"Elijah Moshinsky's production is surely as lively and moving as Verdi's intricate masterpiece deserves. Jose Cura sizzles.''-- San Francisco Chronicle

Giuseppe Verdi IL TROVATORE

Manrico – José Cura
Count di Luna – Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Leonora – Verónica Villarroel
Azucena – Yvonne Naef
Ferrando – Tomas Tomasson
Ines – Gweneth-Ann Jeffers
Old gypsy – Thomas Barnard
Messenger – Douglas Telfer
Ruiz – Edgaras Montvidas

Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Vasko Vassilev)
Carlo Rizzi, conductor

Elijah Moshinsky, stage director
Dante Ferretti, set designer
Anne Tilby, costume designer
Howard Harrison, lighting designer
William Hobbs, fight arranger

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 3 May 2002

Bonus:
- Meet the cast and their characters
- All about Schläger – preparations for the fight scenes
- Designing Il Trovatore – behind-the-scenes with the director and the costume and set designers
- Illustrated synopsis Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic
Sound format: Dolby Digital 5.0 / 2.0
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English
Running time: 172 mins
No. of DVDs. 1 (DVD 9)

Also available on Blu-ray

*** This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD or HD DVD players. ***



MORENO TORROBA Luisa Fernanda & • Jesús López-Cobos, cond; Nancy Herrera ( Luisa Fernanda ); Mariola Cantarero ( Duchess Carolina ); José Bros ( Javier Moreno ); Plácido Domingo ( Vidal Hernando ); Raquel Pierotti ( Mariana ); Teatro Real O & Ch • BBC/OPUS ARTE 969 (Blu-ray: 132:00) Live: Madrid 7/14,16/2006


& Interviews with Domingo, Sagi, and López-Cobos; illustrated synopsis; cast gallery


Alan Swanson covered the earlier DVD release of this production in Fanfare 31:2; hie thee to our online archive for details. This is a highly engaging work from 1932 about a love triangle during an anti-royalist uprising in 19th-century Spain; the musical style is Spanish Puccini with even catchier tunes (by which I mean the melodies are built from short, memorable phrases rather than long operatic lines). You need only see and hear Nancy Herrera for a few seconds to think, “What a perfect Carmen she’d be.” Indeed, she has sung that role many times. Here, she’s not a dangerous Gypsy vamp but an ordinary middle-class woman torn between two lovers: a brash, womanizing, ambitious royalist and military man (sung ringingly by José Bros) and an earnest and stable country gentleman who falls in with the rebels (the superb Plácido Domingo, venturing into high baritone territory). In every respect—composition, singing, orchestral management by Jesús López-Cobos, stage direction, and set design by Emilio Sagi, everything—the production is a delight.


The high-definition video format is perfect for keeping the deep blacks and bright whites in balance, never allowing the light colors to flare or bloom or the dark patches to turn the overall picture murky. As usual with Opus Arte, the audio options are limited to stereo and 5.0 PCM. Extras include a narrated synopsis, and good interviews with Domingo and the stage director and conductor. This is an endearing work, lovingly presented.


FANFARE: James Reel
Vidal Hernando – Plácido Domingo
Luisa Fernanda – Nancy Herrera
Javier Moreno – José Bros
Duchess Carolina – Mariola Cantarero
Mariana – Raquel Pierotti
Aníbal – Javier Ferrer
Rosita – Sabina Puértolas
Don Florito Fernández – José Antonio Ferrer
Don Luís Nogales – Federico Gallar
Bizco Porras – David Rubiera
Emilio Sagi, Stage Director
Recorded live at the Teatro Real, Madrid in July 2006
Bonus:
- Interviews with Plácido Domingo, Emilio Sagi and Jesús López Cobos
- Illustrated Synopsis / Cast Gallery

Region code: 0 (All Regions)
Picture: 16:9; 1080i
Sound: PCM 2.0 and 5.1
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian

Also available on DVD

The “Nutcracker” remains one of the most popular ballets ever with Tchaikovsky’s luscious score annotating the fantasy and enchantment of the tale. Vasily Medvedev and Yuri Burlaka, two Russian choreographers have developed a version for the Staatsballett Berlin which is based on the historic stage designs and choreography from the original of 1892. This glittering production was designed as a reproduction of the great ballet féerie, an older form of French theater which includes opulent scenery and mechanically worked stage effects. With the Orchestra of the Deutsch Opera, Berlin conducted by Robert Reimer.

