Two of Finlandís greatest artistic luminariesócomposer Aulis Sallinen (b. 1935) and poet Lassi Nummi (b. 1928)ócame together to produce a fine new work, The Barabbas Dialogues (2004), which has been recently recorded and released on CD on the CPO label.
Category: Reviews
BRITTEN: Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings etc.
In an era where new studio recordings by major orchestras have dwindled to a pathetic dribble, leaving many fine institutions to start their own in-house labels, the Berlin Philharmonic still has an active contract with a major company (its conductorís label of many years, EMI) and releases come on a regular basis. A recent one features some of Benjamin Brittenís great work for instruments and tenor.
Norma in Munich ó Two Reviews
Bellini’s Norma is the story of a love triangle involving Norma, the Druid high priestess, Pollione, the Roman proconsul and father of Norma’s two children, and Adalgisa, a Druid acolyte and Pollione’s new conquest whom he intends to take to Rome. The role of Norma is generally considered one of the most difficult in opera literature. Few have succeeded in mastering it. Now Edita Gruberova, has taken on the role at the Bayerische Staatsoper. Here are two reviews.
Mozart at Lincoln Center ó Three Reviews
Earlier this week, Sir John Eliot Gardiner led the Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique and the Monteverdi Choir in two immortal Mozart works: the C-minor Mass and the Requiem, followed by an evening of Mozart’s orchestral works. Here are three reviews.
Violeta Urmana ó Lieder
ìCarmen, un bon conseilî warns Frasquita in the last act of the opera. So friends, heed my advice and donít play this CD in your car when you are accompanied by someone who likes opera but is not crazy on lieder.
MERCADANTE: La vestale
It is now slightly over 40 years since the first recording of a complete opera by Saverio Mercadante (an Il Giuramento with Maria Vitale and Amedeo Berdini) was released on LP. I quickly fell in love with his music, and realized that, while not necessarily on the same level as Bellini and Donizetti, he was not far behind, and that more of his works would be extremely welcome.
KINDERMAN & SYER: A Companion to Wagner’s Parsifal
Some twenty years ago, a leading German musicologist remarked that the
music of Parsifal
BIZET: Carmen
On June 3, 1875, thirty-six year old Bizet died after having one, some say two, heart attacks preceded by other complications. Legend has it that the composer’s death was hastened by the failure of his latest work, Carmen.
The Diva Live ó Wilhelmenia Fernandez & Bruno Fontaine
In 1981 Wilhelminia Fernandez became somewhat of a cult figure when the French thriller ìDivaî appeared on the screens. For a time her ìEbben, ne andro lontanoî from La Wally almost became a hit and several commercials used a small part of the aria.
La Traviata, Royal Opera House, London ó Three Reviews
This season the Royal Opera House has recreated “Richard Eyre’s popular production of Verdi’s La Traviata, which draws on striking period designs by Bob Crowley to amplify the tensions and confrontations that make Violetta’s predicament so tragic and her portrayal so real.” Here are three reviews: