Gluck: Alceste

Gluck's Alceste

The operas of Gluck (1714 -- 1784) have been enjoying a well-deserved revival on CDs in recent years. I have long been a lover of his works which for me combine grandeur, power and simplicity with naturalism and rationalism. The story of Alceste revolves around the willingness of the heroine to sacrifice her life to save that of her husband, following the pronouncement of a Greek oracle. In many ways Alceste is a predecessor of Leonore in Beethoven's "Fidelio." Gluck has written music for his heroine which is both stark and passionate. It resonates with her love of life, her love for her husband and children, and her willingness to give up her own life for love of her husband. Alceste in Gluck's music is both a strong, individual, and passionate woman.

This recording of Gluck's "Alceste" on Orfeo is over 30 years old but still offers an outstanding way to get to know this music. The performers include the Bavarian Radio Symphony conducted by Serge Baudo, and tenor Nicolai Gedda as King Admetus, king of Thessaly. It features a passionate performance by American soprano Jessye Norman in one of her best roles as the heroine, supported well by tenor Nicolai Gedda as her husband, King Admetus of Thessaly. The chorus plays an integral role in "Alceste", stirringly performed on this CD by the Chorus of the Bavarian Radio.

Gluck composed two versions of "Alceste". The first version was composed in Vienna and dates from 1767, with a libretto in Italian by Calzabigi. It is written in an austere style to match the preface which Gluck wrote for this work outlining his tenets of "reform" opera. He wrote: "I have striven to restrict music to its true office of serving poetry by means of expression and by following the situations of the story, without interrupting the action or stifling it with a useless superfluity of ornaments." The 1767 version of "Alceste" can be found in a recording on Naxos conducted by Arnold Ostman and featuring soprano Theresa Ringholz as Alceste.

Gluck's second version of the opera dates from 1776 with a libretto in French by Roulette. It is the version recorded on this CD by Baudo and Norman. The 1776 version differs substantially from its predecessor. Gluck modified the "reform" principles of his 1767 score to meet the tastes of his French listeners. The long recitive sections of the earlier version are cut back, the arias become more florid and ornamental, and there is a greater use of ballet and orchestral interludes (although the earlier version has them as well). The libretto was substantially changed as well with the presentation of the events of the story greatly reorganized. In particular, the third act of the opera caused Gluck and his librettist a great deal of difficulty. The character Ismene, a friend of the heroine's plays a significant role in the 1767 opera but doesn't appear in the Paris version. Notoriously, the character of Hercules appears in the finale of the Paris opera but is absent from the original score. In their music and librettos, the 1767 and 1775 scores are sufficiently different to be two separate operas, rather than one opera in two slightly different version.

I was deeply moved by this performance, especially by Jessie Norman's "Alceste." Her performance is passionate and virtuosic in a difficult multi-faceted role. Listen to her singing of the most famous aria in the opera, the heroic "Divinities de Styx" at the end of Act 1 and compare it two her immediately proceeding aria "Non ce n'est point un sacrifice" with its brooding tone of tragedy and loss. Her duets with Gedda are moving as well. The chorus in the work, representing the people of Thessaly as they struggle with the dilemmas of Alcestis and Admetus, provide firm support.

As part of my listening, I listened separately to each act of this CD and followed it up immediately by listening to the performance of the same act in the 1767 version with Ostman and Ringholtz. I found this revealing in understanding the differences between the scores and the versions. The Paris version is the more accessible and dramatic but the austerities of the original score have their beauties as well.

For those coming to "Alceste", this version is an outstanding introduction. For those who love Gluck and who love "Alceste", I recommend having both the latter and the earlier version of this masterpiece. In this music, passion and emotion combine with a feel of rigor and reason.

Robin Friedman