Eloquence Classics

No expense was spared to mount the first production of ‘Le Corsaire’ at the Théâtre Impérial de l’Opéra in Paris early in 1856. Soon finding a permanent home in the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg thanks to the choreography of Marius Petipa, this full-length ballet quickly became an established classic of the genre. Audiences have thrilled ever since to its story of brigands, very loosely based on Byron and centred around the role of Medor which was designed originally to display the full talents of the Italian ballerina, Carolina Rosati and has remained a favourite role of prima ballerinas down the ages. Underpinning it all is the masterful score of Adam, featuring highlights such as the ‘Pas d’esclave’, the ‘Pas de trois des odalisques’ and ‘Le Corsaire pas de deux’ which was composed by Riccardo Drigo for Petipa’s St. Petersburg version.

For this 1990 Decca recording, Richard Bonynge included a divertissement in Act II, the ‘Pas de fleurs’ (including the famous Naila Waltz), written by Léo Delibes (who had made his début as a ballet composer in ‘La Source’ the year before) for an 1867 revival in Paris. The recording was a labour of love for the conductor who has done more than anyone on record to revive the sounds of 19th-century Parisian ballet. ‘It’s often laborious,’ he remarked in 1998 to Opera magazine about his work in preparing revivals of out-of-the-way repertoire, ‘locating the original score, getting the orchestral parts edited and copied, divesting it of later additions – all this before the process of learning and rehearsal begins.’

Bonynge’s work in this case was quickly recognised as an invaluable contribution to our fuller appreciation of Adam’s music and the recording remains the most complete ever made of ‘Le Corsaire’. It makes a distinguished addition to the growing library of Eloquence releases dedicated to the conductor’s work and a complement to the reissue of Adam’s lesser-known ballet, ‘Le Diable à quatre’ (482 8603).