Le timbre d'argent

"Saint-Saëns described Le Timbre d'argent as containing 'a bit of everything... ranging from symphony to operetta by way of a lyric drama and ballet' and occasional shades of musical theatre. As if doomed to failure, the opera has certainly had more than its fair share of trials and tribulations. Running such a convoluted course, Le Timbre d'argent with all its transformations has certainly been worth all the effort to arrive at its 2017 revival. Far more than a mere historical novelty, this captivating recording shows that Bru Zane has unearthed a valuable opera to cherish".

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"Editor's choices - August 2020: Gothic goings-on of a more extravagant nature also abound in Saint-Saëns's first opera (given here in its final, 1914 version), and Roth and his period band rise to the occasion with just the right amount of Grand Guignol roughness around the edges; the plot may look forward to Offenbach's Les contes d'Hoffmann, but the manic energy of the score has more than a whiff of Berlioz, and in particular the Symphonie fantastique. Montvidas, also a fine Hoffmann, is superb as the feverish artist who strikes a devilish bargain - or does he?".

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"Vurdering: Diapason d'or".

"Editor's choice: There are some dramaturgical wobbles and the score is uneven, though the best of it is magnificent ... The recording itself is tremendous, conducted with infectious energy by François-Xavier Roth, and with Les Siècles really relishing every shift of colour in Saint-Saëns's gorgeous orchestral palette. Edgaras Montvidas is a fine, empathetic Conrad ... It's immensely enjoyable, and one of Bru Zane's finest achievements to date".