For decades, Nadia Boulanger has been celebrated as one of the most formidable and influential teachers in 20th-century classical music. However, a new recording is shifting the spotlight to her own, largely forgotten, ambitions as a composer.
The Rediscovery of a Lost Work
The world-premiere recording of Boulanger's opera 'La Ville Morte' has been released by the Pentatone label. This early work, composed in collaboration with pianist Raoul Pugno, was scheduled for a 1914 premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris but was cancelled due to the outbreak of the First World War. The opera subsequently lay dormant for over a century, surviving only as a vocal score.
The recording is taken from live performances in New York last year, masterminded by conductor Neal Goren. Faced with the absence of a full orchestration, Goren created a minimal arrangement for an ensemble of eleven players to bring Boulanger's vision to audible life for the first time.
A Glimpse into Boulanger's Musical World
Boulanger, who lived from 1887 to 1979, is best known for mentoring generations of composers and championing neoclassicism. Her own compositional career was largely abandoned in the early 1920s following profound personal tragedies: the deaths of her prodigiously talented younger sister, Lili Boulanger, and her mentor, Pugno.
'La Ville Morte' ('The Dead City'), based on a play by Gabriele D’Annunzio, is a crucial artefact from before this turning point. Set amongst the ruins of Mycenae, the plot weaves a complex tale of love, lust, and ambition among a quartet of archaeologists.
An Incomplete Artistic Triumph
Musically, the work reveals Boulanger's influences, echoing Wagner, Fauré, and early Debussy. Despite the committed efforts of Goren and a hard-working cast of four singers, the recording suggests the opera struggles to find a coherent voice of its own.
The critical consensus reflected in the review indicates that the piece never quite convinces in any of its adopted modes and is seen to run out of dramatic momentum before its short final act. Nevertheless, its historical and biographical significance is undeniable.
This release does more than present a curiosity; it prompts a re-evaluation of Nadia Boulanger's legacy. It moves beyond her iconic status as a teacher to explore the poignant 'what if' of her own compositional path, cut short by war and personal loss. For scholars and enthusiasts, it is an essential, if flawed, piece of musical archaeology.
