Debussy: The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian

by Debussy / Bernstein / Weaver / Montealegre / Nyp

Overview

This is a one-of-a-kind recording of a strange work. The lurid legend of Saint Sebastian, the beautiful young man who spurned the advances of Emperor Diocletian and was summarily tied to a tree and executed by a firing squad of archers, has attracted the more prurient attentions of artists for centuries. When Claude Debussy and writer Gabriele d'Annunzio decided to present the myth in a gigantic, five-hour multimedia extravaganza with singing, recitation, mime and dance, something weird was bound to happen. Two weeks before the premiere, the Vatican banned D'Annunzio's works, and the Archbishop of Paris forbid Catholics from attending. 'Le Martyre de Saint Sebastian' was a tremendous flop, has not been staged since and is only heard in various fragmentary forms which reveal some of Debussy's more interesting and forward-looking music. This disc contains an oratorio treatment with translation by Leonard Bernstein himself and the spoken part of the Saint taken by Bernstein's wife, Felicia Montelegre.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2012
Label:	Sony Music Distribution
UPC:	0074646059623
Rank:	8158

Tracks

1. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~Prologue: "Gentle People, We Bid You Silence..."
2. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"First Window, The Court Of Lillies"
3. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Glory! Glory to Christ The King"
4. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~Ecstatic Dance Of Sebastian On The Live Coals;
5. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Second Window, The Magic Chamber...
6. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~Song Of The Virgin Erigone: Je Fauchais L'¿¿pi De Froment
7. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"And Suddenly A New Voice Sings From Beyond the Magic Door"
8. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~Third Window, The Council Of False Gods...
9. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Suddenly, The Emperor Speaks!...
10. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Intone Your Hymn!"
11. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Caesar, I Refuse Your Lyre..."
12. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Who Is This Young Man So White..."
13. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"Sing! Exult!"
14. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"He Dies, The Archer Of Lebanon."
15. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"But Gentle People...Fourth Window, The Wounded Laurel."
16. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"I Feel In The Palm Of My Hand The Stigmata Burn..."
17. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"From The Depths, Archers, I Call Upon Your Love!"
18. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~"A Pearly Radiance Spreads In The Sky...The Fifth Window, Paradise!"
19. Le martyre de Saint S¿¿bastien, incidental music for soloists, chorus & orchestra, L. 124~Chorus Of Martyrs: "Gloire!"

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Leonard Bernstein   Primary Artist,Conductor
Virginia Babikian   Soprano (Vocal)
Adele Addison   Soprano (Vocal),Soprano (Vocal)
Fritz Weaver   Spoken Word
Choral Art Society   Ensemble
Felicia Montealegre   Spoken Word
New York Philharmonic   Ensemble,Orchestra
Joanna Simon   Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)
Choral Society   Choir/Chorus
Virgina Babikian   Soprano (Vocal)
Marlena Kleinman   Mezzo-Soprano (Vocal)

Technical Credits

Allen Weinberg   Artwork
Arthur M. Fierro   Reissue Producer
John McClure   Producer
Don Hunstein   Photography
Todd Whitelock   Reissue Engineer