OP0044. LA BELLE HÉLÈNE (Offenbach), recorded 1952, w.Leibowitz Cond. l’Opéra, Paris Ensemble; Linda, Dran, Giraud, Linsolas, Mans, Mollien, etc.; L’ÉTOILE – Excerpts (Chabrier), recorded 1943, w.Désormière Cond. Revoil, Thelin, Mattio, Hérent, Balbon, Bonneval, etc. (England) 2-Regis RRC 2062. Very long out of-print, Final Copy! - 5055031320622

CRITIC REVIEW:

“No recording has come near to challenging [the above] version not only for presenting the original score unadorned but also for capturing the [score’s] essence….René Leibowitz…here emerged as a master of the intimate style of Offenbach’s early operettas. He apparently assembled the cast from his pupils, which accounts not only for the relative unfamiliarity of some of the names but also the stylistic unity that so deliciously pervades the whole enterprise.”

- Andrew Lamb, GRAMOPHONE, May, 2004