Hamlet is my husband, and I – I am Ophelia.S’il trahissait sa foi, j’en perdrais la raison! If he breaks his word, I shall go mad!

@ Partagez-vous mes fleurs! Take some of my flowers! A toi cette humble branche For you this poor little branchDe romarin sauvage. A toi cette pervenche. of wild rosemary. For you, this periwinkle flower.Et maintenant écoutez ma chanson! And now, listen to my song!

£ Pâle et blonde Pale and blondDort sous l’eau profonde beneath the deep waterLa Willis au regard de feu! sleeps the Wili with her eyes of fire!Que Dieu garde God protect Celui qui s’attarde anyone who who lingersDans la nuit au bord du lac bleu! at night by the edge of the blue lake!Heureuse l’épouse Happy the brideAux bras de l’époux! in the arms of her husband!Mon âme est jalouse My soul is jealousD’un bonheur si doux! of such sweet happiness!Nymphe au regard de feu, Nymph with the fiery gaze,Hélas! tu dors sous les eaux du la bleu! Alas! you sleep beneath the waters of the blue lake!Ah! La la la… Ah! La la la…

$ La sirène The sirenPasse et vous entraîne passes and drags youSous l’azur du lac endormi. beneath the azure of the sleeping lake.L’air se voile, The air shrouds itself,Adieu! blanche étoile! Farewell, white star!Adieu ciel, adieu doux ami! Farewell, sky! Farewell, sweet friend!Heureuse l’épouse Happy the brideAux bras de l’époux! in the arms of her husband!Mon âme est jalouse My soul is jealousD’un bonheur si doux! of such sweet happiness!Sous les flots endormis, Beneath the sleeping waves,

22 23

Pour toujours, adieu, mon doux ami! farewell forever, my sweet love!Ah! La la la...Ah! cher époux! Ah! cher amant! Ah! dear husband! Ah! dear lover!Ah! doux aveu! Ah! tendre serment! Ah! sweet oath! Ah! tender vow!Bonheur suprême! Supreme happiness!Ah! cruel! Je t’aime! Ah! Cruel one! I love you!Ah! cruel, tu vois mes pleurs! Ah! Cruel one, you see my tears!Ah! Pour toi je meurs! Ah! I die for you!

Olympia:% Les oiseaux dans la charmille, The birds in the arbour,

Dans les cieux l’astre du jour the morning star in the heavens,Tout parle à la jeune fille d’amour! everything speaks of love to the young girl!Ah! Voilà la chanson gentille, Ah! It’s a nice little song,La chanson d’Olympia! Olympia’s song!

Tout ce qui chante résonne Everything that sings rings outEt soupire tour à tour, and then sighs, turn and turn about,Emeut son coeur qui frissonne d’amour! stirs up hearts trembling with love!Ah! Voilà la chanson mignonne, Ah! it’s a sweet little song,La chanson d’Olympia! Olympia’s song!

^ Deh, torna, mio bene, Ah, come back, my dear one,mio tenero amor, my tender love,dà tregua alle pene call a truce on the sufferingsdel povero cor. of my poor heart.Per te questo sen Because of you, this heartpiù pace non ha, no longer has any peace,sol teco mio ben only with you, my dear one,beato sarà. shall I find bliss.

) Now touch the air softly,Step gently. One, two...I’ll love you till rosesAre robin’s-egg blue;I’ll love you till gravel

Is eaten for bread,And lemons are orange,And lavender’s red.

Now touch the air softly,Swing gently the broom.I’ll love you till windowsAre all of a room;And the table is laid,And the table is bare,And the ceiling reposesOn bottomless air.

I’ll love you till HeavenRips the stars from his coat,And the Moon rows away inA glass-bottomed boat;And Orion steps downLike a diver below,And Earth is ablaze,And Ocean aglow.

So touch the air softly,And swing the broom high.We will dust the gray mountains,And sweep the blue sky;And I’ll love you as longAs the furrow the plow,As However is Ever,And Ever is Now.

William Jay Smith’s poetry is published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

25

Emma Matthews

Soprano Emma Matthews has been a PrincipalArtist with Opera Australia since 1993. One ofAustralia’s most acclaimed and awarded singers,she has received four Helpmann Awards (The Love of the Nightingale, Arabella, Lakméand Lulu), a ‘MO’ Award (Classical Performer ofthe Year) and eight Green Room Awards (Lulu,La clemenza di Tito, Rinaldo, The Marriage ofFigaro, Batavia, Signor Bruschino, Julius Caesarand Lakmé). She has also been the recipient ofthe Rémy Martin Australian Opera Award.

