Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Francis Travis, Maria Costanza Nocentini :: Saint-Säens - Suite algérienne · La Princesse jaune / Nocentini · Allemano · Travis

Masterworks? No. Just Tuneful, Good Fun.

M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 04/25/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Saint-Saens himself was realistic about "Le Princesse jaune," calling it "that innocent little work." Written as a stop-gap for L'Opera Comique because his first full-lengh opera would cost too much to produce in the aftermath of the Franco Prussian War (1871), it is a trifle, but a charming one nonetheless with an overture that should be one of the French composer's concert "lollipops." I'm not sure why it isn't heard more often; it's at least as skillful as, say, the more famous "Donna Diana" Overture. In any case, it is a very pretty bit of faux orientalism with memorable melodies and motifs.



When these good melodies come to the fore in the opera proper, it, too, makes a strong impression. As often happens in Saint-Saens, though, much of the opera sounds a bit anonymous, as though any gifted French composer could have penned it. But the best parts are sweetly romantic, nicely written for the voices and with Saint-Saens usual fluent orchestration to back them up. Overall, it is an attractive bon bon of an opera, as long as you don't try to make much of the libretto. (I'm with the first French audiences on this one; the libretto isn't very convincing, but how many comic opera librettos are--unless they're written by Halevy or William S. Gilbert?)



I find the performance under Travis Francis to be well paced, well played, and attractively sung. Nocentini and Allemano have sweet voices that blend well, making the most of Saint-Saens' creamy (sometimes bordering on bland) vocal writing.



In a way, I wish Chandos had programmed a less-familiar work along with the opera. The "Suite algerienne" has been recorded numerous times, and the concluding "Marche militaire francaise" is one of Saint-Saens' greatest hits/chestnuts. That said, the Suite is here given a strong performance by the very good Swiss Italian Orchestra, and Chandos' 24-bit sound is powerfully immediate, with maybe more stereo spread than is needed. A little more hall realism would have been in order. But all told, this is the most appealing performance of the work I've heard on disc. So I'm not sorry to duplicate, especially when the main course is a work not otherwise available on disc and which I'm glad I got to know.



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