Iana Salenko (Clara & the Sugar Plum Fairy), Marian Walter (Nutcracker & Prince Coqueluche), Michael Banzhaf (Drosselmayer), Arshak Ghalumyan (Mouse King), Elena Iseki (Young Clara) & Linus Schmidt (Fritz)
Soloists & corps de ballet of the Staatsballett Berlin, Students of the Ballettschule Berlin & Children’s Choir & Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Robert Reimer.

Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
(Blu-ray Disc Version)

Princess Aurora – Alina Cojocaru
Prince Florimund – Federico Bonelli
King Florestan XXIV – Christopher Saunders
His Queen – Elizabeth McGorian
Cattalabutte – Alastair Marriott
Carabosse – Genesia Rosato
Lilac Fairy – Marianela Nuñez

The Royal Ballet
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conductor

Marius Petipa, choreographer

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 5 December 2006.

Bonus:
- Cast gallery and illustrated synopsis.

Picture format: 1080i High Definition
Sound format: PCM 2.0 and 5.1
Region code: 0 (All Regions)
Menu language: English
Subtitles (extra features): French, German, Spanish, Italian
Running time: 135 mins
No. of Discs: 1 (BD50)

R E V I E W:



TCHAIKOVSKY The Sleeping Beauty • Valeriy Ovsyanikov, cond; Alina Cojocaru ( Princess Aurora ); Frederico Bonelli ( Prince Florimund ); Marianela Nuñez ( Lilac Fairy ); Genesia Rosato ( Carabosse ); Royal Op House Covent Garden O • OPUS ARTE 7037 (Blu-ray Disc: 135:00) Live: London 12/5/2006


David L. Kirk favorably reviewed this 2006 Royal Ballet performance of The Sleeping Beauty in Fanfare 32:3. I would just add a few comments. Alina Cojocaru as Princess Aurora gives an elegant and seamless performance that manages to enchant without making you constantly aware of her impeccable technique. Cojocaru’s Princess Aurora may not quite be on the level of her signature role of Giselle, but she is the focal point of this extravagantly casted performance, despite some formidable and charismatic competition. Marianela Nuñez, as the Lilac Fairy, is mesmerizing, and could just as easily be Princess Aurora. Frederico Bonelli (Prince Florimund) holds his own and interacts well with Cojocaru. Conductor Valeriy Ovsyanikov almost rivals Antal Dorati in rhythmic intensity, but tends to be a little rigid in comparison to the master ballet conductor. That presents no problem though, because none of the competing DVD versions have a conductor that can compare to Dorati. Barry Wordsworth produces some lovely lyrical moments conducting the 1994 Royal Ballet version, but he sounds rhythmically flaccid compared to Ovsyanikov, and that won’t do with The Sleeping Beauty . I am in full agreement with Kirk that the warm, traditional sets allow the dancers to stand out in a way that is ideal for The Sleeping Beauty.


The picture on this Blu-ray disc has the expected improvement in sharpness and dimensionality, but the high-resolution surround sound is even more important than the picture in The Sleeping Beauty . Tchaikovsky’s spectacular symphonic score is perhaps unprecedented in the world of ballet, even more so than Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. It requires high-resolution sound to make its maximum impact, and for that reason more than any other this Blu-ray disc is the way to go.


FANFARE: Arthur Lintgen

The "Evening of Roland Petit Ballets" is made up of two one-act ballets. The first - "Passacaille" is to music by Anton Webern, including his "Five Pieces" Op. 5 in the arrangement for string orchestra and "Passacaglia" Op. 1. "Pique Dame" uses music not from Tchaikovsky's opera but from his Symphony no 6.