For Opera Australia Emma Matthews has sungthe title roles in Lulu, Lakmé, The Cunning LittleVixen and Lucia di Lammermoor. Other roles forthe company have included the four heroines inLes Contes d’Hoffmann, Cleopatra in JuliusCaesar, Zwaantie in Batavia, Juliette in Roméo et Juliette, Rosina in The Barber of Seville,Kostanze and Blonde in The Abduction from theSeraglio, Papagena and Pamina in The MagicFlute, Marie in La Fille du régiment, Oscar in Un ballo in maschera, Sophie in DerRosenkavalier and Almirena in Rinaldo.

Emma Matthews is equally in demand on theconcert platform, embracing a wide repertoireincluding the Requiems of Mozart, Fauré andBrahms, Mahler’s Second and FourthSymphonies, masses by Poulenc, Villa Lobos,Haydn and Mozart, and Handel’s Messiah. Her

festival engagements include Philomele in TheLove of the Nightingale by Richard Mills in Perth,Ismene in Mitridate in Sydney, as well asappearances at the Melbourne, Adelaide andHuntington Festivals.

Most recent performance highlights includeappearing as special guest with Jose Carreras at the Sydney Opera House, Mozart’s C minorMass with Sir Charles Mackerras and theSydney Symphony, Zdenka in Arabella, the titlerole in Lucia di Lammermoor and Angelica inOrlando for Opera Australia, and repeating herhighly successful portrayals of the four heroinesin Les Contes d’Hoffmann for the State Opera ofSouth Australia.

In 2009 Emma Matthews makes twosignificant role debuts: Giulietta in Bellini’s ICapuleti e i Montecchi for Opera Australia and Gilda in Rigoletto for Opera Queensland. In 2010 she makes her UK debut at the RoyalOpera House Covent Garden in the title role of The Cunning Little Vixen under the baton ofSir Charles Mackerras, and returns to theOrchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo forMahler’s Symphony No. 4 with Chief ConductorYakov Kreizberg. This is Emma Matthews’ firstrecording in an exclusive new contract withABC Classics and Universal Music Australia(Deutsche Grammophon).

26

Catherine Carby

Australian mezzo-soprano Catherine Carbystudied at the Canberra School of Music and theRoyal College of Music, London.

Whilst residing in the UK, she was a finalist inseveral major competitions – the KathleenFerrier Award, the Richard Tauber Award and theYoung Concert Artists Trust. She also performedwith English National Opera, Scottish Opera,British Youth Opera and at the London Handeland Spitalfields Festivals; concert engagementsincluded performances with the Hallé Orchestra,London Mozart Players and CambridgeUniversity Music, a solo recital at St James’Piccadilly, and concerts at Southwark Cathedral,Exeter Cathedral and with the Gardner ChamberOrchestra in Boston.

In Australasia she has performed Elgar’s SeaPictures with The Queensland Orchestra andMelbourne Symphony Orchestra; Mozart’sRequiem, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and theSuperdome Spectacular with the SydneySymphony; Haydn’s Arianna auf Naxos with theNew Zealand Symphony Orchestra; and Operaunder the Stars in Broome.

Catherine Carby’s most recent roles for OperaAustralia include the title role in Carmen,Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni), Romeo (I Capuletie i Montecchi), Kristina (The MakropulosAffair), Heavenly Being and Madam By-Ends

(The Pilgrim’s Progress), Suzuki (MadamaButterfly), Second Lady (Magic Flute) andAuntie (Peter Grimes).

Recent concert highlights include Handel’sMessiah for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs;concert performances for Opera Australiaincluding excerpts from Mozart’s Mitridate, theClassic 100 Opera concert, their 50thAnniversary Gala and the New Year’s Eve Gala;Mozart’s Requiem with both the TasmanianSymphony Orchestra and Sydney PhilharmoniaChoirs; and Haydn’s Missa in Tempore Belli forthe Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.

