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character of "naïveté and childlike simplicity". Confronted by a Mignon sung with a voice as mature and authoritative as hers, "credulity severely tested in being asked to accept as a forlorn waif". Fortunately, Horne's was the only casting that was questionable. Ruth
Welting's Philine was "altogether excellent". Her Polonaise did not have as much devil-may-care élan as it might have done, but it was precise and it culminated in a firework of a high F. Frederica von Stade, admirable too, sang Frédéric's Gavotte with "lightness and charm". Alain Vanzo sang Wilhelm in a style that was authentically French: moreover, his lyric tenor had an instrumental purity, maintaining its quality even in its highest reaches. There was "tenderness as well as elegance" in his portrayal. As Lothario, Nicola Zaccaria compensated for the toll that old age had taken on his higher notes by singing evenly and touchingly. He made Mignon's father both believable and a man that one cared about. Antonio de Almeida gave the opera "an appropriately pastoral, fairy-tale aura through a sensitive and refined reading", although his conducting would have been even better with less of a bias towards
338:
pays?'" This said, her Mignon seldom sounded like the teenager that she was meant to be. Frederica von Stade made a success of Frédéric's gleeful
Gavotte, and Ruth Welting, who had disappointed Steane when singing Sophie opposite von Stade's Octavian, pleased him better with a Philine who was precise and tidy. He did not find the album's male principals quite as praiseworthy as its women. Alain Vanzo, whom he thought the best French tenor of his era, seemed to sing some of Wilhelm's music with too much vim as though to ward off any perception that the character was rather puny. Nicola Zaccaria's voice, despite its consistency, could not help betraying the singer's advancing years. Antonio de Almeida's conducting, mostly appropriate, was flawed in sometimes delivering an
280:"enchanting" Philine, bringing "just the right coquettish charm" to the role of the happy-go-lucky actress. Welting sang with the "light insouciance" of the great French soubrettes of yesteryear, and delivered her coloratura and trills with an expert, irresistible brilliance. As Frédéric, Frederica von Stade sang "breezily and cleanly" in her dance through his famous Gavotte. Her "delightfully fresh and liquid sound" made Blyth wonder how she would have fared if CBS had allotted Mignon to her instead of to Horne. Alain Vanzo, "elegant and involved", was blessed with exactly the right type of voice for Wilhelm, and his versions of the student's showpiece arias were in no way inferior to those recorded by even the most revered tenors of
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215:. For productions in Germany, he composed a new, tragic finale more in keeping with the Goethe novel on which the opera's libretto was based. For a production in London's Drury Lane in 1870, he made more comprehensive alterations. Firstly, the finale was shortened. Secondly, dialogue was replaced by recitative. Thirdly, Lothario's Act 1 aria acquired an extra verse. Fourthly, Philine was given an extra aria, inserted after the Act 2 entr'acte. And finally, Frédéric was changed from a
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lost – is consigned to an appendix, where its accompaniment is provided by a harpsichord and a flute. A further appendix presents the longer, original version of the opera's finale. (The finale that Thomas composed for German consumption is not included.) With the exception of the finale, every number for which Thomas composed more than one version is presented in the longest variant extant.
