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The first of Emmanuel Chabrier's five operas is wickedly witty, musically delightful, and, in this bright, well-directed, and superbly conducted performance, utterly charming. The composer is best known for two small orchestral showpieces, the "España Rhapsody" and the "Marche Joyeuse," which are in the repertoire of virtually every orchestra. His operas are less familiar in France and virtually unknown in the United States (though the Glimmerglass Opera has produced L'Etoile). His operas deserve to be as well-known as his orchestral music, and this performance is a long step in the right direction. L'Etoile has a silly, complicated plot that the Opera de Lyon's cast handles with the right light touch--particularly Georges Gautier as Ouf I, ruler of an imaginary kingdom, and Colette Alliot-Lugaz, performing brilliantly in the trouser role of the little peddler Lazuli, who is chosen to be executed in celebration of Ouf's anniversary. --Joe McLellan
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