Opera Explained: DEBUSSY - Pelleas et Melisande (Smillie)

　　Opera Explained
　　An Introduction to… DEBUSSY Pelléas et Mélisande
　　Written by Thomson Smillie
　　Narrated by David Timson
　　1 CD
　　12-page booklet
　　ISBN: 1-84379-099-8
　　Dating from the last decade of the nineteenth century, Pelléas et Mélisande points the way into the twentieth century. The score is hauntingly beautiful, but there is more to the work than shifting panels of elusive, impre... (展开全部) 　　Opera Explained
　　An Introduction to… DEBUSSY Pelléas et Mélisande
　　Written by Thomson Smillie
　　Narrated by David Timson
　　1 CD
　　12-page booklet
　　ISBN: 1-84379-099-8
　　Dating from the last decade of the nineteenth century, Pelléas et Mélisande points the way into the twentieth century. The score is hauntingly beautiful, but there is more to the work than shifting panels of elusive, impressionistic sound. Debussy retains the text of Maeterlinck's play, and the linguistic subtleties of the French text are matched perfectly by the musical detail. Taking a little time to explore the romantic, elusive world of this opera is particularly rewarding.
　　"In general, Pelléas et Mélisande is rightly recognized as a masterpiece. There are some who go so far as to claim that it is the greatest opera ever composed. It certainly is among the most influential. However it is also one of the more difficult to understand even by an uneducated audience. Even an audience familiar with opera in general may find it opaque, just as the composer intended. It is by design vague and impressionistic, with only the music providing some elucidation of the text.
　　Thomson Smillie offers the key to understanding this difficult story. For anyone that has any interest in this opera, this is a valuable disc."
　　-- Patrick Gary, MusicWeb International, May 2005　　

　　An Introduction to... DEBUSSY Pelleas et Melisande
　　01. Introduction to Claude Debussy 04:08
　　02. The influence of Wagner and atonality 03:14
　　03. Debussy's childhood and development 05:47
　　04. Maurice Maeterlinck 04:50
　　05. The story and opening 05:28
　　06. Golaud encounters Melisande 05:07
　　07. King Arkel's acceptance and the entrance of Pelleas 05:44
　　08. Pelleas and Melisande together 04:41
　　09. Golaud lies ill 05:12
　　10. Melisande at the window and Golaud's suspicion 06:15
　　11. Golaud uses Yniold 04:45
　　12. Act IV: Pelleas to depart; Arkel and Melisande; Golaud's anger 05:51
　　13. Yniold's scene; the love duet 04:46
　　14. Pelleas: 'We have broken the ice with red hot irons' 06:07
　　15. Act V 06:48
　　David Timson, reader