Search - Daniel-Francois-Esprit Auber, Alfredo Simonetto, Jules Gressier :: Daniel-Franois-Esprit Auber: Le Domino Noir

"Auber's music has an irresistible snappiness, and the Offenbach-like energy of the exchanges is compelling ... the patter songs (reminiscent of Rossini), sparkling coloratura, and decadent waltzes are beguilingly slick." - ROUGH GUIDE TO OPERA A complete performance of Auber's sparkling opera Le domino noir, plus highlights from another Auber opera, Fra Diavolo. Performances recorded live in Paris (1950) and Milan (1952) respectively. Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (1782-1871) produced a series of thirty-six operas, all in collaboration with the famous librettist Eugène Scribe, who also provided texts for Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and more. Le domino noir ("The Black Mask") was one of the most successful of Auber's many operas. First given on December 2, 1837 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris, it ran for some 1,000 performances until 1882, and is still revived often in France. Fra Diavolo ("Brother Devil") is perhaps his best-known work today, and its famous Romance favorite, often known in English as "On Yonder Rock Reclining," has long been a popular French encore. Janine Micheau was the most famous soprano in France in the immediate post-World War II era, in both lyric and coloratura roles. She had equally successful careers in opera and on the recital stage, starring at the Paris Opéra particularly in the role of Mélisande in Debussy's opera. Among the many interesting artists in these performances is Giuseppe Campora, perhaps one of the most underrated tenors of his generation. Campora did not have the vocal weight of a Domingo or Pavarotti, but he was distinguished by elegance of sound and a pure tone of great charm.