Nadia Boulanger: La ville morte

Album information

FROM THE SHADOWS: NADIA BOULANGER’S FORGOTTEN MASTERPIECE COMES TO LIFE

Long overshadowed by her towering legacy as one of the 20th century’s most influential music teachers, Nadia Boulanger’s creative voice as a composer is rediscovered in
La ville morte (The Dead City) – a haunting opera of passion, loss, and psychological intensity. Composed in collaboration with Raoul Pugno and based on a libretto by Gabriele D’Annunzio, the work was originally planned for its World Premiere in Paris in 1914, but the outbreak of World War I silenced it before it could be heard. Now, more than a century later, this long-buried score rises from obscurity, a revivified opera where forgotten desires return to life against the backdrop of ancient ruins.

Set in the crumbling city of Mycenae, where buried passions mirror a decaying past, the opera unfolds through themes of obsession, betrayal, and blurred boundaries. Its rich emotional landscape is matched by impressionistic orchestral textures and intimate, arioso-style writing that nods to the styles of both Debussy and Wagner. In this evocative setting, Boulanger reveals a daring, expressive side that defies her reputation as the stern guardian of musical tradition.

This landmark world premiere recording marks the PENTATONE debut of soprano Melissa Harvey, mezzo-soprano Laurie Rubin, tenor Joshua Dennis, baritone Jorell Williams, the Talea Ensemble, and conductor Neal Goren. The opera’s orchestration, by Joseph Stillwell and Stephan Cwik under the supervision of David Conte, breathes new life into a long-silent score. A co-production between Catapult Opera and the Greek National Opera, La ville morte not only resurrects Boulanger’s compositional brilliance but also claims a thrilling place in the modern operatic repertoire.

Released physically as a 2-disc clamshell and digitally on all platforms.