Orchestre Philharmonique

de Monte-Carlo

Founded in 1856, the Orchestra Philharmoniquede Monte-Carlo has enjoyed wide internationalrecognition and the honour of working withmany of the world’s finest conductors: Sabata,Toscanini, Richard Strauss, Mitropoulos, BrunoWalter, Cluytens, Ancerl, Bernstein, Münch,Sawallisch, Jochum, Giulini, Kubelik, Kondrashin,Maazel, Mehta, Solti and many others.

The list of its Musical Directors includes PaulParay, Igor Markevitch, Lovro von Matačić,Lawrence Foster, Gianluigi Gelmetti, JamesDePreist and Marek Janowski. Yakov Kreizberg isthe current Artistic Director.

Since 1953 the ‘Orchestre National del’Opéra de Monte-Carlo’, renamed ‘OrchestrePhilharmonique’ in 1980, has played a majorrole in support of contemporary operatic,choreographic and symphonic composition.La Damnation de Faust (Berlioz), L’Enfant etles Sortilèges (Ravel) and Pénélope (Fauré)were created in Monaco.

In the year 2000, Marek Janowski’snomination to the position of ArtisticDirector brought an increase in the numberof permanent musicians to a total of 100.He was also responsible for an artisticevolution entailing more audaciousprogramming: Messiaen’s Des canyons auxétoiles… and Turangalîla-Symphonie, concertversions of Strauss’ Elektra and Wagner’sParsifal and works by Dutilleux, Jolas, Canat de Chizy, Henze, Pärt, Penderecki, Sciarrino and Zimmermann.

Since 1956 the Orchestra has participated inmajor festivals in Europe, the USA, Koreaand Japan. The Orchestra Philharmonique deMonte-Carlo has recorded for DeutscheGrammophon, Decca, EMI Classics andPhillips, all received favourably by theinternational press, and in many casesearning prestigious grand prizes.

In December of 2003, under the direction ofMarek Janowski and together with theBerlin Radio Symphony Orchestra plus the

27

Barry Banks, Rebecca Evans and the LondonPhilharmonic Orchestra.

Recent engagements have included a seconddisc for Chandos: highlights of Rossini’s L’Italianain Algeri with Jennifer Larmore and thePhilharmonia Orchestra. He made his Swedishopera debut with the Konwitschny production of La bohème and appeared in the majortelevision series Maestro for BBC2. In 2009 hereturned to Opera Australia to conduct I Capuletie i Montecchi.

In 2009-10 Brad Cohen’s diary includes newproductions of La Cenerentola at Malmö Operaand Pelléas et Mélisande at Opera Holland Park, areturn to Mauritius for concert engagements, andhis first appearance with West Australian Opera.

Brad Cohen has a strong involvement in theperformance of new music. His diverse activitiesin this field include filming modern opera for TV,touring the ensemble pieces of Frank Zappa, andcommissioning music for the opening of theMillennium Dome. In 2002 he was MusicalDirector of Jonathan Dove’s television operaWhen She Died: Death of a Princess,commissioned from Tiger Aspect for ChannelFour. In 2006 the same team created the TVopera Man on the Moon, also for Channel Four.Brad Cohen also led the Australian premiere ofJonathan Dove’s opera Flight at the 2006Adelaide Festival.

Executive Producers Martin Buzacott, RobertPatterson, Cyrus Meher-HomjiRecording Producer Tim OldhamAssociate Producer Cyrus Meher-HomjiRecording Engineer Sylvain DenisConsultant Elisabeth TurnerEditorial and Production Manager Hilary ShrubbPublications Editor Natalie SheaBooklet Design Imagecorp Pty LtdCover Photograph Paul GosneyPhotography Paul Gosney (Emma Matthews),OPMC/Marco Borggreve (Orchestre Philharmoniquede Monte-Carlo), Perou (Brad Cohen).Hair and Make-up Garry SiutzGowns Linda BrittenJewellery Paspaley Pearls

Recorded 16-20 September 2008 in the AuditoriumRainier III, Monte Carlo.

Glitter and Be Gay is published by Jalni Publishing-Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Co.; textreprinted with the kind permission of UniversalMusic Publishing Group. All rights reserved.International copyright secured.Martha is published by Breitkopf and Härtel.Lucia di Lammermoor and I Capuleti e i Montecchiare published by Universal Music Publishers Ricordi S.R.L.Hamlet is published by Heugel.Les Contes d’Hoffmann is published by JosefWeinberger Glocken Verlag.The Love of the Nightingale is published by G. Schirmer Australia.Lakmé, Roméo et Juliette and Deh! torna, mio beneare published by Kalmus.

