Charles Gounod: Air De Sapho - No.15 Stances: Mezzo-Soprano: Vocal Work

A lifelong resident of Paris Gounod can hold a claim to being the most important figure in late 19th century French music on account of his influence on later composers. Studying at the Paris Conservatoire Gounod left in 1839 to travel through Europe initially to Rome but then on through Austria and Germany. He was profoundly struck by the music he heard at the Sistine Chapel and by the German musical tradition and upon his return was uniquely cosmopolitan in his influences among Parisian musical society. His early works consisted largely of liturgical settings that earned him some praise but his work in the area in which he is most remembered namely opera took time to be recognised. His first two operas Sapho (1851) and La Nonne sanglante (1854) drawing heavily on Gluck and Meyerbeer respectively did not attract great attention. However his subsequent works including seven staged operas between 1855 and 1865 were increasingly well-received none more so than his masterpiece Faust (1859). Two further successes Mireille (1864) and Roméo et Juliette (1867) were premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique and inspired by the voice of Marie Miolan-Carvalho the singer who had created Marguerite in Faust. Roméo et Juliette with a libretto faithful to Shakespeare by Barbier and Carré who had provided texts for some of Gounod’s earlier works is inescapably full of love music but is by turns as wistful and cheerful as any in Gounod’s operatic output. Based upon the 1876 published version of the opera the edition includes: • Original version of N° 1 Introduction including Si mon coeur encore sommeille • Ariette N° 3 (Je veux vivre) in both F and G majors. • Three possible endings for Act 1 including Il nous échappe! • Cavatine N° 7 (L’amour! Oui! Son ardeur a troublé) in both B and B flat majors. • Original version of N° 11 Trio et quatuor (Dieu qui fis l’homme à ton image!) • Choeur et danse N° 19 (Frappez l’air)