RECORDINGS
April 11, 1998
April 11, 1998
BERIO: Un Re in Ascolto
Wise, Armstrong, Greenberg, Vachmi; Adam, Zednik, Lohner; Vienna
Philharmonic, Maazel. No libretto. Col Legno WWE-20005 (2)
This release, capturing the world premiere of Luciano Berio's Un Re in Ascolto (A King Listens) at the 1984 Salzburg Festival, has a strong cast and leadership under Lorin Maazel. The live recording neatly balances orchestra and voices in a sort of middle distance. But if this is a "festival document," with a real sense of presence, it is less than an ideal recorded presentation of a subtle, complex score.
Too bad, because further performances have shown the work to be a vital, moving exploration of an impresario's last moments, surrounded by his creations and memories. The libretto, by Italo Calvino and the composer -- sung here partly in the original Italian, partly in German -- is highly allusive (and elusive). It repays concentrated attention, both to the text itself and to its interrelationship with voices and orchestra. The fact that the recording supplies no libretto, only a synopsis with extended quotations, cripples this close examination. The listener is forced to rely on the sounds themselves, while the rather homogenized blend of pit and stage fails to define the music sufficiently, particularly in the ensembles.
In addition, this opera, more than many others, depends on its visual aspects, since the theater in all its variety is put onstage; the debt to Pirandello is obvious. Certainly Theo Adam, as Prospero, was more effective onstage than the worn condition of his voice registers here, though his death scene is moving, even with an audible prompter.
Given these strictures, it is amazing how well the opera works, proceeding relentlessly from opening chaos to closing isolation. Berio incorporates familiar operatic forms (arias, duets), abstracted and highlighted, to achieve the sound world that surrounds his central character. The opera's ties to so many of its cousins are reinforced by this forward movement toward the final solitude of death, with Prospero deserted onstage. There is an inevitability here that finally gives Un Re in Ascolto its stature as one of the more important operas of the past quarter-century. With each hearing of Un Re in Ascolto, Berio's achievement becomes more impressive, and though I wish the recording had been better, it furthers the case for the work.
P.J.S.
RACHMANINOFF: Aleko
Karnobatlova-Dobreva, Chirstova; Ghiuselev, Petkov, Kourshoumov; Plovdiv Philharmonic, Raychev. No libretto. Capriccio 10782
Erassova, Borisova; Matorin, Tarastchenko, Potchapski; Bolshoi Opera, Chistiakov. Libretto & translation. Saison Russe 788079
Rachmaninoff's one-act answer to Carmen, a product of his student days at the Moscow Conservatory, was an etude of sorts, designed to test his burgeoning compositional acumen. Nemirovich-Danchenko's Pushkin-inspired libretto was hardly a collaboration: it was an assignment. Given these limitations, Aleko's rhapsodic Orientalism and lavish melodies emerge with effortless appeal. What Aleko lacks in dramatic cohesion it makes up in melismatic opulence, managing to evoke both Borodin's Polovtsian Dances and Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana.
In this Bulgarian recording, Rouslan Raychev's ardent, deftly articulated conducting makes the most of an exceptionally rich string section, and there is some superb singing, especially from Nicola Ghiuselev, whose burgundy baritone breathes perspective into the one-dimensional title role. Blagovest Karnobatlova-Dobreva's Zemfira, Aleko's Gypsy lover, sounds narrow and shrill, wanting in subtlety; dramatically, however, the soprano makes the most of a wooden, sparsely written role. Delivering the lines of Aleko's rival, Paul Kourshoumov's lyric tenor soars with stentorian clarity. The formidable Dimiter Petkov, filling out the tiny cast as the Old Gypsy, offers his customary authority and persuasive declamation, while Tony Chirstova's breathy mezzo imbues the Old Gypsy's Wife with healthy sobriety.
In the Bolshoi recording, Andrei Chistiakov's leadership, while no less lush or assured than Raychev's, is less persuasive, wanting lucidity and fantasy. His tempos, though faster, have a prosaic, heavy-handed quality. The singers too are less compelling, though Natalia Erassova's sanguine, edgy soprano gives dramatic intensity to Zemfira. Vladimir Matorin's silky Aleko is appropriately brooding but one-dimensional. In Viacheslav Potchapski's Old Gypsy one misses an aura of wisdom and authority. Vitaly Tarastchenko, straining in an overwrought portrayal of the Young Gypsy, shows none of Kourshoumov's soaring ease.
JOHN BELL YOUNG
ORFF: Carmina Burana
Hoch; Olsen, Oswald; F.A.C.E. Treble Choir, Montreal Symphony Chorus & Orchestra, Dutoit. Text & translations. London 456290
In dealing with this hardy chestnut, Charles Dutoit's touch is exceptionally refined. The resplendent climaxes are lithe rather than grandiose; he phrases the gentler moments sensitively, injecting a nice swing into basically moderate tempos, maintaining the overall dramatic momentum better than most.
