Of course, you all know that the best way to get to know an opera is simply to listen to it from beginning to end, text (libretto included in the CD) in hand, and try to absorb it as a dramatic and musical whole. You also know that this needs to be done more than once (more like five or six times or more) before you can get to know the work at hand. But some of us are a bit more timid about approaching opera, particularly new opera, so I'd like to offer this short guide of highlights in Tobias Picker's Thérèse Raquin to help you get to know the opera.
Let me first suggest some excerpts that will help ease you into the work, i.e. more tonal sections in which the style will be more familiar to you:
CD I, Track 4 — Laurent: "She watched me painting along the Seine" [In this aria Thérèse's lover Laurent describes to Camille an encounter he had with a female model while he was painting out of doors. Listen to the recurring refrain on 'Ah', feel the humid afternoon air so beautifully depicted in the orchestra, and experience the erotic longing that our heroine must be going through as she overhears this story.]
CD I, Track 9—Suzanne, Madame and Thérèse: "I remember" [In this short trio for the three women, Madame Raquin reminisces about Suzanne's wedding dress, made by her mother. Thérèse, who has lost her mother, interjects that her wedding dress would have been of a more exotic type. Notice how Thérèse's lines interrupt the duet of the other two women, both musically and dramatically making a point of her 'outsider' status.]
CD I, Track 13—Olivier: "Once there was a servant girl" [In this wonderful little ariette, Olivier tells the story of a servant girl falsely accused of theft. This is a perfect little piece in that the orchestral accompaniment exacts a description of the oppressive tale as well as communicates the plodding, meticulous nature of Olivier's character. Listen through to the end of the track, after the aria, to where the characters comment on Laurent's painting of Camille, and notice that the oppressive 'feel' of Olivier's sordid little tale continues through.]
CD I, Track 7—Thérèse and Laurent: "When we were little children" [This is, in essence, the lovers' duet as they catch some time alone. Thérèse begins by remembering her childhood, her first experiences with Camille and dreams that she had of her father who abandoned her. We hear the main theme of the duet in the vocal line, the first three lines, "When we were little children, we slept in the same bed. 'Don't make a noise. Be quiet, she would say.'" If you listen to this track carefully, you will hear this theme repeated in the vocal line at "How can I say 'I love you?'" and again in the orchestra during the interlude ending the scene. There is a secondary theme, though, a falling scale passage at "…and in my dreams I saw my father and I'd call out to him, 'Come for me.' " Both tunes are eminently lyrical, tonal and passionate.]
CD I, Track 1—Introduction: [Now that you've listened to some vocal moments in the score, go back and listen to the orchestral introduction: the theme which you hear at the very opening, a falling octave and then a step up, is used by Picker as a source for much of the rest of the score. Do you recognize the opening motive to Gershwin's An American in Paris? You should! I'm indebted to one of our opera preview regulars for pointing it out to me, and the composer has confirmed that the quote was intentional, a kind of autobiographical comment on his being "an American in Paris" exploring the story of Thérèse Raquin!]
CD I, Track 14—Septet: [This ensemble for all seven principal singers acts as a kind of musical model for the whole opera: it begins tonally with a simple diatonic tune, then takes on thicker, more complex textures and devolves into dissonance as it ends in the orchestral interlude leading into scene 3. As Picker notes in the CD booklet, the opera begins relatively tonally, then picks up thorny textures and pointed dissonances as Thérèse and Laurent 'descend into hell'.]
CD I, Track 17—[Another aria for Thérèse and Laurent as they contemplate the possibility of life without Camille. The language is heavy with the insinuation of murder without actually coming out and saying it. Note the gorgeous melody in the strings at 1:34, as Laurent tells Thérèse to listen to the voice of the river and what it tells them they must do. What they must do, of course, is kill Camille. But listen to this melody; it is sumptuous and romantic, it recurs again in the opera with reference to their illicit passion for each other. Here, Picker intimately connects the lovers' murderous act of desperation with their erotically charged love.]
CD I, Track 18—[Now you should listen to Camille's murder. Murder and mayhem scenes in opera are always high on my list of 'things to listen to' for people new to opera, or even new to new opera! I figure the excitement of the dramatic moment will attract the listener as much as the more lyrical, conventionally 'beautiful' moments. This scene is no exception. It is, of course, terribly dissonant; but it needs to be, considering what is going on. If you can make it through this scene, you'll probably have the second act wired, because the music becomes more and more complex as we thread our way to the end. Notice the return of that romantic 'river' motive from Track 17 at 1:25. The Seine is now the locus of Thérèse and Laurent's love as well as their blood pact. It is, as well, where both their love and Camille lose life irrevocably.]
The above excerpts should be studied and listened to in the order that I've given them since I've tried to go from the most approachable to the more difficult music. When you've become familiar with these excerpts, you've heard most of the motives that will be used and developed in Act II. When you feel that you are really familiar with the above excerpts, then start at the beginning and listen (and read!) straight through the work a number of times. You'll be amazed at how quickly you'll begin picking up themes and ideas, relating the musical occurrences of Act II to what you've familiarized yourself with in Act I.