Arvers’ poem (published in 1833 and titled
Sonnet imité de l’Italien) was quite famous in its day. Not famous enough, however, for Bizet to respect the poet’s first line which is ‘Mon âme a son secret, ma vie a son mystère’. Bizet was obviously a gifted transposer. We find ourselves wondering what the secret behind the composer’s life was – almost certainly a series of infidelities which kept him as far as possible from his wife. The song has a beautifully serene melody with a generously eloquent span, and we are reminded that this composer could unfold a long-breathed tune like few others when he was in the mood. Perhaps only Gounod can match him in this regard, and there is more than a small element of affectionate parody here as Bizet bows to the older composer’s style with a Gou-nod and a wink. The extended piano interludes with their searchingly beautiful modulations (they too have a seraphic quality worthy of Gounod) are prophetic of Don José’s flower song in
Carmen.
from notes by Graham Johnson © 1998