Baritone soloist Mark Oswald makes a strong impression, save in his barky "Estuans interius." Stanford Olsen brings off the roasted swan's lament with good humor, but this turn remains better suited to a character tenor. Beverly Hoch's breathy, unalluring leggiero soprano misses the sensuous tenderness of "In trutina" and the floated ease of "Dulcissime."
The familiar rich, glamorous sound of London's Montreal series brings powerful bass impact, a lovely sense of texture and clear definition of the well-blended choral voices. The engineering emphasis on brilliance, however, undercuts quieter bits, while the overmiked flourishes at the start of "Veris leta facies" and chime at "Ecce gratum" are too much "in your face."
STEPHEN F. VASTA
EMI Centenary Gala at Glyndebourne
EMI Classics 56465
EMI has its roots in the Gramophone Company, formed in London in 1897, ten years after the gramophone was invented in the U.S. by Emile Berliner. In observation of its centennial, EMI launched a gala concert at the Glyndebourne Festival Theatre in Lewes, East Sussex, on April 27, 1997, from which the present CD preserves seventy-six minutes of highlights.
In the 1930s, EMI made pioneer Mozart opera recordings at Glyndebourne. Here the only Mozart is a pair of arias from Die Zauberflöte, unmemorably sung by Ian Bostridge and Olaf Bär. More interesting are two Lehár excerpts -- septuagenarian Nicolai Gedda in excellent voice for "O Vaterland" from Die Lustige Witwe, Barbara Hendricks in a delicious "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" from Giuditta. Natalie Dessay, in charmingly accented but lucid English, gives the best recorded "Glitter and Be Gay" from Candide since Barbara Cook's in the original-cast album.
Generally, lighter items -- Felicity Lott's Messager ariette, Willard White's "Ol' Man River" -- come across better than serious ones. The bigger arias -- Amanda Roocroft's squally Rusalka Song to the Moon, small-scale Verdi from Thomas Hampson and Alison Hagley (arias from Falstaff)-- emerge awkward and almost out of place. At the end, all join in one of the most raucous "Happy Birthday" choruses ever.
ROBERT CROAN
MOZART: Zaide
Dawson; Blochwitz, Bär, Lippert, Purves; Academy of Ancient Music, Goodwin. Libretto & translation. Harmonia Mundi 907205
Mozart's unfinished opera Zaide (1779-81), a precursor of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, was abandoned because Mozart became convinced that though the Austrian public wanted shows in exotic "Turkish" settings, it wanted comedies, not tragedies. In fact, what remains of the project (about 80 percent of the total) -- while serious in the sense that the Pasha (a singing role here) will put the girl and her lover to death for trying to escape -- is more overcast than dark. Mozart, amid the ABA arias, composed two melodramas (music under spoken text) of power, and the final quartet is memorable, though nowhere near so advanced as his contemporaneous effort for Idomeneo, "Andrò ramingo e solo."
What this almost-opera requires is a contingent of youthful-sounding voices, and that is just what it receives here. The names of the singers bespeak solid reputations in this composer's music -- Lynne Dawson in the title role; tenors Hans Peter Blochwitz and Herbert Lippert as the slave Gomatz and Sultan Soliman; baritone Olaf Bär as Allazim, the Sultan's favorite slave; and bass-baritone Christopher Purves as the overseer Osmin. Everyone wants to put the work across, and the result is a spirited run-through of a minor Mozart opus.
P.J.S.
Sylvia McNair
OPERA & CONCERT ARIAS by Mozart. Academy of St. Martin
in the Fields,
Marriner. No texts. Philips 289446
Sylvia McNair's vocalism is well-nigh faultless here -- every note perfectly placed, the full range of a challenging aria like "Martern aller Arten" encompassed with confidence and notable lack of stress, the coloratura smooth, the tone full and brilliant.
Much of this program, however, seems uncommunicative. McNair is a meticulous singer, and every syllable sounds carefully studied. "Deh vieni, non tardar," with its precisely measured pauses and somewhat mannered recitative (the rolled "r" in "braccio" leaps out disconcertingly), offers little spontaneity; in "Porgi, amor" each phrase is a model of conscientious scrutiny; and Pamina's "Ach, ich fühl's" proceeds heavily, little helped by Neville Marriner's deliberate pace. Matters improve in up-tempo selections, such as "L'amerò" from Il Re Pastore and a substitute aria for Le Nozze di Figaro, both of which move with a nice rhythmic lift.
