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.
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 recent recording of Flis [The Raftsman] (1858) makes another of Moniuszko’s operas available to modern audiences, and it is a solid contribution to the discography.
With its libretto (in Polish) by Stanisław Boguslawski hinged on the conflicts resulting arranged marriage and the reunion of two estranged brothers, Flis is not as distinguished dramatically as it is musically. In this attractive score Moniuszko offers a convincing portrait of Polish life. The number that opens the work is engaging, with the chorus supported well by the colorful orchestral accompaniment. In the number which follows, the heroine Zosia has an extended number which is captivating for in its florid character. With folk elements convincingly fused into Moniuszko’s musical idiom, the piece stands apart for its bel-canto-like style. Soprano Iwina Socha demonstrates her facility well in this piece, and the duet with bass Janusz Lewandowski who plays the soldier Szóstak. Supporting the voices is a richly textured orchestra, which evokes at times the idiom associated with Carl Maria von Weber and also, at times, some of the operas of Donizetti.
As to the story itself, Zosia loves the raftsman Franek, sung by tenor Bogusław Bidziński, but her father Antoni (Leszek Skrła) promised her to Jakub (Michal Partyka). In obeying her father’s wishes, Zosia must forego Franek’s love for the stability of a marriage with the barber Jakub. Franek reluctantly relinquishes any commitment he had with Zosia. As a result Franek decides to leave the community to seek his long-lost brother. Yet the ensuing conversation with Jakub reveals that he is the very person Franek sought. The brothers are reunited and Jakub blesses the marriage between Zosia and Franek at the conclusion of this one-act opera.
As Franek, Bogusław Bidziński is impressive, with supple, lyrical voice which matches nicely the fluid soprano voice of Iwina Socha. Bidziński’s voice fits the role well, with technique to excel in the vocal demands Moniuszko required in the role. Bidziński’s aria with chorus is notable for the way it reveals his character musical, just as the earlier piece gave a sense of Zosia’s role. Yet the musical and dramatic highpoint of Flis is the quartet between Zosia, Franek, Antoni, and Szóstak, which demonstrates the contrapuntal skill Moniuszko brought to this score. It anticipates the concluding ensemble, which brings the work to a satisfying conclusion.
This is an excellent recording of a work that deserves to be heard. As much as the essay in the booklet that accompanies the recording mentions performances of Flis in the twentieth century, those occasions are, unfortunately rare. Here Moniuszko expresses his own voice well and gives a sense of style of opera, which was popular in Poland in the mid-nineteenth century. Moreover, this is a laudable effort of the Zamku Opera, which boasts a fine chorus and clearly. The conductor Warcisław Kunc deserves credit for the convincing performance, which seems as natural as if he himself composed the score. The sound on this recording is solid, with a good balance between the voices and orchestra. To its credit, Dux released the recording with a full libretto in the original Polish, along with translations in English, German, and Italian. Those who may know Moniuszko’s work through only Halka or The Haunted Manor or, perhaps, the songs on a recent recording by Jadwiga Rappé, may find that Flis will enhance their appreciation of the composer.
James Zychowicz