Hector Berlioz - Benvenuto Cellini - "Les belles fleurs" (Patrizia Ciofi)

"This is the great challenge of my life", observed Berlioz, as he began writing his first opera, "Benvenuto Cellini". And, ironically, the composer was right, as the work proved a difficult child to raise: the censors required that Pope Clement VII be replaced by a cardinal; the music alarmed choristers and orchestral players; the date of the first performance was put back several times.

When the work finally received its first performance on 10 September 1838 (taking up six months worth of rehearsals), two or three pieces were greeted with rousing applause, while the rest was hissed. A further two performances took place on 12 and 14 September followed by a last one on 11 January (1839), after which only the first act was performed three times in February and March. And that was all. Not counting, though, a rather more successful revival of the work with many alterations by Liszt in London and Weimar in the 1850s.

The story, though slightly wacky, is surprisingly interesting and, dare I say it, Shakespearean, tautly cohesive in its episodes, mingling with abandon different modes, from the burlesque to the tragic. "Everything in it is serious but in a comical way ", as Hugh Macdonald says. The narrative is as follows: Benvenuto Cellini, a famous sculptor under contract, during the work's narrative, to create a statue of Perseus for the Pope, has fallen in love with Teresa, the daughter of the Pope's treasurer, Balducci, and asks her (and receives an enthusiastic approval) to run away with him to Provence during the Mardi Gras celebration that is to take place the very next day. But his rival, Fieramosca, the Pope's official sculptor, is also infatuated with the girl and overhears their plan. During the celebration, the whole scheme goes haywire: Cellini kills Fieramosca's brother in a duel and has to run off from the furious crowd. He is then faced by the Pope, Fiermosca and Balducci who present their claims. But the Pope is more preoccupied with the statue, which, after all this time, has not been finished, and orders the sculptor to be captured. But Cellini intuitively springs into action, promising to break the statue, if the Pope does not give him three things: a complete pardon, his blessing to marry Teresa and time until the evening to finish the statue. The Pope agrees. Thankfully, Cellini is successful, and all ends happily.

My feelings towards the work are decidedly mixed, and, to be honest, I admire, rather than like it. The libretto is perfectly comical, despite its' dramatic and political touches, a superb succession of inspiring scenes (from the carnival during the first act finale to the melting of the statue during the last one); a cast of richly characterized personalities (ranging from the brave Cellini to the cowardly Fieramosca); and interesting musical ideas. The problem is that Berlioz's music has almost too many fine touches that make its' frequent changes of tempo and orchestration rather overwhelming. The music itself is always (and I do mean always) hot-blooded, lively and dramatically urgent, but its' constant color changes sometimes lead to a feeling of imbalance that may prove somewhat tiring for the listener. All in all, a work of surprising ingenuity, perhaps, too much ingenuity for its' own sake.

My choice recording is a recent release under the direction of John Nelson leading a superb performance. It follows closely Berlioz's original manuscript but also incorporates several later ideas, making for a perfect representation of the piece.

The first piece is Teresa's opening cavatina or, to be precise, it's second version. Originally, Berlioz created a much more profound scene, incorporating a superb but rather chilling romance, wonderful musically but completely out of character for the young and cheerful Teresa. His second attempt is more in character and much more in tune with the whole work, though traditionalist. The piece opens just as the heroine has been showered with flowers by Cellini and his followers. The cantabile, written in ABA form, contrasts Teresa's lyrical language with a sighing orchestral line, as Teresa questions herself about the choice between the duty she has to her father and her love for Cellini. The "cabaletta" is surprisingly witty, as Teresa finishes her aria on a lighter note, saying that "when I will be as old as my dear parents, I should be wiser". The term "cabaletta" is a bit misleading: the piece features a main laughing theme that is repeated three times followed by a sigh, as Teresa is reminded of her predicament and of how being wise at seventeen is difficult. The piece is finished in belcanto fashion with a coloratura-laden coda and a short cadenza. I hope you'll enjoy this piece :).

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Hector
• Berlioz
• classical
• Benvenuto
• Cellini
• coloratura

[SingersHeartStudio]

Thank you so much for the explanation, especially at the end of the aria. I couldn't figure out what 'je serai grand mere' meant in the song.

[rlee1976]

@JakeBrokeback

That always bothers me when people do that! But if they're careful, it won't rear ITS ugly head again (hopefully). Hahahaaha ITS

[mozarthaydn]

Ciofi, the true diva of our time. Fragrant voice. Intelligent phrasing. The role Teresa suits her like a glove. She could maintain the comic side of the character yet still conveys her love for Bevennuto.

[JakeBrokeback]

Thanks for the audio and the extensive informative comments. FYI the word "it" in the genitive form never has an apostrophe, either before or after the "s."