SHIRLEY FLEMING
Renée Fleming
ARIAS, SONGS. English Chamber Orchestra, Tate. Texts & translations. London 289458858
Renée Fleming's recordings often invite superlatives, for the vibrancy of her engagement with the texts, her resiliency of rhythm, subtlety and variety of coloring, confident command of range and, simply, beauty of sound. (This album is entitled The Beautiful Voice.) These qualities come together here in a program that encompasses six languages (including the dialect of "Baïlero" from Canteloube's Songs of the Auvergne).
Right at the start, "Depuis le jour" from Louise is sung with rhapsodic abandon and wrenching warmth. The Faust Jewel Song is luminous with excitement; the quiet moments of Marietta's song from Die Tote Stadt have limpid tenderness and shimmering tone. The unblemished, shapely flow of Strauss' "Morgen" is heartfelt, the csárdás from Die Fledermaus scintillating and elegant. Perhaps the most encompassing example is Manon's "Je marche sur tous les chemins" and gavotte. The spring of the rhythm, the variety of inflection as she leans gracefully into a key syllable, the elasticity of line -- all hold one spellbound. Jeffrey Tate and the English Chamber Orchestra are sympathetic to the singer's every inflection.
S.F.
Matthias Goerne
Schubert Winterreise. G. Johnson (piano). Texts & translations. Hyperion CDJ-33030
Simon Keenlyside
SONGS by Schumann. G. Johnson (piano). Texts & translations. Hyperion CDJ-33102
Matthias Goerne, heard to advantage in Vol. 27 of Hyperion's Schubert Edition, joins forces again with pianist Graham Johnson in Vol. 30 for an earthy, emotionally direct Winterreise cycle, striking a perfect balance between the keen intelligence of Wilhelm Müller's poetry and the compassion of Schubert's music. The baritone is top-notch throughout, hitting the shift into the tonic major on the last verse of "Gute Nacht" with magical tenderness, suffusing "Die Krähe" with Hitchcockian suspense. His warm, rounded tone is ideally suited to the countrified ironies of "Der Lindenbaum" and "Frühlingstraum"; his subtle musicality is the key to a frosty "Auf dem Flusse" and an inward-looking "Die Post." Johnson's liner notes, as usual, are exhaustive and enlightening.
After more than a decade spent completing the Schubert Edition, Hyperion and Johnson have embarked on a similar project devoted to Schumann. In Vol. 2, British baritone Simon Keenlyside (another veteran of the Schubert series) sings a group of Goethe, Lenau, Geibel and Kerner settings with superb conviction, his clean, firm attack especially apt in the "Ballade des Harfners" and the tin-soldier posturing of "Der Husar, trara!" In "An die Türen will ich schliechen" his gradually thinning tone suggests the narrator's vacant-eyed madness, and in the baroquely sentimental "Die Löwenbraut" a flick of lightness on the word "Jungfrau" catches the bride's terror as she enters the lion's cage. Even more impressive are a stunning "Stirb, Lieb' und Freud'!," the contrasting emotions (and voices) of narrator and subject heartbreakingly accurate, and a world-class "Stille Tränen," its inner tension sustained with masterly legato. Johnson is the perfect partner, his drily witty suggestion of finger-drumming boredom in "Der leidige Frieden" standing as one of the disc's highlights.
F. PAUL DRISCOLL
Håkan Hagegård
SONGS by Brahms, Stenhammar, Sibelius. W. Jones (piano). Texts &
translations. RCA Victor Red Seal 68097
Carole Farley
SONGS by Delius (with orchestral selections). Rhenish Philharmonic/ Philharmonia Orchestra, Serebrier. Texts. Dinemec Classics DCCD-019
Håkan Hagegård, always a classy artist, matches his own high standard in his new disc of German and Scandinavian songs. Opening with Brahms' Five Songs, Opus 105, the baritone shapes "Wie Melodien zieht es" with transcendent softness, maintaining the mood with a smooth, unstrained "Immer leise wird mein Schlummer" and an exquisite "Klage." An eight-song Sibelius group is treated with similar loving care, pianist Warren Jones working wonders with the fairly unimaginative accompaniment. Four narrative perorations by the Swedish composer Wilhelm Stenhammar provide a happy outlet for Hagegård's flair for dramatic characterization, especially in "Prins Aladin av Lampan." A magisterially dignified reading of Brahms' Four Serious Songs closes the program.
Carole Farley's cloudy diction and unsteady tone sink Dinemec's album of Frederick Delius songs for soprano and orchestra, a section of the composer's oeuvre that could prove interesting with the right interpreter. The recording is poorly engineered, its soloist frequently overwhelmed by the luxurious Rhenish Philharmonic under José Serebrier.
F.P.D.
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
ARIAS & SONGS by Caldara, Caccini, Carissimi, Cesti, Durante,
Giordani, Gluck, Handel, A. Scarlatti, Stradella, Vivaldi. St. Martin in
the Fields, Marriner.
