Bertin
Fausto
Karine Deshayes, Karina Gauvin et al; Les Talens Lyriques; Flemish Radio Choir/Christophe Rousset
Bru Zane BZ1054 119:38 mins (2 discs)
The first recording of a long-lost operatic score by Louise Bertin (1805-77) is an important event. Set to the composer’s own libretto based on Goethe, Bertin’s Fausto went through various versions intended for different casts and theatres – and even in different languages – prior to a brief premiere run at the French capital’s Italian-language house, the Théâtre Italien, in 1831, thereafter disappearing until a Parisian revival in June 2023.
Given other options, what has been recorded here is an Italian opera in the genre with a mezzo lead. From the sternly dramatic overture onwards, the impact of Bertin’s ambitious orchestral scoring suggests a kinship with Berlioz. A list of stylistic influences might also include Gluck, Mozart, Weber (in passages relating to the supernatural) and, very occasionally, Rossini. Apart may not be a masterpiece, but it is well worth encountering.
