BIZET

 

Carmen

 1.  l    Prélude                                       3:23

 2.  ll   Entr’acte 1                                   1:37

 3.  lll  Entr’acte 2                                   2:55

 4.  lV Entr’acte 3                                   4:30

 

L’Arlésienne

Orchestral suite No.1 

 5.   l   Overture. Allegro deciso               6:41

 6.   II  Minuet. Allegro giocoso                2:36

 7.   lll  Adagietto                                                3:49

 8.   IV Carillon. Allegro moderato                        4:23

 

Incidental music (version by Marc Minkowski)

 9.   l   Pastoral, entr’acte & chorus, Act 2, scene 1 3:45

10.  ll  Melodrama, Act 2, scene 2                        0:38

11.  lll   Chorus, Act 2, Scene 2               0:44

12.  lV   Melodrama, Act 2, Scene 2          0:54 

13.  V    Melodrama, Act 3, Scene 4          1:38

14.  Vl   Farandole, Act 3, Scene 4                       1:37

15.  Vll  Entr’acte, Act 3, Scene 5             3:01

16.  Vlll Chorus, Act 3, Scene 5               1:49

 

Orchestral suite No.2 (Ernest Guiraud)

20.   I   Pastorale                                   4:52

21.   II  Intermezzo                                3:14

22.   III Minuet                                       3:59

23.   IV Farandole                                  3:03

 

Les Musiciens du Louvre

Chœur de l’opéra de Lyon / Marc Minkowski

 

Marc Minkowski, one of the most outstanding conductors of our time, has joined naïve for a long-term collaboration during which he will be surveying the music of Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart, among others. The first in this series of recordings features the works of Georges Bizet performed on instruments of the period. It brings an original approach to the music from two of his masterpieces, L’Arlésienne and Carmen.

 

In 1872, Bizet composed the incidental music for Daudet’s theatre play L’Arlésienne. Following the huge success of this music, he composed a suite for orchestra based on the best pieces included in the original incidental music. In 1879, four years after Bizet’s death, his friend Guiraud arranged a new orchestral suite, mainly based on Bizet’s music, but also adding new quotes from the incidental music. In 2007 Marc Minkowski selected the best pieces from the original incidental music and conceived his own fascinating suite. The program is completed with the Prelude” and three “Entr’actes” form Carmen.

 

The CD is part of a package that includes a120-page booklet with texts by Alphonse Daudet, Marc Minkowski, Gérard Condé, Lesley Wright and a wide selection of painting reproductions by Van Gogh, Gauguin, Francis Bacon, Joan Mitchell. This aims to offer a complete vision of the artistic inspiration that the aria of Provence gave to the composer of these wonderful pieces.

 

Naive V5130