Orchestra and Chorus of the Zurich Opera - Linda Di Chamounix

"Linda is a pretty little opera"is a quote from 19th century superstar Luisa Tetrazzini. And for many years it was a favorite of sopranos to show off their skills and audiences to show their adulation. The story is based on a kind of Christmas-time fairy tale by Frenchmen Adolphe-Philippe d'Enney & Gustave Lemoine "Le Grace de Dieu". Innocence is rewarded after trials and tribulations. It is pretty music but a dull story line. For this reason, I suppose, the producers had to "fill in" with lots of busy work on stage. There is the "hurdy-gurdy" of Pierotto that looks like a Star Wars gadget that at one point spits snow and otherwise shows a light beam. Then when Linda is ensconced in a ritzy appartment in Paris there are all these people doing things in the background that are not relevant to the story. The woman with her legs up being carried on a platter was just too much for me. I'm a great Gruberova fan so I loved this one more star in her many jeweled crown. The story is a trifle and it would be better to just ignore it and let the singers sing; and they are all good at that.

Buy this video for beautiful singing all round, and the music is consistantly fine. The story seems to be a comedy done seriously, or a drama done lightly, the production is unsure which, and the staging is serviceable but looks cheap--perhaps intentionally. Gruberova takes the "hit tune" early on rather fast to show off, but she can get away with it. These drawbacks are minor. The dumbness of the storyline may be why "Linda" is neglected. In general, this rarely performed opera is a surprisingly beautiful and often exciting "find."

WONDERFUL !!!!!

Do I dare? Yes, I dare. In terms of dramatic cohesiveness, this opera is far better than the much touted Lucia. The madness of the protagonist is much more credible, and it can be best described as a DOMESTIC affair, since Linda is surrounded by people who love her, her family, her best friend, her beloved, not by people who hate her, (as in Lucia). Gruberova is simply a force of nature. Deon Van der Velt is a Bel Canto Tenor as good as any in the Met's vauted trilogy. Lazlo Polgar has the presence and the voice to fill Treigle's shoes in Mephistofele. Jacob Will is a delight as a Rossinian buffo character, and Nadine Asher is meltingly beautiful in the trousers role of Pierotto, Linda's faithful friend. Staging, direction, all are perfect. I was glued to the set: a visual and aural joy.

Recorded in 1996 at the Opern House of Zurich, performers are first class. Not only for instance Edita Gruberova already specialized in mad characters, but also Cornelia Kallisch as Pierotto, mezzo soprano in a cross dressed role. László Polgár is also persuasive in his role of prefetto. Linda di Chamounix (1842) is somehow the reprise of Lucia de Lammemoor (1835), sense of humor and irony added. I suggest this DVD as a gem for those interested in virtually forgotten opera that were great success about one and a half centuries ago. It makes the difference between commoners and sybarites in opera houses.

Production values are terrific in this DVD of a performance at the Zurich Opera. Great singing by all the principals (and especially Gruberova) made it a pleasure to watch and hear. My wife and I are perfoming in the chorus for a local production of "Linda," and this gave us a wonderful insight into the opera to understand our own roles and songs.

The staging is in period with exotic sees.The costumes are also in period and are in period and delightfully exuberant.The strength of the cast is without question with Edita Gruberova in the title role, she has a distinctive soprano which I love.Among the strong supporting cast are Laszlo Polgar as Il Prefetto he has a most distinctive voice which I like a lot.The plot includes lost loves, jealously insanity and rejections. Happily to say that for once a happy ending ensues which does make a nice change.Needless to say Doniizetti is melodic and descriptive in his music. I have some 20 dvds of his work with 8 different titles in my library.

Edita Gruberova is outstanding in the lead role of Linda in this work, which is really all about how a talented young woman copes mostly very well, but not always, with three difficult men: her father, Antonio (Armando Aristini); The Marquis of Flowery Wood (Boisfleury) well played by Jacob Will and her lover, Carlo, Visconte di Sirval. Linda has her hands full having to cope with this self-centred bunch of tantrum prone males. Pierotte the young orphan lad, convincingly played by Cornelia Kallisch, shows more courage, consistency and credibility than than the above mentioned three males put together. It's all very well staged, sung and acted.Alarmed at the Viscomte's interest in Linda, her father packs her off to work in a silk factory in Paris, where lover boy Carlo finds her and sets her up in a cosy apartment with, amongst other things, lots of lovely clothes enabling her to dress like a real lady. When her father finds her there he throws a tantrum and rejects her. She is further pestered by the Marquis, but deals with him effectively only to discover, when Carlo next visits her, that he has chickened out of marrying her due to pressure from his parents to marry someone of his own class. Small wonder that, after all she has suffered at the hands of three selfish men, the mistreated Linda becomes insane.Fortunately, it all turns out well in the third act under the auspices of the administrator of the feudal estate well played by Miroslav Christoff. All told, we have here a well performed, easy to follow tale with a happy ending with the most inspiringly delightful music and singing that just carries you along as you watch. Here we have a supreme example of how much we can miss out on when we don't bother to watch some works simply because they are not listed in the upper echelons of the operatic world. I so much enjoyed watching it all and jumped around exclaiming: 'Good for you, Donizetti! You've done it again! You're the greatest!' Well, of course, there are other composers who are equally great, but you have to say this kind of thing when you're so delightfully pleased with something. It's just wonderful to know that a now ageing recording can bring so much joy and inspiration into the lives of those of us who love great music. The world of opera is full of unexpected gems and here is one of them.

