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OperaNet: Reviews
EDITOR'S CD REVIEW OF OPERA AND SONG |
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By Joel Kasow PARIS, 19 DECEMBER 2005 . Handel: Rodelinda
Rodelinda has always been considered one of Handel’s most important operas, both musically and dramatically; as effective in the theater as on disc. The earliest serious recording (Teresa Stich-Randall and Maureen Forrester) may not have been as stylishly conducted (Brian Priestman) as later rivals but it did have a certain dramatic power that is lacking in the performances by Michael Schneider with Barbara Schlick in the title role (Deutsche Harmonia Mundi – somewhat Teutonic) and by Nicolas Kraemer with Sophie Daneman (Virgin – somewhat aseptic). Alan Curtis makes far more of the dancing rhythms while his singers are far more in tune with the drama. Simone Kermes in the title role may not entirely efface memories of Stich-Randall but she is a major-league player in this repertory. The distinctive voice of Sonia Prina barrels its way through the role of Eduige, runs sometimes heavily aspirated, chest tones overdone. The two remaining alto roles were originally written for castrati, and on the two above-mentioned recordings were given to bloodless countertenors. Here, Marijana Mijanović (Bertarido) and Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Unolfo) are flesh and blood creations, the former sounding better than in some recent live performances; the florid writing comes out smoothly while her androgynous timbre is perfect. Lemieux continues to please with her mellow sound always at the service of the music. Steve Davislim rises to the heights of his last scene, a tortured accompanied recitative and a minor key aria. The recording is more than complete textually, Bertarido given both his virtuoso arias in the last act, alongside a recently published (second) duet for Rodelinda and Bertarido that precedes the final chorus. Highly recommended.
Handel: Delirio
Looking for new territory to conquer now that she is quitting
stratospheric realms, Natalie Dessay shows that she is a superb Handelian.
Two cantatas (the longish Delirio amoroso and Mi palpita il
core) sandwhich an one of Aci’s arias from Aci, Galatea e
Polifemo. A recording of the latter conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
appeared last year in which Dessay was replaced by Sandrine Piau, but
Dessay shows that she is equally adept at negotiating the Handelian
hurdles. The voice has more color at the lower end than formerly, while
her teamwork with Haïm remains impressive, the two acting as one (but then
Dessay refers to the conductor as her sister). In other words, run out and
buy this recording.
Mozart: Opera & Concert Arias
The young Lithanian mezzo Elina Garanča has been collecting rave reviews everywhere she appears. Her second recital album (the first was issued, almost confidentially, in 2001 by Ondine) is devoted exclusively to Mozart, several of whose works she has already sung on stage. The voice is immediately attractive with its smoky color, though the slightly covered vowel sounds may not be to the liking of all listeners. Garanča sings several soprano arias with varying results as sustained high passages do not always sound comfortable, and I would question the selections of "Alma grande" and "Chi sa", both of which require a lighter touch. That they were written for the first Dorabella does not mean that they are suitable for the Dorabellas of today who are invariably mezzos rather than the soprano the composer had in mind. Despite lingering fondnesses for Graziella Sciutti in "Chi sa" and Teresa Berganza in "Ch’io mi scordi di te", there is much pleasure to be had from this CD, finely accompanied by Louis Langrée and the Camerata Salzburg, with the added enjoyment of pianist Frank Brayley in the aria with piano obbligato ("Ch’io mi scordi di te") written for the first Susanna.
Poldowski: Songs We love discovering neglected composers, and Poldowski certainly fits into that category. The daughter of the Polish violinist Henri Wienawski and an Irish woman, Poldowski (her nom de plume) was to a large extent self-taught, in addition to study with Vincent d’Indy. She married a baronet, Sir Aubrey Dean Paul, but eventually left him and died in poverty, forgotten by just about everyone. She published 28 songs, most written in French and the majority of those settings of poems by Verlaine, some piano music, two pieces for orchestra and two for violin and piano. A brief entry in Graham Johnson and Richard Stokes’s French Song Companion offers sufficient praise so that we are grateful for the opportunity to put their judgment to the test. And she passes. The songs show an individual voice, even when there are direct comparisons with Debussy or Fauré or Hahn. Particular favorites are "Impression fausse" where the scurrying of the mouse is reflected musically, or "Nocturne" with its heavy hammer blows or "La passante" with its oboe obbligato echoing the pangs of the lovelorn page.
