Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) - La Captive - Lisa Larsson - Het Gelders Orkest, Antonello Manacorda - Challenge Classics CC72639 (2014)

Hector Berlioz - La Captive
Lisa Larsson - Het Gelders Orkest, Antonello Manacorda
Challenge Classics CC72639 | Classical | DR15 | 2ch & Mch Hybrid
SACD-rip via Cambridge Audio CXU to iso (2.50 GB) | PDF

The trend towards casting Berlioz with lighter voices, often with singers more seasoned in chronologically earlier repertoire, takes a fruitful if limited turn as Baroque-repertoire soprano Lisa Larsson steps into music associated with Dame Janet Baker and Jessye Norman. Next to them, Larsson’s personality and strength of conception stand up to any comparsion – as long as listeners can shift some fundamental ideas about the sound and nature of these characters.
Far from the wounded goddess that would eventually lead to Dido in Les Troyens, Larsson’s characterisations of these early-period works have a more fragile humanity, with pockets of psychological detail missed by others, often conveyed with a confiding intimacy that might only be possible in the recording studio. Even the studio setting, though, doesn’t protect her from being covered by the orchestra, particularly in sections of La mort de Cléopâtre that lie in the weaker, lower areas of her voice. In moments when her voice starts to show its mileage, the two different voices used for Herminie and Cléopâtre (Michèle Lagrange and Béatrice Uria-Monzon) on the Naxos disc ‘Berlioz Cantatas’ seem preferable.
Then the Larsson disc re insinuates itself. Of all the spacious SACD productions that have come out of Challenge Classics, none I’ve heard is this luminous. Antonello Manacorda never overshadows Larsson heedlessly, but with interpretative purpose. His orchestra may not be ready to record Symphonie fantastique but his advocacy of these works makes them sound like major Berlioz (as opposed to dry runs for later, better works). In fact, his treatment of the Cléopâtre orchestral writing makes the piece sound downright dangerous. Another drawing card is La captive, Berlioz’s Op 12 song from which the disc takes its title, with Larsson making the somewhat discursive Victor Hugo verse sound more cogent, with special sensitivity to the nocturnal imagery. Flaws and all, this is a fine addition to the Berlioz discography. 
gramophone.co.uk

"Wait just a minute. I'll wipe the dust off first!" said the slightly shy librarian in Paris, who brought a pile of Berlioz scores from the warehouse. Music laden with archive dust - is that a symptom of the appreciation that the "greatest French composer after Rameau" can count on? What applies to the Netherlands even seems to apply to France. We can therefore consider ourselves fortunate that this sacd has saved both Herminie (yes, the idea-fixe found a place in the Symphonie fantastique!) And La captive from oblivion, although it will probably be possible to find a performance of it somewhere else. We may be amazed at the originality of the young Berlioz as a composer: he was only 25 when he ventured into Herminie, a lyric scene, 26 when La captive rolled out of his pen, and 29 when composing La mort de Cléopâtre. What these three pieces have in common is their beautiful and in some respects original instrumentation in addition to Berlioz's impeccable sense of dramatic vocalism. It all goes hand in hand here in downright sizzling performances. The legato of the Swedish soprano Lisa Larsson is a feast for the ear, she also adds a lot of dramatic and lyrical colours to her vocabulary and thus offers a very beautiful view of these sparkling scores. Try track 10, Méditation, Largo misterioso. Grand Pharaons, nobles Lagides from Cléopâtre, with soprano and ensemble in grand style (and then just add the grand finale with the overwhelming Non! ... non, de vos demeures funèbres ...). The Gelders Orkest is really on the French tour under the excellent conducting Antonello Manacorda and we can therefore speak of a very successful Berlioz release. Bert van der Wolf of Northstar Recording provided excellent rendering. The booklet is excellently arranged, the lyrics are not missing. Only point of criticism: the meager playing time. Anyway, you can't have your cake and eat it...
opusklassiek.nl (translation)