Also available on Blu-ray

A DVD of a stunning 2014 performance choreographed by Belgian modern great Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker, performed by members of the Paris Opera Ballet and set to Music for Eighteen Musicians, Steve Reich's major score composed in 1976. In tandem with the score rendered here by Ensemble Ictus and the Synergy Vocals ensemble, ‘Rain’ draws its spatial polyphony which manifests on the stage in a glorious pastiche of dancers and rhythm. Created by De Keersmaeker’s company, Rosas in 2001, “Rain” entered the Paris Opera Ballet's repertoire ten years later and reinforces her key role not just in the world of modern dance but in the worlds of contemporary art.

From the mythological setting of Idomeneo via the sparkling wit of Le nozze di Figaro and powerful tragicomedy of Don Giovanni to the fantastical workings of the late Singspiel Die Zauberflöte, Mozart’s mature operas stand among the greatest achievements of Western art, dramas that illuminate the composer’s creativity as a whole and which stood out in their own time for the new level of characterisation, wit and lessons on life and humanity they brought to the musical stage. Featuring recordings made during the last ten years from some of the world’s leading opera houses, this collection offers an acclaimed series of productions that present consummate interpretations of Mozart’s scores through striking set designs and peerless singing, paying homage to a group of masterpieces which are just as relevant today as when they were first performed.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THE GREAT OPERAS
(13-DVD Box Set)

Idomeneo


Idomeneo - Ramón Vargas
Idamante - Magdalena Kožená
Ilia - Ekaterina Siurina
Elettra - Anja Harteros
Arbace - Jeffrey Francis


Salzburg Bach Chor
(chorus master: Alois Glassner)
Camerata Salzburg
Roger Norrington, conductor


Karl-Ernst Hermann, stage director, set and costume designer
Ursel Herman, stage director


Recorded live from the Salzburg Festival, 2006


  Die Entführung aus dem Serail


Konstanze - Laura Aikin
Belmonte - Edgaras Montvidas
Osmin - Kurt Rydl
Blonde - Mojca Erdmann
Pedrillo - Michael Smallwood
Bassa Selim - Steven Van Watermeulen


Chorus of De Nederlandse Opera
The Netherlands Chamber Orchestra
Constantinos Carydis, conductor


Johan Simons, stage director


Recorded live at Het Musiektheater, Amsterdam on 2, 7 and 19 February 2008

Le nozze di Figaro


Il Conte di Almaviva - Peter Mattei
La Contessa di Alamviva - Christiane Oelze
Susanna - Heidi Grant Murphy
Figaro - Lorenzo Regazzo
Cherubino - Christine Schäfer
Marcellina - Helene Schneiderman
Bartolo - Roland Bracht
Don Basilio - Burkhard Ulrich
Don Curzio - Eberhard Francesco Lorenz
Barbarina - Cassandre Berthon
Antonio - Frederic Caton


Paris National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Peter Burian)
Sylvain Cambreling, conductor


Christoph Marthaler, stage director
Anna Viebrock, set and costume designer
Olaf Winter, lighting designer
Thomas Stache, choreographer


Recorded live at the Palais Garnier, Paris, 2006

Don Giovanni


Don Giovanni - Carlos Álvarez
Commendatore - Alfred Reiter
Donna Anna - María Bayo
Don Ottavio - José Bros
Donna Elvira - Sonia Ganassi
Leporello - Lorenzo Regazzo
Masetto - José Antonio López
Zerlina - María José Moreno


Madrid Teatro Real Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Jordi Casas Bayer)
Victor Pablo Pérez, conductor


Lluis Pasqual, stage director
Ezio Frigerio, set designer
Franca Squarciapino, costume designer
Wolfgang von Zoubek, lighting designer
Nuria Castejón, choreographer


Recorded live at the Teatro Real de Madrid, 8, 10 and 12 October 2005

Cosi fan tutte


Ferrando - Topi Lehtipuu
Guglielmo - Luca Pisaroni
Don Alfonso - Nicolas Rivenq
Fiordiligi - Miah Persson
Dorabella - Anke Vondung
Despina - Ainhoa Garmendia


