Paul Dukas’ Ariane et Barbe-Bleue, first heard in 1907, once seemed important. Arturo Toscanini conducted the Met premiere in 1911 with Farrar and later arranged some of its music for a 1947 recording with his NBC Symphony.
The economics of the recording companies dictate much that is not ideal. Wagner’s operas were not composed as they were in order to permit the extraction of bleeding chunks, even on those occasions when strophic song forms do occur.
Among the recent recordings of Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, Valery Gergiev’s release on the LSO Live label is an excellent addition to the discography of this work.
While not unknown, the songs of Alexander von Zemlinsky (1871-1942) deserve to be heard more frequently.
Recorded on 5 and 6 May 2008 and 17 and 18 January 2009 at the Lisztzentrum (Raiding, Austria), this recent Bridge release makes available the piano-vocal versions of three song cycles by Gustav Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, Rückert-Lieder, and Kindertotenlieder performed by mezzo-soprano Hermine Haselböck, accompanied by Russell Ryan.
Contraltos rarely achieve the acclaim and renown of sopranos. Assigned few leading roles in opera, they are condemned to playing the villain or the grandmother, or to stealing the castrati’s trousers in en travesti roles.
Following their 2011 Decca recording of Striggio’s Mass in 40 Parts (1566), I Fagiolini continue their quest to unearth lost treasures of the High Renaissance and early Baroque, with this collection of world-premiere recordings, ‘reconstructions’ and ‘reconstitutions’ of music by Giovanni and Andrea Gabrieli, Monteverdi, Palestrina, and their less well-known compatriots Viadana, Barbarino and Soriano.
Eternal Echoes is an album of khazones [Jewish cantorial music] for cantorial soloist, solo violin and a blended instrumental ensemble comprising a small orchestra and the Klezmer Conservatory Band.
Michael Tilson Thomas’s recording of Mahler’s Third Symphony is an outstanding contribution to the composer’s discography.
Oliver Knussen burst into British music with an unprecedented flourish. In 1967, the London Symphony Orchestra premiered Knussen’s First Symphony, with István Kertész scheduled to conduct.
Based on performances given in Summer 2010 at the Lucerne Festival, this recording of Beethoven’s Fidelio is an admirable recording that captures the vitality of the work as conducted by Claudio Abbado.
Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872) was one of the most popular composers of his day in Poland, and of the many works he wrote for the stage, two are performed from time to time, Halka (1848) and Strazny dwór [The Haunted Manor] (1865).
The Polish alto Jadwiga Rappé is a familiar voice in various stage and concert works, and the recent release of a selection of songs by Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1872) is an opportunity to hear her performing artsongs.
Originally released on multiple discs in 1981 this reissue on two CDs is a comprehensive collection of art songs by Italian and French composers from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
An exciting contribution to the discography of this popular opera, the live performance of Richard Strauss’s Salome from the Festspielhaus at Baden-Baden is a compelling DVD.
Released in late 2011, Deutsche Grammophon’s DVD of the new staging of Berg’s Lulu at the Gran Teatro del Liceu, Barcelona is an excellent contribution to the discography of this fascinating opera.
A recent release by the Metropolitan Opera, this two-disc set makes available on DVD the famous performance of Berg’s Lulu that was broadcast on 20 December 1980 as part of the PBS series “Live from the Met.”
The novels of Sinclair Lewis once shot across the American literary skies like comets, alarming and fascinating readers of that era, but their tails didn’t extend far behind them.
Once the province of only the most dedicated opera fanatics, mid-20th century recordings of privately taped live performances have become more widely available.
Flute players in opera orchestra around the world must look forward to the frequent appearances of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, knowing that while the stage spotlight in the mad scene will be on the soprano, the orchestral spotlight will be on their instrument.
The Basque region of Spain is known as a unique cultural enclave. Within its confines thrives a rich artistic heritage. Composer Francisco Escudero has become one of the most famous 20th century composers from the region. His avant-garde sound blends many eclectic styles with elements of traditional Basque music.
Francisco Escudero: Illeta (Funeral Oratorio)
Ricardo Salaberria, Baritone; Coral Andra Mari; Bilbao Symphony Orchestra, Juan José Mena
NAXOS 8.557629 [CD]
The Basque region of Spain is known as a unique cultural enclave. Within its confines thrives a rich artistic heritage. Composer Francisco Escudero has become one of the most famous 20th century composers from the region. His avant-garde sound blends many eclectic styles with elements of traditional Basque music.
Escudero's funeral oratorio, Illeta chronicles a town's communal grief over the loss of a loved one. The narrative poem by Xabier Lizardi, Biotzean min dut, translated as My Heart is Broken, is a brooding tale of three days of mourning stretching through a wake, funeral, and burial. Like a Baroque passion setting, a soloist and chorus take up dramatic roles as narrator and townspeople.
The rich baritone soloist, large orchestra and massed chorus create somber tones and jarring colors conveying a deep spirituality. Escudero employs many descriptive musical devices to portray immense sorrow. Tolling bells signal death, strident stings are the citizens' cries of grief, and the sweeping orchestra scales create gusting winter wind. Escudero's avant-garde pallet also brilliantly evokes atmospheres of desolation, despair and consolation.
The musical language incorporates many eclectic modern styles within the religious nature of traditional Basque music. Recurring throughout the work is a five note motive reminiscent of the Dies Irae chant. The final section of the work, the funeral, begins with an exact quote of the Requiem Aeternam chant of the Requiem mass. These examples reflect the influence of Gregorian chant and the foundation of religion in Basque music and culture.
Juan José Mena leads the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra and the Coral Andra Mari in a powerful performance. The orchestra color and tonal shading ranges from exquisite hollow piano shimmering to solemn percussion and brass led processions. The chorus and soloist sing their emotionally charged text with suitable drama. Their wailing high notes are wrenchingly sorrowful and their final words of sadness, "my heart is broken" are sung with an intense, quiet resignation. Baritone Ricardo Salaberria's dark warm color leads the chorus' heartfelt emotion. His superb strength and richness vividly narrate the events, despite the text being in Euskara.
This Naxos disc provides a wonderful glimpse into the insular Basque artistic oeuvre. Grounded in profound religious ideas, Francisco Escudero's Illeta is a stirring work of modern and traditional sounds. This recording powerfully portrays the depiction of an intense emotional ceremony in honor of a lost loved one.
Adam Luebke