Berlin and Leipzig Radio Choirs, the OrchestrePhilharmonique de Monte-Carlo performed theBerlioz Requiem, first in the Berlin Cathedral andthen in Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum. March 2007brought a new musical meeting for theOrchestra’s anniversary season, with amemorable interpretation of Schoenberg’sGurrelieder in conjuction with the Berlin RadioSymphony Orchestra, the Berlin and LeipzigRadio Choruses and an array of internationalvocal soloists, at the Grimaldi Forum and in thehistoric Berlin Philharmonie concert hall.

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo ispresided over by H.R.H. The Princess of Hanover.It enjoyed the support and encouragement ofPrince Rainier III throughout the duration of hisreign and its musicians will always rememberhim fondly. Now that Prince Albert II has takenover his father’s position, the Orchestra offershim its full confidence and esteem, whilepursuing its chosen purpose in accordance withhis will: to preserve its authenticity and, at thesame time, look toward the future with adynamic policy of development.

The Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlobenefits from the support of EFG Bank, theSociété des Bains de Mer and the Association of Friends of the Orchestra.

Brad Cohen

Brad Cohen was bornin Mauritius, grew up in Sydney, andgraduated from St John’s CollegeOxford before studying conductingwith Celibidache andBernstein in Germany. He made his professionaldebut at the 1992 Almeida Festival; in 1994 hewas awarded first prize in the Leeds ConductorsCompetition, and in 1995 he conducted thepremiere performances of Adès’ Powder HerFace. Since that auspicious beginning, he hasconducted a wide-ranging repertoire at EnglishNational Opera, Opera Australia, Opera North and other companies including Lucerne,Nantes/Angers and the Nationale Reisopera inThe Netherlands. He has also directed orchestrasincluding the London Philharmonic Orchestra,Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, StuttgartPhilharmoniker and Het Gelders Orkest.

Engagements in 2007-08 included concerts with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra andOrchestra Victoria, La Cenerentola for OperaAustralia at the Sydney Opera House and BradCohen‘s debut disc for Chandos: a highlightsrecording of his own critical edition of LesPêcheurs de perles, with Simon Keenlyside,

28 29

There are many who have contributed to and

influenced my career.

I would like to thank the conductors who gave me

opportunities, allowed me to explore and nurtured

my love for the bel canto repertoire, especially

Richard Bonynge, Simone Young and Richard Hickox.

Opera Australia has been my family for all of my

career; thank you to my friends and colleagues for

your encouragement.

Thank you to my agent and friend, the wonderful

Graham Pushee, who not only listens, but does,

and believes.

To my coach Tahu Matheson who built me up

when I needed it, and to Tony Legge for his artistry,

thank you.

To dear Brad Cohen who breathes and creates the

same language, and just reads me so well, thank

you, I am so grateful.

To all at Universal and ABC Classics, particularly

Cyrus and Liz, thank you for making this happen.

My family have been incredible with their love and

understanding, especially Stephen, Jack and

Brendan who love me, despite everything. I am

lucky indeed. Thank you, my boys.

Emma Matthews

This CD was made possible through the kindassistance of:Patricia Armstrong-GrantDr Simon BellJennifer & John BruknerDon CooperMoya CraneJoanne DanielsDr Helen FergusonAnthony GriggJanet Holmes-à-CourtAlun & Patricia Kenwood Peter & Avril McGrath Pamela & David McKeeKirsten ManderJoachim Meyer-WirtgenJohn & Isobel MorganTom & Ruth O’DeaJoy Selby-SmithMichael TroyPaul Williamson

Universal Music Australia and ABC Classics wouldlike to thank Peter Alexander, Leisa Radford,Rebecca Ameriks, Laura Hitchcock, Yvonne Koolis,Alexandra Alewood, Katherine Kemp and Virginia Read.

� 2009 Australian Broadcasting Corporation/Universal MusicAustralia Pty Limited. � 2009 Australian BroadcastingCorporation/Universal Music Australia Pty Limited. Distributedin Australia and New Zealand by Universal Music Group, underexclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner ofcopyright reserved. Any copying, renting, lending, diffusion,public performance or broadcast of this record without theauthority of the copyright owner is prohibited.

30 31