The Glyndebourne Chorus
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Iván Fischer , Conductor


Nicholas Hytner, Stage Director


Recorded live at the Glyndebourne Festival Opera in June and July 2006

La Clemenza di Tito


Sesto - Susan Graham
Annio - Hannah Esther Minutillo
Vitellia - Catherine Naglestad
Servilia - Ekaterina Siurina
Publio - Roland Bracht
Tito - Christoph Prégardien


Paris National Opera Chorus and Orchestra
(chorus master: Peter Burian)
Sylvain Cambreling, conductor


Ursel Herrmann, stage director
Karl-Ernst Herrmann, stage director


Recorded live at the Palais Garnier, Paris, May and June 2005

Die Zauberflöte


Sarastro - Günther Groissböck
Tamino - Saimir Pirgu
Queen of the Night - Albina Shagimuratova
Pamina - Genia Kühmeier
Papagena - Ailish Tynan
Papageno - Alex Esposito
Monostatos - Peter Bronder


Milan La Scala Chorus and Orchestra
Roland Böer, conductor


William Kentridge, stage director


Recorded live at La Teatro alla Scala, 20 March 2011


Bonus:
- Overview of The Magic Flute
- Illustrated synopsis

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Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian + Chinese (Idomeneo) / Dutch (Serail)
Running time: 24 hours 20 mins
No. of DVDs: 13

Also available on Blu-ray

Monteverdi’s seminal first opera tells the dramatic story from Ovid’s Metamorphoses of the descent of Orfeo (Georg Nigl) into the underworld to recover his beloved wife Euridice (Roberta Invernizzi), who has died from a snake bite. In a new production for La Scala, based on a painting by Titian and directed by Robert Wilson, the opera receives a powerful and inspiring performance from a fine cast, the Orchestra of Teatro alla Scala and Concerto Italiano under the much-admired Italian early music specialist, Rinaldo Alessandrini.

Claudio Monteverdi
L'ORFEO

Orfeo – Georg Nigl
Euridice / Eco – Roberta Invernizzi
Messaggera / Speranza – Sara Mingardo
Caronte – Luigi De Donato
Proserpina – Raffaella Milanesi
Plutone – Giovanni Battista Parodi
Apollo – Furio Zanasi

Concerto Italiano
Milan La Scala Orchestra
Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor

Robert Wilson, stage director
Jacques Reynaud, costume designer
A J Weissbard, lighting designer
Recorded live at La Teatro alla Scala, 21 and 23 December 2009.
Bonus:
- Cast gallery
- Illustrated Synopsis

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Anamorphic
Sound format: PCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian
Running time: 116 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

"This is now the best version of Monteverdi's Return of Ulysses" -- Anthony Pryer, BBC Music Magazine

CLAUDIO MONTEVERDI (1567 – 1643):
Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria, Dramma in musica in three acts

Kobie van Rensburg; Christine Rice; Cyril Auvity; Joseph Cornwell; Umberto Chiummo; Juan Sancho; Xavier Sabata; Ed Lyon; H. Bayodi-Nirt; Robert Burt; Marina Rodriguez-Cusí; Claire Debono; Luigi De Donato

Les Arts Florissants/William Christie

Pierluigi Pizzi, director; Roberto Maria Pizzuto, choreography
Recording: Teatro Real, Madrid, April 2009
NTSC All Region; DD 5.1/LPCM 2.0; 16:9; Approx. 175 mins.
Subtitled in Italian, English, German, French & Spanish

• Once again William Christie, Les Arts Florissants (celebrating their 30th anniversary at the time of this recording,) and Pier Luigi Pizzi converge as an inspired team in an exciting production.
• First Spanish performance of the opera on DVD and the second of the staged Monteverdi trilogy by the Teatro Real company, co-produced with La Fenice.
• This critically acclaimed new release of "L’Orfeo" on DVD has drawn worldwide attention.
• DVD includes interviews to W. Christie, K. van Rensburg and C. Rice.

