The Dangerous Liaisons (Libretto) by Conrad Susa Choir - Sheet Music

SKU: EC.4974

UPC: 600313449741. Text: Philip Littell.

Libretto: Written by Philip Littell, based on the novel by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos Synopsis: Opera in 3 Acts. The salon of Mme. Rosemonde's chateau outside Paris is the setting for the tangled web of intrigue and romantic relationships between the Chevalier de Danceny and Cecile de Volanges; Valmont (Rosemonde's nephew) and Madame de Merteuil (among his other female conquests are Madame de Tourvel, Emilie, and Cecile). The relationships are made and changed by a series of letters, shadowed by the overriding relationship between Valmont and Madame de Merteuil. Merteuil, in the end, emerges from the tumult to tell of her public humiliation and her subsequent misfortunes, including smallpox and bankruptcy. She cannot avoid betraying the regret of her true feeling for Valmont. She has lost everything, yet, defiantly, she survives. Duration: ~ 2 Hours, 45 Minutes Roles: MARQUISE DE MERTEUIL - Mezzo Soprano LA VICOMTE DE VALMONT - Baritone MADAME DE ROSEMONDE - Soprano PRESIDENTE DE TOURVEL - Soprano MADAME DE VOLANGES - Mezzo Soprano CECILE DE VOLANGES - Soprano CHEVALIER DE DANCENY - Tenor EMILIE - Soprano AZOLAN - Baritone JULIE - Soprano VICTOIRE - Mezzo Soprano MONSIEUR BERTRAND - Baritone FATHER ANSELME - Mute Premier: September 1994, San Francisco Opera Notable Performances: San Francisco Conservatory University of Cincinnati - College Conservatory of Music Banff Center for the Arts Available Recordings: Video recording available at operaaddiction.com, DVD-Y372 Reviews: Mr. Littell's distillation lends the characters a certain depth and concreteness. The history and thus the motivations of the manipulative Marquises de Merteuil are deftly limned. And the Vicomte de Valmont, while philandering with a vengance... maintains a modicum of humanity, which makes his ultimate breakdown not only believable but, on some minimal level, touching. Mr. Susa's music, in its perfumed decadence, was also an honest mirror, grateful for the singing voice... -James R. Oestreich, THE NEW YORK TIMES For those who consider contemporary opera something to be dreaded and feared, Conrad Susa's new operatic version of The Dangerous Liaisons (3 stars out of four)... seems too ingratiating to be true... it's too pretty to be dangerous. Following the superb overture of complimentary melodies playing a gentle game of tag, the piece settles into a well-upholstered but emotionally circumscribed style that suggests a laid-back Richard Strauss. This approach conveys the ornate veneer coating 18th century French society. And the alternatively interlocking and unraveling woodwind melodies suggest [the] behind-the-scenes intrigues... -David Patrick Stearns, USA TODAY.