Swedish soprano Lisa Larsson’s second release on Challenge Classics follows 2013’s highly-praised recording of arias by Joseph Haydn (CC72622). On this hybrid SACD she performs Berlioz - the title song ‘La Captive’ and the lyric scenes Herminie and La Mort de Cléopatre - accompanied by the Het Gelders Orchestra conducted by Antonello Manacorda.
Before winning the Prix de Rome in 1830 with the cantata La mort de Sardanapale, Hector Berlioz had already submitted failed attempts in the form of La mort d'Orphée (1827), Herminie (1828) and La mort de Cléopâtre (1829). The Scene Lyrique “Herminie” is set to a text by Pierre-Ange Vieillard which was inspired by Tasso’s ‘Gerusalemme liberata’, an epic set during the Crusades. Winning the Prix de Rome allowed Berlioz to spend two years in the Eternal City, and during this period he wrote the song ‘La Captive’. La Mort de Cléopatre bears no opus number and was not published until many years after the composer’s death. It has however in recent years become a favourite showcase for soprano and mezzo-soprano voices.
During her first engagements at the Zurich Opera, Lisa Larsson worked with conductors such as Franz Welser-Möst and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. After her debut with Riccardo Muti at La Scala di Milano, she quickly established herself internationally, in particular as a Mozart interpreter. Equally at home on the concert platform, Lisa Larsson is internationally renowned for her diversity and artistry. Her substantial discography includes Richard Strauss’ Four Last Songs with conductor Douglas Boyd, Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 with David Zinman, Mozart’s Don Giovanni with Daniel Harding, and Mitridate under Adam Fischer, as well as numerous Bach Cantatas with Sir John Eliot Gardiner and Ton Koopman. With the latter she has also recorded Bach’s Christmas and Easter Oratorios, and Magnificat.
Lisa Larsson’s first recording for Challenge Classics Ladies First (CC72622) was released at the end of 2013 and featured her singing rarely performed arias by Joseph Haydn with the Combattimento Consort, Amsterdam under conductor Jan Willem de Vriend. It has been the recipient of a great deal of critical praise from the international music press.
prestomusic.com

Tracklist:

Herminie - Scène lyrique, H29 (1828) 21:10
01. Récit: Quel trouble te poursuit 3:39
02. Air: Ah! Si de la tendresse 3:33
03. Récit: Que dis-je? 1:15
04. Air: Arrête! Arrête! Cher Tancrède 5:09
05. Air: Venez, venez, terribles armes! 1:54
06. Prière: Dieu des chrétiens 5:35

07. La captive (1832) 7:27

La Mort de Cléopâtre - Scène lyrique, H36 (1829) 20:02
08. Allegro vivace con impeto – Récit. C’en est donc fait! 3:16
09. Lento cantabile. Ah! qu’ils sont loin ces jours, tourment de ma mémoire 6:07
10. Méditation. Largo misterioso. Grands Pharaons, nobles Lagides 3:57
11. Allegro assai agitato. Non!... non, de vos demeures funèbres 6:42

Total playing time 48:51

Musicians:
Lisa Larsson, soprano
Het Gelders Orkest
Antonello Manacorda, conductor

Recording data:
Recorded at Musis Sacrum, Arnhem, The Netherlands
Recording dates: 18-20 June 2013
Product Coordination – Boudewijn Hagemans
Engineer – Brendon Heinst
Executive producer – Anne De Jong, Marcel Van Den Broek
Producer, Balance Engineer, Editor, Masterization – Bert van der Wolf for Northstar Recording

Checksums for iso:
MD5: 8d74d556da43d304b67e0e21ed024bd9 *La Captive.iso
SFV: La Captive.iso 920A44EC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJZYhivVN1g
https://www.filefactory.com/folder/09df5d35aa74e22d
Berlioz - La Captive - Lisa Larsson - Het Gelders Orkest.torrent