The Spin Doctor Europadisc's Weekly Column

Regular readers of our weekly reviews will know that we at Europadisc are big fans of the recordings issued by the Bru Zane label, or (to give its full name) Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française (Centre for French Romantic music). Established as recently as 2009, this organisation is dedicated to the rediscovery and promotion of French music from 1780 to 1920: ‘the long 19th century’. It is best known to record buyers for its luxuriously presented, limited edition opera sets, but it covers much else besides, including monographic collections dedicated to individual composers, with a strong emphasis on songs, cantatas and oratorios.

Bru Zane has just been named Label of the Year in the 2025 Gramophone Awards: a richly deserved award, and all the more remarkable as it has only been issuing its own releases for 13 years. In that time, it has covered everything from J.C. Bach (his Amadis de Gaule of 1779) to Reynaldo Hahn (his 1933 comédie musicale, Ô mon bel inconnu), highlighting rare works by such well-known figures as Offenbach, Bizet, Saint-Saëns and Massenet, as well as shining the spotlight on far less familiar composers like Louise Bertin, Théodore Gouvy, Victorin de Joncières, Marie Jaëll and Max d’Ollone. While the majority of works come from the second half of the 19th century, the classical period is far from overlooked, with operas by Cherubini, Méhul and Spontini all given the BZ treatment.

Bru Zane, however, is much more than a record label: based in the historic San Polo district of Venice, in a palazzetto dating back to 1695, the organisation is a research hub, organising concerts, conferences and publications, as well as preparing the editions used in its recordings. It even has its own web-based radio station, broadcasting exclusively French 19th-century music! And the fruits of its extensive researches also appear on other labels, from specialist imprints like Ricercar and La Boîte à Pépites to Alpha Classics, harmonia mundi and even Erato. The palazzetto itself is an annex to the Palazzo Zane Collatto, at one time the Zane family palace; from the outset, it functioned as an arts venue, and it then passed through ownership by the Venier and Collatto families. In 2006, the Fondation Bru (a charitable foundation of the Bru pharmaceuticals family) bought the palazzetto from Dominic von Habsburg, and then undertook a major restoration, including the original Sebastiano Ricci frescoes.

The Palazzetto Bru Zane title therefore encapsulates the building itself, its present day benefactors (the Bru Foundation) and the original Zane family name. That a Baroque Venetian palace funded by a modern pharmaceuticals family should specialise in French 19th-century music is a series of happy incongruities. The organisation’s success reflects a number of factors. High production values certainly play a part: the handsome hardback books which house its opera recordings, individually numbered on high-quality paper, with duotone printing, extensive specialist documentation and complete libretti with translations, more than justify the pricing of the individual sets. The performances themselves, often following concert performances, combine pioneering spirit, blazing commitment, and star quality, with many leading opera singers from France and further afield featuring repeatedly.

And then there’s the repertoire itself: the French Romantic repertoire, once hugely popular, and which enjoyed a brief revival in the post-war years thanks to the efforts of Sutherland, Horne, Bonynge and others, is ripe for rediscovery by new generations of performers and audiences. The recent DVD issue of Bizet’s Carmen in a staging based closing on the 1875 Opéra-Comique production will come as a tonic to anyone who has had their fill of the conceptual excesses of 21st-century Regieoper, harking back to a time when opera productions basically did what it said on the tin.

At the same time, the team at Bru Zane have not ignored the new appetite for music by long-neglected women composers, of whom there are several notable French examples. The 8-disc box titled ‘Compositrices: New Light on French Romantic Women Composers’ (2023) featured works by no fewer than 21 figures, among whom Mel Bonis, Lili Boulanger, Cécile Chaminade, Louise Farrenc and Pauline Viardot are only the best-known. A huge critical and commercial success, ‘Compositrices’ demonstrated that Bru Zane’s appeal and expertise goes significantly beyond the operatic repertoire.

With a busy production schedule and backed up by a team of dedicated experts, Bru Zane seems to go from strength to strength. We heartily congratulate them on their Gramophone award, and wish them many more years of imaginative and revelatory production.

Explore the complete Bru Zane catalogue (currently on special offer!) here:
- Bru Zane - All available titles