Catapult Opera, in collaboration with the Talea Ensemble and conductor Neal Goren, proudly presents the landmark world-premiere recording of Nadia Boulanger‘s La ville morte (The Dead City) — a haunting opera of passion, loss, and psychological intensity. Released in January 2026 on PENTATONE.
“This recording is not intended to be the definitive statement of Nadia Boulanger’s La ville morte. A definitive recording would be impossible to achieve, as Boulanger’s complete orchestration was lost in the tumult of WW1. For our orchestration, I consulted with a number of her last living mentees for their opinion on what orchestration she would have preferred. They were in full agreement that, as a teacher, Boulanger preferred distilled, clear presentation, and she would have chosen a chamber orchestration for both artistic and practical reasons. I feel that it fully captures the beauty and richness of the existing piano-vocal score without embellishing it in any way.
“My goal was to make people aware of this brilliant work that synthesizes every musical style that was heard in Paris in the first decade of the 1900s, including Fauré (her teacher), Debussy (whose Pelléas et Mélisande received its premiere in 1902), and Wagner (whose final opera, Parsifal, received its Paris premiere in 1899.) If this recording brings you joy and awakens an awareness of Nadia Boulanger’s compositional genius, I will have achieved my goal.”
Neal Goren
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.
La ville morte not only resurrects Boulanger’s compositional brilliance but also claims a thrilling place in the modern operatic repertoire.
DIGITAL RELEASE DATE: 9 January 2026
PHYSICAL RELEASE DATE: January 2026
