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 Requiem mass of Gabriel Fauré is often unfairly overshadowed by other 19th century settings of the mass. The monumental works of Giuseppe Verdi and Hector Berlioz achieve moments of extreme drama by stretching the limits of soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Fauré’s Requiem, in contrast, is an intimate vision of heavenly peace in the afterlife. The soaring melodic lines and compact harmonic progressions evoke profundity through beauty and simplicity.
The Requiem mass of Gabriel Fauré is often unfairly overshadowed by other 19th century settings of the mass. The monumental works of Giuseppe Verdi and Hector Berlioz achieve moments of extreme drama by stretching the limits of soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Fauré's Requiem, in contrast, is an intimate vision of heavenly peace in the afterlife. The soaring melodic lines and compact harmonic progressions evoke profundity through beauty and simplicity.
This recording by Ed Spanjaard, the Netherlands Chamber Choir, and the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, Maastricht achieves the dramatic restraint in Fauré's music. The strings, in particular, play with both intensity and sensitivity. The Introit has a fervent trembling in the vibrato, and the violas' majestic melody in the Agnus Dei spins with a sumptuous warmth. Their superb musicianship combined with the inherent musical drama captures a hopeful longing for eternal rest.
The chorus carries most of the dramatic weight in the work. In the Introit, the chant-like intonation grows from a haunting pure unison to a full blossoming of light. The following melodic line of "Requiem aeternam" is sung by a warm, unified tenor section. Their sensitive flexibility establishes a gentle restrained optimism for eternal rest. In the "Sanctus" the sopranos equal the tenors as they exchange beautifully tapered arching lines. Both sections' clear spinning tone creates an ethereal halo. The sopranos also evoke heaven in the final movement, "In Paradisum." Again, they sing their unison solo line with a pure warm clarity. At the brief moment of terror in Fauré's work, in the "Libera me", the Netherlands Chamber Choir reaches a full open forte, singing with strength and force. Perhaps the most beautiful choral moment comes at the "Amen" at the end of the "Offertorium" with the soaring sopranos and precisely in tune a cappella singing.
The soloists also bring drama to the music. Baritone Harry Peeters sings his first entrance, "Hostias," with warm, open tone carried vibrantly through each phrase. He conveys a solid assurance that appropriate sacrifices will bring redemption for the dead. Peeters' best singing though, comes with the opening line of the "Libera me." His strength transforms into a fervent longing for peace and safety. Soprano Christiane Oelze's singing portrays the opposite dramatic mood. Her clear ringing tone in the Pie Jesu is sweet and cherubic. Her pure tone and soft expression emulates a child's plea for rest.
Included with the Requiem on this CD are several of Fauré's lesser known smaller choral works. Most notable is a late edition of the orchestral Pavane to which Fauré has set a poetic text. Also included is the beautiful anthem Cantique de Jean Racine, performed here with orchestral accompaniment. Packaged with this excellent performance of the Requiem, this recording is a wonderful collection of Fauré's choral music.
Adam Luebke