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Madame Bizet – March 12, 2000 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Madame Bizet – March 12, 2000 | Walter Hall, Toronto
French songs from Gounod to Poulenc illustrating the life of Geneviève Halévy, who married the composer, Georges Bizet.
date: March 12, 2000
Geneviève Halévy was the daughter of the opera composer, Fromental Halévy. Though her first husband, Bizet, died in 1875, Mme Straus (as she became after her second marriage, to the rich lawyer, Emile Straus) lived on until 1926. She presided over an artistic salon and was a great friend of Marcel Proust – in fact, was one of the models for the Duchesse de Guermantes in his novel, The Remembrance of Things Past. In our concert, songs and piano music spanned the 77 years of her life; excerpts from letters and diaries, and from Proust’s novel, were read by actors Diana Leblanc (Mme Bizet) and Diego Matamoros (Georges Bizet and Marcel Proust).
| Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Les Quatre coins – Esquisse, Op.22/8 (Jeux d’enfants) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Bizet, Georges | n/a |
| C’est vous qui me devez de la reconnaissance (Le Nabab) | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Halévy, Fromental | Scribe, Eugène |
| Viens, les gazons sont verts | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Gounod, Charles | Barbier, Jules |
| Vieille chanson | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Bizet, Georges | Millevoye, Charles Hubert |
| Le Bal – Galop, Op.22/12 (Jeux d’enfants) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Bizet, Georges | n/a |
| Chanson d’avril | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Bizet, Georges | Bouilhet, Louis |
| Absence | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Bizet, Georges | Gautier, Théophile |
| Petit mari, petite femme – Duo, Op.22/11 (Jeux d’enfants) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Bizet, Georges | n/a |
| Trompette et tambour – Marche, Op.22/6 (Jeux d’enfants) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Bizet, Georges | n/a |
| Ouvre ton coeur | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Bizet, Georges | Delâtre, Louis |
| Adieux de l’hôtesse arabe | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Bizet, Georges | Hugo, Victor |
| La Vie antérieure | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Duparc, Henri | Baudelaire, Charles |
| Apparition (Quatre Chansons de jeunesse) | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Debussy, Claude | Mallarmé, Stéphane |
| Quand je fus pris au pavillon | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Hahn, Reynaldo | Charles d’Orléans |
| Le Rossignol des lilas | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Hahn, Reynaldo | Dauphin, Léopold |
| Hymne à Eros | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Holmès, Augusta | anon. |
| Le Parfum impérissable, Op.76/1 | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Fauré, Gabriel | Leconte de Lisle, Charles-Marie-René |
| Kaddisch (Deux mélodies hébraïques) | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Ravel, Maurice | anon. |
| Galop (Five Easy Pieces for Piano-Duet) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Stravinsky, Igor | n/a |
| Sagesse | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Stravinsky, Igor | Verlaine, Paul |
| La Belle jeunesse (Chansons gaillardes) | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Poulenc, Francis | anon. 17th cent. |
| Sérénade (Chansons gaillardes) | Polegato, Brett, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Poulenc, Francis | anon. 17th cent. |
| La Dernière valse (Une Revue…) | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Hahn, Reynaldo | Donnay, Maurice / Duvernois, Henri |
| La Dernière valse (Une Revue…) – ENCORE | Paulin, Nathalie, soprano; Polegato, Brett, baritone; Leblanc, Diana, actor; Matamoros, Diego, actor; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Hahn, Reynaldo | Donnay, Maurice / Duvernois, Henri |