Edita Gruberova has the most fabulous voice ... a true successor to Callas.

Diese schöne Oper mit Wahnsinn und Happy-End wird leider viel zu wenig gèspielt. Aus Zürich kommt dieser Mitschnitt mit der grossen Edita Gruberova, die damals noch sehr gut bei Stimme war. Die Inszenierung belässt das Stück in der richtigen Zeit. Das ist gut so, da hier eine Modernisierung fehl am Platz wäre. Bühnenbild und Kostüme sind stimmig. Auch die anderen Sänger, sowie Chor, Orchester und Dirigent sind auf der Habenseite zu verbuchen. Bei Deon van der Walt kommt bei mir Wehmut auf, wenn ich an sein tragisches Ende denke. Er wurde auf seinem eigenen Weingut in Südafrika von seinem alten Vater erschossen. Um so dankbarer bin ich für diese Linda, die seine gute Leistung für die Nachwelt konserviert hat. Wer Lucia di Lammermoor liebt, wird auch diese Oper mögen.

Plus j'avance dans la découverte de la production pléthorique de Donizetti : pas moins de 70 opéras ; plus je prends conscience du génie inépuisable de ce compositeur.Nous sommes en 1842. Linda di Chamounix est la première œuvre lyrique que Donizetti destine à la ville de Vienne. Il lui reste 6 ans à vivre et il composera encore 5 opéras.L'intrigue est très simple : Linda vit heureuse dans ses montagnes savoyardes. Elle aime Carlo, modeste peintre. En réalité il fait partie de l'aristocratie et ses parents le destinent à épouser une riche héritière. Linda perd la raison quand elle apprend l'ébauche de cette union. Carlo refuse le parti que voulait lui imposer sa famille ; se précipite auprès de Linda qui reprend ses esprits.Sur cette trame aux ressorts dramatiques inexistants Donizetti va composer une musique où l'orchestration fait de cette partition l'une des plus riches du compositeur. Donizetti prend plaisir à revisiter le bel canto. Un tour d'horizon magique où nous rencontrons les fragrances de Rossini, Bellini, et même un avant-gout de Verdi qui vient d'écrire Nabucco. Le tout, parfaitement cohérent car solidement attaché au génie de Donizetti. Peut-on avancer que Donizetti préfigure l'utilisation du leitmotiv ? C'est aller vite en besogne. Cependant il faut noter le thème « A consolarmi » qui reviendra dans la partition aux moments clefs, ainsi que l'orgue de barbarie de Pierotto qui irrigue la partition, passages où le compositeur invente une orchestration particulièrement originale.LA REPRÉSENTATION :Il faut bien reconnaître que les décors sont d'une vétusté rare : le pire étant au 1er et 3ème acte les toiles peintes qui représentent Chamonix et ses glaciers. Heureusement les costumes de Florence von Gerkan et l'éclairage apportent à cet ensemble une note poétique. Le jeu des acteurs est parfaitement adapté au ton de cet opéra qui alterne mélancolie et humour.L'orchestre et les chœurs de Zurich sous la direction d'Adam Fischer restituent tout l'éclat et la finesse de cette partition. Un seul regret : l'ouverture qui figure parmi les plus développées du compositeur est absente de cette représentation !Concernant les chanteurs : j'ai rarement écouté un plateau aussi homogène.Evidemment Edita Gruberova éclabousse de son talent le rôle de Linda : une voix inépuisable qui alterne tendresse, révolte et se projette avec une facilité déconcertante dans des arias d'une complexité labyrinthique, aux aigus stratosphériques.Mais il serait injuste d'ignorer la prestation de Deon van der Walt, magnifique Carlo : un beau timbre de ténor qui se marie avec délicatesse avec la voix de Gruberova, celle de Jacob Will, le marquis de Boisfleury, qui insuffle à ce rôle tout l'humour nécessaire, enfin la magnifique voix de basse de Laslo Polgar qui donne toute sa majesté au préfet.Le DVD date de 1996. Il est de bonne qualité, images 4/3, son 5/1, prises de vue qui suivent avec intelligence les chanteurs.En résumé une représentation remarquable, qui malgré des décors aux vertus peu artistiques, nous rend, avec éclat, un chef-d'œuvre essentiel de la production de l'auteur de Bergame !