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s heyday. The veteran Nicola
Zaccaria, finally, mined every last nugget of gold from the part of Mignon's father, "a gift of a part for a warm bass". Zaccaria's age meant that his top notes were poorly focused, and he mishandled Lothario's Berceuse, but he came across as invariably endearing. For the
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was lessened. Secondly, the album's engineering was disappointing. The sound was recessed, there was an irritating amount of reverberation and the singers seemed to be in a different acoustic from the orchestra. But these negatives should not deter people from investigating a commendable performance
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had found in it. Her decision to essay a role that lay somewhat high for her low mezzo-soprano meant that her singing sometimes sounded laboured. And her "big and full" tone could be a "little too aggressive" for a character as unassuming as Mignon. Ruth
Welting, by contrast, was ideally cast as an
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in July 1979, seeing eye to eye with Blyth and
Jellinek in his critique of Marilyn Horne. Even though her voice was no longer all that it had been in its prime, her tone was still "quite exceptionally rich and gorgeous", "most lovely, for instance, in the velvety opening phrases of 'Connais-tu le
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in
February 1979. Like Blyth, he acknowledged the many good things that Horne brought to the opera - her genius for vocal gymnastics, her dependable evenness of tone, her dramatic intensity in Mignon's Act 2 crisis. But, also like Blyth, he did not think that she was the right artist to portray a
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in
October 1978. Marilyn Horne's performance in the title role was impressive, he thought, but not ideal. Yes, she had the coloratura skills needed for her Styrienne. Yes, she had the requisite breath control for a slow-paced "Connais-tu le pays?" And yes, she was compelling in the Act 2 scene in
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tenor into a contralto, and was awarded his Act 2 Gavotte to appease the singer who was to perform the regendered role. The version of the opera presented on de
Almeida's album largely follows Thomas's 1870 edition, except that Philine's insert aria – for which the original orchestration has been
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was what was called for. The opera itself Steane thought good except at its very end, where Thomas had been unable to respond adequately to the dramatic demands of the story's climax. This lapse apart, it was "a delightful score, attractively orchestrated, full of grace and melody. I enjoyed it
738:
In 1988, Sony issued the album on CD (catalogue number SM3K 34590) with a 112-page booklet containing libretti, synopses and an essay by
Barrymore Laurence Scherer in English, French, German and Italian, as well as photographs of Horne, von Stade, Vanzo, Welting, Zaccaria and de Almeida. Sony
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The cover of the LP version of the album was designed under the art direction of Allan
Weinberg and featured a photograph by Sarah Moon. The cover of the CD version, identical to the LP's apart from minor additional lettering, was designed under the art direction of Roxanne Slimak.
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rest, no-one was likely to mistake the Ambrosian Singers for Francophones, but the orchestra sounded as though they would have been at home in the pit of the Palais Garnier. Antonio de Almeida, evincing an obvious love for Thomas's music, erred only in not always choosing
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judiciously. The album as a whole had only two drawbacks. Firstly, de Almeida's decision to use Thomas's recitatives rather than the libretto's original dialogue meant that the impact of the opera's
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The album was recorded using analogue technology between 20 June and 18 July 1977 in All Saints' Church, Tooting Graveney, London. It was prepared for reissue on CD using 20-bit remastering.
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which Mignon was brought to the brink of suicide by her hopeless misery over Wilhelm's crush on Philine. But her reminiscence of home lacked the pathos and "dream-like nostalgia" that
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that trudged when they should have strode. The one point at which Jellinek disagreed with Blyth was over the album's engineering, which he judged to be good if not exceptionally so.
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In 1978, CBS Masterworks released the album as a set of four LPs (catalogue number M4 34590) with notes, texts and translations. The album was not released on cassette.
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The album was only the second complete recording of the opera committed to disc, and the first to be taped stereophonically.
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13 (9:32) "Dansons, dansons, amis, dansons!" (All, Philine, Frédéric, Mignon, Lothario, Wilhelm, Laërte, Antonio, Peasants)
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23 (6:36) "Qui m'aime me suive!" (Philine, Laërte, Actors, Wilhelm, Mignon, Townsfolk, Peasants, Gypsies, Lothario)
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6 (4:08) "Pour gagner maintenant toute votre indulgence" (Jarno, Onlookers, Laërte, Philine, Mignon, Lothario)
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5 (4:18) "Laërte, ami Laërte, accourez au plus vite!" (Philine, Old Townsfolk, Laërte, Onlookers)
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reissued the album in revised packaging as part of their "The Sony Opera House" series in 2009.
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21 (4:13) "Ah! Vous voilà !" (Philine, Wilhelm, Frédéric, Lothario, Mignon, Laërte, All)
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17 (2:05) "Ce pays enchanté, n'est-ce pas l'Italie?" (Wilhelm, Mignon, Jarno, Lothario)
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13 (1:23) "De mon ami, monsieur, excusez la folie" (Philine, Laërte, Wilhelm, Mignon)
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8 (4:37) "Quel est, je veux le savoir" (Philine, Laërte, Wilhelm, Mignon, Lothario)
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3 (3:37) "Écoutez! Belle, avez pitié de nous!" (Laërte, Philine, Wilhelm, Mignon)
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5 (5:10) "Ah! Je crois entendre les doux compliments" (Philine, Wilhelm, Mignon)
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9 (4:07) "Mignon! J'ai promis de me separer d'elle" (Wilhelm, Frédéric, Mignon)
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19 (0:47) "Oui, ce soir je suis la reine des fées" (Philine, Frédéric, Actors)
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of what was, Blyth affirmed, "an attractive and sometimes first-rate score".
