L'Ancêtre by Saint-Saëns - An Opera in Concert

"No!" exclaims Nunciata during the first act of this drame lyrique, as the Corsican ancestor stubbornly refuses to end the rivalry that pits her family, the Fabianis, against their enemy, the Pietra-Neras.

Set against a backdrop of tragic deaths, a thirst for revenge and passionate love, this drame lyrique portrays seven main characters, three of whom dominate the plot, act after act. The dark, dramatic framework of Augé de Lassus's libretto is balanced by soft and tender musical scores, such as the love duet between Margarita and Tébaldo in Act I.

After its acclaimed premiere at the Monte-Carlo theatre in February 1906, L'Ancêtre was performed there on four more occasions, followed by performances in several cities across France, Belgium, Switzerland and Germany, in Algiers (February 1911) and Cairo (February 1912), before returning to the theatre where it was first performed in March 1915 for two further performances. We will have to wait until 2019 for this drame lyrique to return to the stage, at the Theaterakademie August Everding in Munich.

Source: Bru Zane Mediabase, digital resources on French Romantic music.

Camille SAINT-SAËNS - L’Ancêtre

Drame lyrique in three acts

Kazuki Yamada, conductor

Jennifer Holloway / Nunciata (L’Ancêtre), soprano

Gaëlle Arquez / Vanina, mezzo-soprano

Hélène Carpentier / Margarita, soprano

Julien Henric / Tébaldo, tenor

Michael Arivony / Raphaël, baritone

Matthieu Lécroart / Bursica, baritone

Philharmonic Chorus of Tokyo - Hiroyuki Mito, choirmaster

David Zobel, répétiteur

Co-production Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, Palazzetto Bru Zane.