Schubert: Schwanengesang; Beethoven: An die ferne
Geliebte
Once again we fall under the spell of Matthias Goerne, with the assistance of no less a legendary pianist than Alfred Brendel. The chemistry works and we have performances of Beethoven’s contribution to the lieder cycle, in an authoritative performance. Schubert’s collection cannot be called a cycle, the Rellstab and Heine songs so totally different in nature. Rellstab is given his due, but the utter seriousness of the performers results in a stunning performance of the six Heine songs, so far removed from the standard image of Schubert but looking far into the future.
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin
This is Ian Bostridge’s second recording of Die schöne
Müllerin and what strikes one – besides the intelligence with
which it is performed – is the mannered pronunciation which sometimes gets
in the way of the music, while some of the fast songs tend to sound
scrambled. Mitsuko Uchida’s contribution is acceptable but rarely achieves
the exalted level that we should expect from her.
Schumann: Lieder
Matthias Goerne and Schumann seem to be a perfect match. This is the
baritone’s third CD of the composer’s music, and once more Goerne
demonstrates his verbal and vocal mastery. Many of the songs are from the
magical year of 1840, but there are several from later years that show
little falling off in quality, despite received opinion. The Opus 90 songs
to texts by Lenau (where are the first and last?) are every bit as good as
Dichterliebe, both of the Liederkreis and
Frauenliebe und Leben. Whether the exquisite Rückert miniatures,
the sardonic Heine Ballads or purely lyric effusion, composer and
performers are in total harmony, for our pleasure.
Vivaldi: Virtuoso cantatas
The music of Vivaldi is increasingly in the air. From the large-scale performances of I Quattro Stagioni that began in the 1950s to ever-increasing historical awareness of performance practice, the composer’s vocal music is now attracting ever-increasing attention. Philippe Jaroussky is an enthusiastic partisan of the Red Priest and imparts the necessary brio to his performances, but at the same time is capable of sharing the pathos where necessary. Vivaldi’s range is demonstrated in this cd, from the plaintive to the vengeful, with every step in between, and the four members of the Ensemble Artaserse (harpsichord, theorbo/lute, bassoon and cello) share the singer’s affection for the music.
Opera Probita
Once again Cecilia Bartoli – no longer limited in the accompanying
material to a specific vocal range – manages to knock us over with her
archival explorations. The theme of this collection is music written at
the beginning of the 18th century to be sung in oratorios, as opera in
Rome was forbidden at the time by papal interdiction. As the singer
demonstrates, the music is every bit as effective, whether dynamic or
moving, as that written for the stage. Some of the Handel items were in
fact later recycled into his operas. Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti and
Antonio Caldara are the featured composers, the latter two almost entirely
premieres on disc (except for two arias from Scarlatti’s Sedecia). The format
alternates slow and fast arias, to reduce the layout to its simplest
terms, but within that framework we can appreciate the singer’s commitment
to the music. From the Angel’s explosive aria (La Risurezzione) or
Piacere’s aria of flight (Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno) to
Carita’s almost folklike "Che dolce simpatia" (Scarlatti’s Giardino di
Rose) to the laments of Caldara’s Francesca or
Faustina, Bartoli compels us to listen. The agility is never in
question, while the ability to spin out a long line remains
flabbergasting. Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre –Grenoble
contribute to our pleasure.
Arias for Senesino
Hearing Andreas Scholl and Cecilia Bartoli in close proximity is like
entering different worlds. Both are consummate musicians, but Bartoli’s
extrovert temperament creates a rather different effect than the more
quiet and more sober countertenor, so that the repertory in common
benefits from being heard in their distinct approaches. Scholl performs
not only Handel, but Albinoni, Lotti, Porpora and A. Scarlatti. The
virtuoso aspects in which Bartoli glories are here present but toned down,
while the line is equally fine in the slower arias. Scholl’s verbal acuity
has been sharpened since his stage experience of the role of Bertarido,
something we feel immediately in the two accompanied recitatives from
Rodelinda and Giulio Cesare. It is the aria "Cara sposa"
from Rinaldo that demonstrates the artistry of the singer to
greatest advantage. The Accademia Bizantina under Ottavio Dantone adopt an
approach that is in total accord with the singer.
To be reviewed: Pia de Tolomei, L’amour de loin (DVD), Paride ed Elena, Tristan und Isolde, La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein (CD and DVD), Le Roi de Lahore, L’esule di Granata Joel Kasow is the Operanet editor at Culturekiosque.com |
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