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3 (3:28) "Vous verrez de cette fenĂŞtre" (Antonio, Wilhelm, Lothario, Mignon)
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19 (4:19) "Comment! C'est vous?" (Philine, Frédéric, Wilhelm, Jarno, Laërte)
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22 (2:19) "En route, amis, plions bagages" (Actors, Peasants, Townsfolk)
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8 (3:02) "C'est moi, j'ai tout brisé, n'importe, m'y voici!" (Frédéric)
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21 (2:18) "Viens, la libre vie est douce!" (Lothario, Wilhelm, Mignon)
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9 (4:54) "Mignon! Wilhelm! Salut Ă vous!" (Lothario, Wilhelm, Mignon)
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20 (4:59) "Je suis Titania" (Philine, Frédéric, Prince, Baron, All)
677:(1923-2007, bass), Lothario, a wandering minstrel, Mignon's father
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13 (2:19) "Vous disiez vrai!" (Philine, Wilhelm, Laërte, Frédéric)
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39:
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7 (1:03) "Hola, coquin! ArrĂŞte" (Wilhelm, Jarno, Philine, Mignon)
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included the album in its list of Best Recordings of the Month.
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2 (5:20) "De son cœur, j'ai calmé la fièvre" (Lothario, Voices)
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12 (4:56) "Eh quoi! Mon cher Laërte" (Philine, Laërte, Wilhelm)
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4 (3:55) "Elle ne croyait pas dans sa candeur naĂŻve" (Wilhelm)
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4 (2:42) "Plus de soucis, Mignon!" (Wilhelm, Mignon, Philine)
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18 (1:14) "Ah! Bravo! La Philine est vraiment divine!" (All)
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2 (1:40) "À merveille, j'en ris d'avance!" (Philine, Laërte)
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15 (0:33) "Dis-moi de quelles plages lointaines" (Wilhelm)
689:
The Ambrosian Opera Chorus (chorus master: John McCarthy)
382:, opéra en trois actes (Paris, 1866), with a libretto by
438:
10 (4:40) "Oui, je veux par le monde promener" (Wilhelm)
594:
10 (3:38) "Ă” Vierge Marie" (Mignon, Lothario, Wilhelm)
864:
776:, cond. Antonio de Almeids, Sony CD, SM3K 34590, 1998
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12 (6:05) "Ă€ merveille! J'en ris d'avance!" (Philine)
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7 (2:55) "Je suis Titania" (Philine, Wilhelm, Mignon)
588:
8 (1:28) "Ah! Malheureuse enfant!" (Wilhelm, Mignon)
525:
12 (1:06) "Demain je serais loin!" (Mignon, Wilhelm)
912:
Operas based on works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
597:
11 (2:35) "Elle revit!" (Wilhelm, Lothario, Mignon)
537:
16 (2:14) "Ciel! Qu'entends-je?" (Mignon, Lothario)
396:("Wilhelm Meister's apprenticeship", 1795–1796) by
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922:Music based on works by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
462:18 (3:02) "Légères hirondelles" (Mignon, Lothario)
522:11 (1:27) "Merci de tes bontés" (Mignon, Wilhelm)
414:2 (1:11) "Bons bourgeois et notables" (Townsfolk)
567:1 (3:26) "Ah! Au soufflé léger du vent" (Voices)
441:11 (1:40) "J'aime votre gaîté" (Laërte, Wilhelm)
420:4 (1:36) "Place, amis, faites place!" (Peasants)
917:Works based on Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship
510:7 (5:54) "Je connais un pauvre enfant" (Mignon)
659:(1928-2002, tenor), Wilhelm Meister, a student
534:15 (4:56) "Elle est là , près de lui!" (Mignon)
686:Paul Hudson (bass), Antonio, a castle servant
582:6 (4:42) "Je suis heureuse" (Mignon, Wilhelm)
579:5 (2:47) "Signor!" (Antonio, Wilhelm, Mignon)
540:17 (4:12) "As-tu souffert" (Mignon, Lothario)
450:14 (1:57) "Demain, dis tu?" (Mignon, Wilhelm)
8:
671:(mezzo-soprano), Frédéric, Philine's admirer
61:All Saints' Church, Tooting Graveney, London
665:, (1948-1999, soprano), Philine, an actress
468:20 (1:53) "Pourquoi pas!" (Wilhelm, Mignon)
209:Thomas wrote several different versions of
16:1978 studio album by Antonio de Almeida
820:Der Rosenkavalier (Edo de Waart recording)
417:3 (4:48) "Fugitif et tremblant" (Lothario)
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27:
18:
723:Louise de la Fuente, remastering producer
