Daniel-François-Esprit Auber: Le Domino Noir (2006)

by Alda Noni (vocals), Bernard Demigny (vocals), Fernando Corena (vocals), Freda Betti (vocals), Gaston Rey (vocals), Germaine Parras (vocals), Gilbert Maurun (vocals), Gino Orlandini (vocals), Giuseppe Campora (vocals), Giuseppe Nessi (vocals)

Although the gradual eclipse of the operas of Daniel-François-Esprit Auber began around 1900, there were opera houses that still performed certain Auber operas on a local basis afterward. Le Domino Noir, Auber's greatest opera, never truly parted company with the repertoire of the Opéra Comique in Paris, and that is probably the source of this 1950 radio broadcast performance reproduced on Opera d'Oro's two-disc budget release of Le Domino Noir featuring the great French soprano Janine Micheau. This wonderful performance ... Read More

Although the gradual eclipse of the operas of Daniel-François-Esprit Auber began around 1900, there were opera houses that still performed certain Auber operas on a local basis afterward. Le Domino Noir, Auber's greatest opera, never truly parted company with the repertoire of the Opéra Comique in Paris, and that is probably the source of this 1950 radio broadcast performance reproduced on Opera d'Oro's two-disc budget release of Le Domino Noir featuring the great French soprano Janine Micheau. This wonderful performance originally appeared on the Melodram label; it brims with enthusiasm, joie de vivre, and includes subtle idiomatic touches in the orchestra that betray a long familiarity with the work. The sound quality is noisy, coming from crackly broadcast transcription lacquers, but is listenable despite some aggressive digital edits that stick out like a sore thumb. As with the Melodram release, the filler consists of some excerpts from an Italian-language recording of Auber's Fra Diavolo... Read Less