A report on Joan Sutherland and Esclarmonde
The opera has been revived sporadically in the modern era, most notably during the 1970s with Joan Sutherland, conducted by Massenet champion Richard Bonynge.
- EsclarmondeShe continued to add dramatic bel canto roles to her repertoire, such as Donizetti's Maria Stuarda and Lucrezia Borgia, as well as Massenet's Esclarmonde.
- Joan Sutherland5 related topics with Alpha
Richard Bonynge
1 linksAustralian conductor and pianist.
Australian conductor and pianist.
He is the widower of Australian dramatic coloratura soprano Dame Joan Sutherland.
By doing some research and reading up on Massenet and Italian bel canto composers, Bonynge discovered Massenet's own statement about his opera Esclarmonde being his "best achievement."
Jules Massenet
1 linksFrench composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty.
French composer of the Romantic era best known for his operas, of which he wrote more than thirty.
For her, the composer revised Manon and wrote Esclarmonde (1889).
Among the sopranos and mezzos are Dame Janet Baker, Victoria de los Ángeles, Natalie Dessay, Renée Fleming, Angela Gheorghiu and Dame Joan Sutherland.
Huguette Tourangeau
1 linksFrench-Canadian operatic mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.
French-Canadian operatic mezzo-soprano, particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories.
Around that time, she began a partnership with Dame Joan Sutherland and Bonynge, both on stage and on record.
She made her formal Metropolitan Opera debut on November 28, 1973, as Nicklausse in The Tales of Hoffmann (with Plácido Domingo in the name part), and later sang Dorabella in Così fan tutte (1975–76), Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro (opposite Justino Díaz and Judith Blegen, 1976) and Parséïs in Esclarmonde (opposite Sutherland, 1976).
Louis Quilico
1 linksCanadian opera singer.
Canadian opera singer.
He made his debut at Covent Garden in London in La traviata opposite Dame Joan Sutherland in 1960, and remained a member of that company until 1963.
During the Met's 1976 season, he debuted the role of the Bishop of Blois in their premiere of Massenet's Esclarmonde, repeating his earlier commercial recording of the same role from a year earlier.
Giacomo Aragall
0 linksSpanish operatic tenor.
Spanish operatic tenor.
In 1974, Aragall featured in Massenet's Esclarmonde with Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge in San Francisco and resumed his role singing Rodolfo in Covent Garden in 1979.