Boieldieu had been writing operas comiques in France and Russia for over twenty-five years when he came up with his masterpiece, "La Dame Blanche".Its librettist, Eugene Scribe, had an unfailing knack for sensing the mood of the fickle Parisian public. Composers practically begged him to write libretti for them, so they would be assured of a hit at the box office. Scribe decided to cash in on the craze for the novels of Walter Scott (a craze exploited by many, many other composers, including Rossini, Donizetti...and, later on, Georges Bizet himself in "La Jolie Fille de Perth"!). Scribe 'borrowed' from no less than five of Scott's works to come up with a crazily complicated plot about 'The White Lady' of Avenel Castle, a ghost who is supposed to protect the estate and its rightful owners. I won't attempt to summarise the plot here (try reading the synopsis in Kobbe's Opera Guide), let's just say it is the sort of thing that was parodied mercilessly by later satirists - but its craziness is part of the opera's charm. The supernatural element also allowed Boieldieu to exploit the other great musical fashion of the 1820s, the popularity of Weber's "Der Freischuetz", although "La Dame Blanche" doesn't sound the least bit 'Gothic', its magic is more of the delicate and wistful kind (one critic has referred to its 'moonlit grace'). As for local colour, it doesn't sound the least bit Scottish either, except for the variations on the folk melody 'Robin Adair' in the last act. What it does sound is very, very French: graceful, light and of immense melodic charm. Once heard, its popularity is easily understood - its tunes are infuriatingly catchy. It may plumb no great emotional depths, but its surface is delightful, with delicate accompaniments to the arias by flutes, harps and oboes. Boieldieu's main influences are the operas comiques of Gretry and Cherubini and, to a lesser extent, of Rossini. The great Italian himself was full of praise for the famous 'auction' ensemble at the end of the second act.
Minkowski directs an energetic performance, far surpassing the previous recording, which was mostly a lifeless affair. Rockwell Blake, the Rossini tenor, copes well with the demands of the lead role, the soldier Georges Brown (who sings the only aria which is even half-remembered from this opera, the marvellous "Viens, gentille dame"), but his voice is too nasal to be beautiful. The two lead female roles are great: there is an unusual chance to hear Mireille Delunsch in a comic role, as the 'soubrette', Jenny; and Annick Massis (what has happened to her?) is very touching as 'La Dame Blanche' herself with her fresh, lyrical soprano. The only minor fault is that EMI's recording sounds rather shallow, to my ears at least.
So "La Dame Blanche" may not be "Carmen" but for all its simplicity (even naivety), it still has the power to cast its spell over the modern listener. Adventurous explorers of the byways of French opera need not hesitate, but its charm might well captivate many other people too. (Brys)
