Les Frères Danilo/La Traviata

In 1911 the Pathé Company began an ambitious project to record complete operas in French. This series includes eleven operas and preserves the unique French style of singing, a tradition that is completely lost today. This set includes two operas from the Pathé series: Les Frères Danilo and La Traviata. Pathé commissioned Jean-Charles Nouguès (Quo Vadis?) to create an opera specifically for the relatively new phonograph. This was a first in the history of recording and was never repeated. Les Frères Danilo was born in 1911. There is no evidence of Les Frères Danilo ever being staged and therefore, the only way to hear this opera is to hear it on Pathé or to hear on Marston! Conversely, few operas are more performed today than La Traviata and yet, this uniquely French, 1912 version, breathes new life into an old chestnut. The cast includes Jane Morlet, Henri Albers, Hippolyte Belhomme, and Maurizio Troselli.