Wekerlin: La Laitiere De Trianon

As with a previous issue in Opera Rara's acclaimed Il Salotto series, which comprised Pauline Viardot's delightful chamber operetta Cendrillon, this release focuses on a single work designed for intimate performance - J.B. Wekerlin's 'opérette de salon' La Laitière de Trianon (The Milkmaid of Trianon). Just two singers take part in the piece, set at Versailles in 1775. The composer, Jean-Baptiste Wekerlin (1821-1910), was a pupil of Halévy who spent much of his career as a distinguished librarian and editor of early French operas. However, his own stage compositions won success in their day, with L'organiste dans l'embarras clocking up more than 100 performances. None of them had a more auspicious launch, however, than La Laitière de Trianon, which made its debut at one of Rossini's soirées musicales 1858. This disc is accompanied by a fully illustrated, 76-page booklet written by Jeremy Commons.

Price: $24.98