Charpentier Louise

 Day 105

Charpentier Louise

Soloists

Orchestra and chorus of the Belgian Opera

Silvain Cambreling

I knew very little about Charpentier or this opera. He lived to the age of 96 but his output is small and his fame rests almost entirely on this opera, which I have seen described as the first 20th century opera - it was first produced in 1900. The aria Depuis le Jour has a life of its own outside the opera and was a favourite of many of the singers who recorded on 78s. Charpentier collaborated on an abridged film version of the opera in the 1930s.

Louise is generally described as an early attempt at French verismo opera and one can see why. It has all the features one would expect - a naturalistic setting, raw emotion and plenty of real-life colour. The second act in particularly teems with life and has a huge cast of minor characters who give character to the  working class life of Paris - what other opera has a part for a street sweeper or a carrot seller. But elsewhere the drama is much more personal  - essentially there are four characters Louise, who is in love with Julian, and her mother and father who disapprove of the match. The mother and father are most unpleasant characters - indeed the father comes across as extremely creepy in the way that he won’t give up his love for his daughter  - and some of their music is rather hard going. The lyrical music for the lovers on the other hand is full of passion and energy. The spirit of the waltz permeates much of the score, but not in a sugary way. Indeed I wonder whether memories of this score were in the back of Ravel’s mind when he came to write la waltz.  Louise’s final scene where she defies her father has a real impact which almost took my breath away. 

This must be a very difficult piece to stage with all of the naturalistic settings of the Paris market and controlling the large forces with complex choral forces, lots of small solo roles and several off stage effects. It is a long opera (this recording was spread over 3 full CDs and even then had cuts) and even in France it is now only on the fringes of the repertory. But at its best it had an elegant lyricism which we have seen so often in French opera and moments of extremely passion and drama where Charpentier certainly pulls out all of the stops.  I’m glad I have heard it and there are certainly parts of it which I would very much like to hear again.