CHABRIER - L'Étoile
Emmanuel Chabrier first came to notice with some beautifully crafted piano works that inspired numerous other French composers, notably Ravel. In 1877, six years before the appearance of his most famous work for orchestra, España, Paris saw ther premiere of L’Etoile. This frothy opéra bouffe was a great success (in spite of an undistinguished libretto) and was described by both Koechlin and Stravinsky as ‘a little masterpiece’. The Lyons Opera, under their then musical director John Eliot Gardiner, made the present recording after stage performances in 1983–4. Colette Alliot-Lugaz superbly heads the cast as the young cosmetic-pedlar, Lazuli; she is joined by a first-class all-French cast in this witty and totally enjoyable comic, even farcical, opera. Lovers of French music and operetta will revel in this delightful work, especially its encore-demanding trio on the delights of green chartreuse!

0946 3 58688 2 1 (2CDs)
0946 3 58688 5 2 (Digital Download)