Gaveaux: Léonore

Opera no 70

Gaveaux: Léonore

Soloists

Opera Lafayette

Ryan Brown

This version of the story is much closer to Fidelio than the two previous operas in this project. Indeed Beethoven’s librettist took the libretto of this opera as his starting point. It follows the same broad structure as Fidelio and, like that opera but unlike the two previous operas, has spoken dialogue rather than recitative.

It is very different in character to the other two operas. It is very obviously a French rather than Italian work. There is very little coloratura or overt display. Some of it is quite simple in style - reminiscent of composers such as Grétry, though there are also much more sophisticated passages showing the impact that Cherubini and his school were having on French music at the turn of the 19th century.

There were moments of real drama here - with a real sense of momentum. The minor characters don’t get in the way of the action in Act 2 as they do in the Paer and both Léonore and Florestan come across very vividly - their duet of recognition is really impressive. Unfortunately Gaveaux then complete spoils the effect by following this immediately  by the most trivial and almost comic music of the chorus as they announce the arrival of the governor. What should be a moment of high drama becomes almost farcical. This is a great pity as earlier in the opera the prisoners’ chorus is impressively moving. It has something of the mood of the equivalent chorus in Fidelio . We don’t know whether Beethoven knew this opera - he owned a score at some point, but we don’t know when he acquired it. There is no chorus in either of the other two settings - a reminder that the Italian tradition, unlike the French, had little need for choruses - certainly not of the sophistication you find in French music of this time.

This version was certainly more to my taste that the two Italian versions - Gaveaux had a real dramatic skill - it is such a pity that he lets himself down occasionally with really poor and commonplace passages.

On to Beethoven next