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.
Since his debut at the Metropolitan Opera in 1971, conductor James Levine has come to represent the house’s commitment to artistic excellence — reliable, professional, and immaculately presented.
What to do, what to do, with Bellini and Romani’s bel canto masterpiece, La Sonnambula? The exquisite music demands to be performed, so the opera continues to have an existence on the fringes of the standard repertory.
The Royal Opera staged it a few years back, with Juan Diego Florez, (a reason for any bel canto revival) as Elvino. Santa Fe Opera put it on in 2004, for Natalie Dessay. And TDK has just released on DVD a January 2004 performance from Florence, with Eva Mei and Jose Bros.
Having seen the clumsy, occasionally ludicrous Sante Fe production, your reviewer can state that this Florence staging is better, but what a low standard to start from. Can the opera itself bear the blame? In the DVD booklet, Bellini is quoted as describing the audience at the opera’s premiere as not having a dry eye. Well, almost 175 years later, tears are unlikely to be produced by Romani’s depiction of an innocent young lady whose engagement to her beloved farmer/fiancé is threatened by her habit of sleepwalking. While Bellini’s music soars and sighs with the inner passions of the characters, the actual drama tends to psychologically naïve characterization and perfunctory plot complications (why does the Count have to pretend not to be the count?). No doubt, the opera poses many a challenge to stage directors.
Federico Tiezzi, director, and Pier Paolo Bisleri, set design, have created a visually arresting production, and the singers do their best to bring life to their characters. In the end, it doesn’t add up to much a success, but the effort can be appreciated.
A vivid green lawn and a house façade dominate act one. During the overture, Amina appears, curled up in a glaringly red sofa chair, which then disappears until the end of the opera, when Amina can safely curl up in it again for another nap. Has it all been a dream? Thankfully, that tired and ludicrous concept is not explicitly presented. Costumes for the ladies are of linen, for the most part, evoking an upper crust, early 20th century setting. Elvino, the gentleman farmer, and the Count, wear fine suits.
Somehow the beautiful spring or summer of act one regresses to a snowy cold winter scene for act two, and when Amina must suddenly appear for her narcoleptic foray, a metallic catwalk descends. So the production never comes together, with an idea here and another there that never add up to much, and with only the vaguest sense of time and place evoked. One innovation of this DVD set comes with the titles under the start of the overture, running across a series of illustrations based on the production, in the style of movie credits. Charming.
But bel canto should focus on canto, so how is this Sonnambula? The best performance in many ways comes from Gemma Bertagnolli as Lisa, the instigator and former love of Elvino whose jealousy of Amina propels the plot. A warm mezzo, Bertagnolli also has the gift of creating character by mean of her expressive face. Sadly, this production cuts Lisa’s aria, and the opera itself has no confrontation scene or true dramatic conclusion for the character.
Eva Mei meets the requirements of the role of Amina with a solid technique. She cannot do much to make Amina more than a rather tiring goody-two-shoes, but at least she doesn’t overdo the histrionics. Her big aria, Ah non credea mirarti, never takes flight, but never risks falling apart, either.
Jose Bros, the Elvino, seems to be the man to go to for these high-flying Bellini tenor roles; he also stars in the recent Puritani DVD with Gruberova. His acidic tone, though of a citric nature that may appeal to some, has a distinctive tang and easily cuts through ensembles. A simple but effective actor, he may not be an obvious choice for a man who has had the two beauties of the town fall for him, but it is a small village, after all.
Unfortunately, Giacomo Prestia as the Count has a vibrato-laden instrument without much attractive about it even when steady.
With few easily available alternatives, this Sonnambula will have its place for those burning with a desire to see the opera. For those with more patience, hold out hope that Dessay and Florez team up somewhere and that version makes it to market.
Chris Mullins
Los Angeles Unified School District, Secondary Literacy