Enjoyment, exploration & sheer virtuosic fun: Sisters from Karine Deshayes & Delphine Haidan

Sisters: music by Rossini, Viardot, Gluck/Berlioz, Berlioz, Bertin, Bellini, Grandval, Saint-Saens; Karine Deshayes, Delphine Haidan, Orchestre national Avignon-Provence, conductor Débora Waldman; NoMadMusic
Reviewed 13 June 2025

Part celebration, part luxuriant delight: Malibran and Viardot celebrated in a programme that was clearly a joy for both soloists and performers, enjoyment, exploration and sheer virtuosic fun

From around 1825 to 1863 the sisters Maria Malibran (1808-1836) and Pauline Viardot (1821-1910) lit up the operatic stage. Both were daughters of Manuel García, a celebrated tenor much admired by Rossini (he created the role of Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville), and their brother, also Manuel, was also a singer and pedagogue who invented the first laryngoscope.

Malibran was some 13 years the elder and it was only her early, tragic death that forced Viardot to become a professional singer. Viardot had wanted to become a professional pianist, she had had piano lessons with Liszt and harmony and counterpoint lessons with Reicha.

Viardot was just 15 when her sister died, so any idea of them singing together must be restricted to the realm of the personal, and to fantasy. Both singers had fascinatingly unquantifiable voices, large ranges so we might see them as mezzo-sopranos with high extension, both had their names linked to some remarkable roles.

The disc Sisters on NoMadMusic from mezzo-sopranos Karine Deshayes and Delphine Haidan, and the Orchestre national Avignon-Provence, conductor Débora Waldman, celebrates this sisterhood with a selection of bel canto classics that the sisters either sang or might have sang, with music from Rossini's Otello, La donna del lago, Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra and Semiramide, Viardot's own Le dernier sorcier, and Les Monts de Géorgie, Gluck's Orphée et Eurydice in the version arranged for Viardot by Berlioz, Berlioz' Les Troyens, initially written with Viardot in mind, Bertin's Fausto, Bellini's I Puritani, where the composer produced a special version for Malibran, Grandval's Mazeppa and a song by Saint-Saens.

The programme is described a panorama of Italian and French opera, but Rossini is its anchor. Some of Malibran's key Bellini roles are lacking, whilst Viardot is notable for having Sapho written for her by Gounod and more importantly she created the role of Fidès in Meyerbeer's Le prophète. What is does give us is a rather gorgeous and somewhat self-indulgent programme of arias and duets from two luxurious voices.

Malibran as Desdemona, by François Bouchot, circa 1830

We begin with and engaging account of the overture to Rossini's Otello, an opera in which Malibran both sang Desdemona and the title role. The orchestra sounds compact, yet not undernourished and theit performance makes a nice curtain raiser. Next comes Rossini's La Donna del Lago with Karine Deshayes as Elena and Delphine Haidan as Malcolm forming a rather rich bon bouche, and giving a taste of the two singers' stylish way with bel canto

Perhaps more of a novelty is the aria from Viardot's Le dernier sorcier (1867) with Delphine Haidan. The work has a libretto provided by Viardot's lover, Turgenev which might make it almost worthwhile reviving for that alone. Slightly old fashioned, perhaps, for its date but intriguing enough to make you want to hear more.

Berlioz had an incredibly high regard for the music of Gluck, and when it became problematic performing his French works at the Paris Opera because the rise in pitch meant that the tenor role rose too high, Berlioz conceived of re-writing it for his then ideal mezzo-soprano, Pauline Viardot. The result is a conflation of the French and Italian versions that would take over from Gluck's original versions. Here, we hear Orphée's 'Amour, viens rendre à mon âme' from Orphée et Eurydice with Karine Deshayes. Deshayes brings a very 19th century touch to the virtuoso sections, and this is definitely Gluck seen through a 19th century lens, and all the more appealing for that.

Viardot wrote a significant quantity of songs for her salon, and we hear Les Monts de Géorgie with Delphine Haidan. This has a lovely touch of exoticism to it and fits into a long line of French song hymning exotic locations.

Berlioz conceived the role of Didon in Les Troyens with Viardot in mind though relations had cooled somewhat by the time the first part of the opera was staged, the only part presented during Berlioz' lifetime. We hear Karine Deshayes as Didon and Delphine Haidan as Anna in their duet from Act 1, Scene 4. The two voices form a suitable contrast and make the duet engaging and appealing, so much so that you regret we don't get more from the opera.

Pauline Viardot as Orphée (1860)

Louise Bertin's 1831 Fausto Overture follows. Her teacher was François-Joseph Fétis, a composer and critic who had a somewhat tempestuous relationship with Berlioz, though Berlioz helped Bertin with staging her first, and only opera. The overture is suitable dynamic and dramatic, building on a brooding opening.

We return to Rossini for Elisabetta, regina d'Inghilterra with Karine Deshayes as Elisabetta and Delphine Haidan as Matilde. A duet for two sympathetic women, this features some lovely parallel writing for the voices, and enchanting and engaging delight.

Then we have Bellini's I puritani with Karine Deshayes singing Elvira's 'Qui la voce sua soave' though the booklet does not make it clear whether Deshayes is singing the original, or the mezzo-soprano version created by Bellini for Malibran. Deshayes sings with style and sympathy and makes you forget the darker vocal tones in a role usually associated with high sopranos.

We return to Orphée et Eurydice with Delphine Haidan singing the classic 'J'ai perdu mon Eurydice', again with the feeeling of the 19th century opera that Viardot probably brought to the role.

We then hear two orchestral items from Clemence de Grandval who was a pupil of Saint-Saens and her opera Mazeppa was staged with some success in Bordeaux in 1892. These are two charming characteristic pieces played with stylish verve by the orchestra.

For our final Rossini opera we turn to Semiramide with Karine Deshayes as Semiramide and Delphine Haidan as Arsace, and we can luxuriate indeed in these two voices spinning around and around each other. Saint-Saens dedicated Samson et Dalila to Viardot and wanted her to sing Dalila but she declined owning to her age (she was in her mid-50s at the time), so we hear the duet, El Desdichado - Boléro. This does exactly what it says on the tin; cod Spanishisms galore, the whole is a perfect delight.

A lot of thought has gone into this disc and whilst we can perhaps regret the items that were not included, in terms of celebrating the musical world of Malibran and Viardot, the programme makes appealing sense. More than that, Karine Deshayes, Delphine Haidan and Débora Waldman have created a very satisfying programme. You sense the performers sympathy with and enjoyment of this complex repertoire, throwing off fioriture and ornaments with verve, style and not a little glee. This was music written to show off and the three women clearly are having fun doing so.

Sisters
music by Rossini, Viardot, Gluck/Berlioz, Berlioz, Bertin, Bellini, Grandval, Saint-Saens
Karine Deshayes (mezzo-soprano)
Delphine Haidan (mezzo-soprano)
Orchestre national Avignon-Provence
conductor Débora Waldman
Recorded in Avignon, 2023
NoMadMusic NMM118 1CD [71.33]

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