Gustave Cloëz, was a regular conductor of vocal recordings for the Gramophone Company. He was the first to record Mozart’s Bastien und Bastienne, in French translation.

Mozart – The Magic Flute – Aria of the Queen of the Night (Der Hölle Rache)
Mozart – Marriage of Figaro – Cherubin’s Aria: “Voi che sapete”
(both sung in French)
Lily Pons, soprano
Orchestra, Gustave Cloëz

Parlophone Odeon Series RO 20153
Matrices KI 2229-1, 2480-3
Recorded 26th February and 6th July 1929

Pons’s 1942 recordings of these arias with Bruno Walter conducting are much better known and more frequently reissued than her earlier versions. Both arias are in score pitch at 78rpm.

Mozart - Bastien et Bastienne
L'Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Paris, Gustave Cloëz

Martha Angelici, soprano - Bastienne
Paul Derenne, tenor - Bastien
André Monde, bass - Colas
Pauline Aubert, harpsichord

After HMV’s pioneering successes recording the Mozart/da Ponte operas and the Magic Flute in the 1930s, it was some time before any other major Mozart operas reached the recording studios. In the meantime it fell to the French company “L’Anthologie Sonore” to bring another Mozart opera to the world, from occupied France in 1941. Bastien und Bastienne was Mozart’s third opera. It is a one-act singspiel to a libretto by Weiskern (a translation of a French original), and was written when Mozart was just twelve. This premiere recording was of the French version by Gauthier-Villars and Hartmann (published by Schott). A number of cuts were made in order to fit the work on to twelve 10” sides. These are noted below.

This recording is perhaps too light and delicate for modern tastes, and this aspect is emphasised further by the use of the French version, particularly from the two male singers.

A translation of the original notes accompanying the records can be found here.

L'Anthologie Sonore FA801-6 (10")
Matrices JF 1 to JF 12, all first takes (M3-102726 to M3-102737)
(Not recorded in side order. Side 9, 1, 7, 2, 3, 12, 10, 11, 4, 5, 6, 8)
Recorded 20th to 24th September 1941

Side 1: Introduction - Air de Bastienne "Mon tendre ami Bastien"
Side 2: Récit du Bastienne "Bastien, quoi tu me fuis" - Air de Bastienne "A travers la prairie"
Side 3: Airs de Colas "Souvent vous invoquez mon art" - Récit de Bastienne et Colas "Bonjour, Seigneur Colas"
Side 4: Airs du Bastienne "Que de fois celui que j'aime" et "Des flatteurs souvent"
Side 5: Récit de Colas "Eh! bien, sois satisfaite" - Duetto de Colas et Bastienne "Ces avis, que je t'adresse"
Side 6: Airs de Bastien "Cher Seigneur" et "Va, ce n'est là qu'une fable”
Side 7: Air de Colas "Diggi, daggi" - Air de Bastien "Doux regards"
Side 8: Air de Bastienne "Son coeur, je m'en cru certaine"
Side 9: Air de Bastien "Oui, da! je ris de tes outrages" - Air de Bastienne "Il n'est besoin que d'un sourire"
Side 10: Récit de Bastien "Hé quoi? tu ris de ma prière" - Duo de Bastien et Bastienne "Va, berger, perfide”
Side 11: Duo de Bastien et Bastienne "Quand vient l'hiver qu'importe"
Side 12: Terzetto "Fort bien, après la tempête"

The various cuts are noted in the following track listing:
1. Introduction
2. Mon tendre ami Bastien (Air de Bastienne) (10 bar intro cut)
3. Bastien, quoi tu me fuis (Récit du Bastienne)
4. A travers la prairie (Air de Bastienne)
5. Allegretto
6. Souvent vous invoquez mon art (Air de Colas)
7. Bonjour, Seigneur Colas (Récit de Bastienne et Colas) (approx 32 bars cut at various points)
8. Que de fois celui que j'aime (Air de Bastienne) (8 bar intro and 10 bar coda cut)
9. Ah, fi! Que c’est villain! (Récit de Bastienne) (First 10 bars of recit cut, removing Colas)
10. Des flatteurs souvent (Air de Bastienne) (8 bar intro cut)
11. Eh! bien, sois satisfaite (Récit de Colas) (1 word cut!)
12. Ces avis, que je t'adresse (Duetto de Colas et Bastienne) (6 bar intro cut)
13. Cher Seigneur (Air de Bastien)
14. Va, ce n'est là qu'une fable (Airs de Bastien)
15. Diggi, daggi (Air de Colas)
16. Doux regards (Air de Bastien) (8 bar intro and 8 bar coda cut)
17. Son coeur, je m'en cru certain (Air de Bastienne)
18. Oui, da! je ris de tes outrages - Il n'est besoin que d'un sourire (Airs des Bastien et Bastienne) (Of the 4 verses, 2 and 3 are omitted)
19. Hé quoi? Tu ris de ma prière (Récit et Arioso de Bastien et Bastienne)
20. Va, berger, perfide - Quand vient l'hiver qu'importe (Duo de Bastien et Bastienne)
21. Fort bien, après la tempête (Terzetto)

Lully - Cadmus et Hermione: Chaconne
Lully - Phaëton: Ouverture et Entrée de danse

Orchestre de la société des Concerts de Versailles, Gustave Cloëz

L’Anthologie Sonore AS114

Matrices AS240-1, 239-1 (M6-103605, 103604)

Recorded April 1942

François Couperin - Le Parnasse ou L'Apothéose de Corelli
I. Gravement - II. Gayement
III. Modérément - IV. Vivement - V. Très doux
VI. Vivement - VII. Gayement
Orchestre de chambre de la Société des Concerts de Versailles, Gustave Cloëz

L’Anthologie Sonore AS115, 116

Matrices AS242-2, 243-2, 244-2 (M6-103704, 103705, 103706)

Recorded May 1942

4^th side of this set taken up by:

François Couperin - Les Gouts Réunis

(a) Le charme - (b) La noble fierté - (c) L'enjouement
Gaston Crunelle, flute, Pauline Aubert, Harpsichord, Victor Clerget, viola da gamba

L’Anthologie Sonore AS116

Matrices AS241-1 (M6-103506)

Recorded March 1942