FULL Les nuits d’été (Berlioz) Nunoa 2023 Claudia Pereira
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: Les nuits d’été
- Composer: Berlioz Hector
- Libretto: Théophile Gautier
- Venue & Opera Company: Teatro California, Nunoa, Chile
- Recorded: January 27, 2023
- Type: Concert Live
- Singers: Claudia Pereira
- Conductor: Emmanuel Siffert
- Orchestra: Orquesta de Cámara de Chile
- Stage Director:
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Orquesta de Cámara de Chile
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 3 Audio:3
- Subtitles: nosubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
0:07 Les nuits d’été by Hector Berlioz, with Claudia Pereira (soprano)
21:55 Prayer to María Goretti by Álvaro Gallegos (Premiere)
31:55 Symphony No. 101 “The Clock” by Joseph Haydn
[PROGRAM NOTES]
Les nuits d’été by Hector Berlioz, with Claudia Pereira (soprano)
I. Villanelle
II. Sur les lagunes: Regret
III. Absence
IV. Au cimetière: Clair de lune
This is a selection of themes that Berlioz chose from the volume “The Comedy of Death” by his close friend Théophile Gautier (1811-72). The poems consider love from different angles, but the loss of love permeates them all. When performed as a cycle, the songs convey this loss most powerfully, not just as individual compositions touched by melancholy, but as a coherent conception, where the longed-for “always” of the first song, “Villanelle,” later becomes in unattainable.
Prayer to María Goretti (Premiere) by Álvaro Gallegos
“This piece emerged in the first weeks of pandemic confinement. The impact of knowing that many people were dying around the world due to Covid, including the mother of a very dear friend, led me to dedicate it to all those who died from this disease. The title alludes to the Italian saint Maria Goretti (1890-1902), a religious figure in whom I sought comfort in those days of uncertainty for humanity. Musically, it alludes to elements of improvisation common in my work, including five solos performed by the string leaders” (Álvaro Gallegos)
Symphony No. 101 “The Clock” by Joseph Haydn
I. Adagio; Presto
II. Walking
III. Menuet e Trio – Allegretto
IV. Finale-Vivace
This is the ninth of Haydn’s twelve monumental “London Symphonies”: his series of final and triumphant symphonies, written for the second of his two tours to the English capital, where he was treated like a star.
The first movement opens in an atmosphere of solemn mystery. We feel like we are lost before we have even started. Slowly and painstakingly, the individual melodic strands search for a way forward. There is a gradual sense of order emerging from chaos. This opening adagio then fades into a joyous celebratory presto that takes us through a series of fast-paced, far-reaching adventures.
The underlying “ticking” rhythm of the second movement earned this symphony the nickname “The Clock.” There is an endearing sense of charm and good humor in this andante. One of Haydn’s great musical “jokes” explodes when we least expect it, taking the music in a bold new direction. The third movement may be Haydn’s longest and most majestic minuet. The trio section represents the occasional wrong notes and missed entries of an enthusiastic but less than competent village band. In the end, a single theme undergoes a dizzying development that includes a double fugue. It’s delightful how this unique and elegant theme takes us through a series of adventures, eventually rising to epic heights.