507:6 (2:11) "Me voilà seule hélas!" (Mignon)
683:Claude MĂ©loni (baritone). Jarno, a gypsy
680:André Battedou (tenor), Laërte, an actor
456:16 (6:07) "Connais-tu le pays?" (Mignon)
871:
748:
257:Ambroise Thomas in 1865, a year before
165:'s opera, performed by André Battedou,
435:9 (2:04) "Monsieur!" (Laërte, Wilhelm)
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519:10 (4:12) "Adieu, Mignon!" (Wilhelm)
726:Darcy Proper, remastering engineer
141:The Sony Opera House reissue, 2009
14:
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619:Alternative finale to Act Three
161:is a 194-minute studio album of
606:Alternative opening to Act Two
1:
333:reviewed the album on LP in
308:reviewed the album on LP in
268:reviewed the album on LP in
793:, October 1978, pp. 741–742
201:. It was released in 1978.
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720:Mike Ross-Trevor, engineer
636:Jules Chéret's poster for
398:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
393:Wilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre
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134:
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26:
833:, July 1979, pp. 169–170
326:Librettist Jules Barbier
810:, February 1979, p. 102
653:(mezzo-soprano), Mignon
301:Librettist Michel Carré
197:under the direction of
897:1970s classical albums
701:(1928-1997), conductor
694:Philharmonia Orchestra
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327:
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195:Philharmonia Orchestra
191:Ambrosian Opera Chorus
714:(1932-2015), producer
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325:
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717:Bob Auger, engineer
669:Frederica von Stade
531:14 (2:02) Interlude
175:Frederica von Stade
33:Sony CD: SM3K 34590
772:Thomas, Ambroise:
699:Antonio de Almeida
642:
557:Track listing, CD3
492:1 (2:13) Entr'acte
482:Track listing, CD2
404:1 (8:03) Ouverture
390:(1821–1872) after
363:Track listing, CD1
355:In February 1979,
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244:Critical reception
199:Antonio de Almeida
44:Antonio de Almeida
712:Paul Walter Myers
277:Conchita Supervia
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907:Opera recordings
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844:"Mignon Almeida"
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731:Release history
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640:s 1866 première
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369:Ambroise Thomas
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306:George Jellinek
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187:Nicola Zaccaria
169:, Paul Hudson,
163:Ambroise Thomas
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105:CBS Masterworks
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808:Stereo Review
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851:. Retrieved
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663:Ruth Welting
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486:
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408:
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400:(1749–1832)
391:
388:Michel Carré
376:
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372:(1811–1896)
367:
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347:immensely."
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331:J. B. Steane
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183:Ruth Welting
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40:Studio album
902:1978 albums
657:Alain Vanzo
179:Alain Vanzo
891:Categories
848:Amazon.com
831:Gramophone
791:Gramophone
743:References
645:Performers
615:Appendix 2
602:Appendix 1
335:Gramophone
291:mélodrames
271:Gramophone
266:Alan Blyth
261:s première
205:Background
115:Paul Myers
628:Personnel
562:Act Three
344:andantino
235:Packaging
227:Recording
189:with the
351:Accolade
342:when an
193:and the
111:Producer
92:Language
50:Released
42: by
638:Mignon'
487:Act Two
409:Act One
282:Mignon'
259:Mignon'
249:Reviews
867:Portal
853:24 May
774:Mignon
378:Mignon
340:adagio
212:Mignon
158:Mignon
125:Mignon
95:French
76:Length
58:Studio
22:Mignon
881:Opera
706:Other
317:tempi
287:tempi
217:buffo
101:Label
71:Opera
67:Genre
855:2023
692:The
185:and
53:1978
81:194
893::
846:.
798:^
781:^
751:^
181:,
177:,
173:,
85:55
869::
857:.
83::
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