Texts & translations. Philips 289456543
Nine of these nineteen Arie Antiche are actually opera or oratorio arias, so the program is more broad-ranging than it appears at first blush. The sources being eighteenth-century, one or two even earlier, emphasis falls entirely on classical bel canto -- a daunting assignment for any singer, even one so poised and accomplished as Dmitri Hvorostovsky.
The Siberian baritone's solid training and attractive timbre stand him in good stead. Though a lyric baritone, he has viable low notes. His sustained, velvety line, ideal for Verdi, proves equally suited to such arias as Gluck's "O del mio dolce ardor" from Paride ed Elena and such songs as Giuseppe Giordani's "Caro mio ben." In the latter, there is even a messa di voce diminuendo on the final "senza di te." Hvorostovsky can produce a respectable trill; in coloratura, lacking the sheer dexterity of a specialist like Samuel Ramey, he alternates betweeen a not very exemplary chortling style (in Giacomo Carissimi's "Vittoria, mio core!") and a more convincing smooth phrasing (in "Sorge infausta" from Handel's Orlando).
Recondite titles alternate with chestnuts that challenge one's memory of classic "golden age" recordings. "Che farò" sounds rather nonchalant at this quick tempo, as though Orfeo might have lost a glove rather than his beloved; but "Ombra mai fu," which should sound nonchalant, seems too sober, perhaps because the baritone color is wrong for a castrato aria. Hvorostovsky conveys expression by purely singing means, without wearing his heart on his sleeve; such restraint is welcome in music of classical style. A definite under-embellisher, when he adds the occasional appoggiatura, he knows how to make it count.
Of the thirteen selections that had to be "arranged," none plays havoc with a period sensibility. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, attuned to Neville Marriner's leadership, supports the enterprise with warmth, discretion and vitality.
JOHN W. FREEMAN
Roberto Alagna -- Serenades
EMI Classics 56426
Roberto Alagna has been exploited in ways that mask his genuine talents -- his is a lyric tenor of modest size and pleasing quality when not pushed beyond its natural limits. Here he sings far-fetched arrangements of Italian songs and arias (plus a few French), accompanied by two guitarists who happen to be his brothers: gimmick alert! (The tenor's wife, soprano Angela Gheorghiu, also manages to get briefly into the act.) The music ranges from Neapolitan songs, the traditional province of Italian tenors (Alagna, a French national, is of Italian descent), to a maladroit excursion into the baritone domain of Don Giovanni's serenade.
R.C.
WAGNER: Der Ring des Nibelungen
Varnay, Brouwenstijn, Milinkovic, Madeira; Windgassen, Kuen, Suthaus, Uhde, Neidlinger, Hotter, Greindl, Van Mill; Bayreuth Festival, Knappertsbusch (1956). No libretto. Music & Arts 1009 (13)
On the heels of Melodram's issue of this 1956 Bayreuth Ring (reviewed May 1997) comes a less expensive one from Music & Arts that outpoints it in sonic definition and clarity. Except for the final scene of Siegfried, more exciting in 1958, this is the most urgent of Hans Knappertsbusch's four impressive Bayreuth Rings, perhaps because Wieland Wagner chose that season to restage his original 1951 production, so there was longer rehearsal time.
C. J. LUTEN
WAGNER: Die Walküre, Act I
Nilsson; Svanholm, Greindl; Schmidt-Isserstedt (1953). No libretto.
BellaVoce 107010
Siegfried
Grob-Prandl, Anday; Treptow, Frantz, Wernigk; Vienna Symphony, Moralt (1949). No libretto. Myto 972155 (3)
BellaVoce's Act I of Die Walküre displays Set Svanholm and Josef Greindl at their best as Siegmund and Hunding, together with the young Birgit Nilsson just before her Bayreuth debut. Their singing is magisterial in sound, drama and musicality, strongly supported by Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt on the podium. The exceptional clarity of the mono sound almost makes one believe it's stereo.
Myto's second installment in its uncut concert Ring cycle conducted by Rudolf Moralt is impressive. The only problem is the bleaty Siegfried of Günther Treptow, who after a disastrous Act I entrance gradually improves -- or do we just get used to him? Ferdinand Frantz presents a benchmark Wanderer and William Wernigk a colorfully characterized, vocally firm Mime, while Rosette Anday's true-contralto Erda offers strong credentials. The big surprise is Gertrud Grob-Prandl's unusually lyrical Brünnhilde, combining sensitivity with strength. Moralt's leadership is even more commanding than in his Walküre, issued last year (reviewed April 5, 1997). The recording is rich and well-delineated for its time, marred only by tape print-through during Act II and some strange beeping at the start of Act III.
BILL ZAKARIASEN
OPERA NEWS, April 11, 1998 Copyright ©1998 The Metropolitan Opera Guild, Inc.