Delibes on stage and TV

Synopsis

A number of the quintessentially “French” operas are set in other lands. Bizet’s “Carmen” is set in Spain and Gounod’s ”Faust” is in Germany, to cite just two examples. But Spain and Germany were familiar next-door neighbors for 19th century Frenchmen, and in that colonizing age, Parisian audiences also enjoyed traveling to much more exotic corners, all the while safely ensconced in their plush balcony seats, of course. One of the grandest of French grand operas, Meyerbeer’s “L’Africaine,” has as its eponymous heroine the African Queen of an imaginary East Indian isle, with none other than European Vasco da Gama as her love interest.

Another famous French opera set in the mysterious East had its premiere performance on today’s date in 1883, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. This was “Lakmé” by Leo Delibes. In this one, the title heroine is an East Indian priestess of Brahma whose taboo love for an English Colonial officer leads to tragedy and death—but not before lots of gorgeous singing.

The popular “Flower Duet” from “Lakmé” achieved a particularly late 20th-century brand of fame when it was used as the soundtrack to a British Airways TV commercial.

Music Played in Today's Program

Léo Delibes (1836 - 1891) Flower Duet, from Lakmé BBC Concert Orchestra; Barry Wordsworth, cond. London 473 371

Léo Delibes Flower Duet, from Lakmé Natalie Dessay and Delphine Haidan, sopranos; Toulouse Capitole Orchestra; Michel Plasson, cond. EMI 67830

On This Day

Births

• 1933 - American electronic music composer Morton Subotnik, in Los Angeles;

Deaths

• 1759 - German-born British composer George Frideric Handel, age 74, in London; He is buried in Westminster Abbey (see April 20);

• 1843 - Austrian composer and violinist Josef Lanner, age 42, in Oberdöbling;

• 1915 - Russian composer and pianist Alexander Scriabin (Gregorian date: April 27);

Premieres

• 1789 - Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 26 in D, K. 537 ("Coronation"), at the Royal Saxon Court in Dresden, with the composer as soloist; Mozart performed this concerto again in Frankfurt on October 15, 1790, at the festivities surrounding the coronation of Emperor Leopold II - hence its nickname;

• 1883 - Delibes: opera "Lakmé," in Paris at the Opéra-Comique;

• 1932 - Hindemith: "Philharmonic Concerto" in Berlin, for the jubilee of the Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting;

• 1944 - Roy Harris: Symphony No. 6, by the Boston Symphony, Serge Koussevitzky conducting;

• 1951 - Cowell: "Hymn and Fuguing Tune No. 3," for strings, in Los Angeles;

• 1967 - Penderecki: oratorio "Dies Irae," in Krakow;

• 1967 - Webern: "Three Pieces "for orchestra, posthumously, by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting;

• 1972 - Paul Chihara: "Grass" for double-bass and orchestra, at Oberlin College, Ohio;

• 1972 - Sessions: "Concertino" for small orchestra, in Chicago;

• 1977 - Leon Kirchner: opera "Lily" (after Saul Bellow's novel, "Henderson, the Rain King"), in New York City;

• 1996 - Zwilich: "Jubilation" for orchestra, by the University of Georgia (Athens) orchestra, Yoel Levi conducting.