"Last year we gave a performance here in the Teatro Real of Monteverdi’s Orfeo, this year we have Ulisse and next year Poppea. We’re no longer in Mantova and we’re no longer in the Court of the Prince. We’re in Venezia and essentially [at] the beginning of the public opera house. We’re also at the beginning of what will become opera seria, that’s to say beyond the instrumental colors, the great dances and the great pageants, [are] the beautiful effects of the singing, it’s bel-canto and so the orchestral accompaniment becomes simpler.
This is the essential difference between Orfeo and these last...two operas that were composed toward the end of his life. Orfeo is the beginning of the 17th century, the very beginning, the first ten years [and] he’s a young man, and Poppea and Ulisse are works of old age when he became a resident in Venezia. When Monteverdi was Maestro di Cappella of San Marco he is writing essentially for the new phenomenon, the Venetian opera house." - from William Christie’s interview 2008 included on in the DVD

Also available on Blu-ray



MAHLER Symphony No 9 • Claudio Abbado, cond; Lucerne Fest O • ACCENTUS ACC20214 (DVD: 94:56) Live: Lucerne 8/19-21/2010

EuroArts released a DVD of Claudio Abbado conducting the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Mahler’s Ninth in 2004, a recording I reviewed in Fanfare 29:2. This new series of Mahler recordings from the Lucerne Festival complements Abbado’s earlier recordings for DG; but for many listeners, among whom I number myself, these DVDs supplant the CDs. Abbado has sometimes been criticized for the detached manner of his Mahler recordings, but the emotional commitment on view at the Lucerne Festival concerts is undeniable.

On this new recording of the Ninth, however, restraint is the order of the day. String sonorities predominate, and in the first movement, there is sweep to the exposition and development, but the brass seems to be reined in, except in the snarling three-note motive in the climax leading to the recapitulation. In the second movement, the jaunty Ländler isn’t heavily accented; Rattle’s EMI CD is more obviously pesante by comparison. The waltz is stiff, almost as though serving as a corrective to its less suave country cousin; there is a tinge of nostalgia to the slow Ländler.

There is admirable precision in the onslaught of fragmented themes in the beginning and ending of the Rondo. This third movement isn’t as emphatic as those by Rattle or Bernstein; the satire here is laid on with a subtler brush. The Trio is gently intrusive and heartfelt, giving way to intrusive and carping winds, then to a final sigh as the Rondo reasserts itself. Restraint is again the watchword in the Adagio finale. These aren’t the emphatic, intense phrases of Bernstein or Tilson Thomas; though there is feeling here, it just isn’t as obviously heart-on-sleeve. This concert introduces an intriguing touch: During the last few minutes, the stage lights are dimmed, becoming a visual complement to the dying moments of the symphony. Abbado now takes these measures very slowly. As the last notes decay, the orchestra sits in silence, Abbado is motionless, and for over two minutes there is no sound, until the audience erupts for what becomes an extended ovation. It’s all quite theatrical, but there is no denying its effectiveness.

Abbado’s is not my ideal Ninth: I prefer the more highly contrasted approach of, most recently, Simon Rattle/Berlin and MTT/San Francisco, and of Bernstein/New York before them. When the performance is at this level of professionalism, however, my preferences hardly matter. Those listeners/viewers seeking consummate musicianship and masterly conducting need look no further. The sound production (stereo, DTS, and Dolby 5.1) is better than those heard on DG’s Abbado CDs, and the video production is crisp and sensible. Abbado in Lucerne: What else needs to be said?

FANFARE: Christopher Abbot

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This captures much of the peerless tone-colour, shape, drive and above all those hushed dynamics of [the] performance, awarded what feels like an infinite silence at the end... Abbado's pacing is unrivalled... the mixture of close-ups and wide shots in the final rituals is superb as ever from this team. Finest concert DVD ever? I think so.

– David Nice, BBC Music Magazine [6/2011]

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Recorded live at the Concert Hall of the Culture and Convention Center, Lucerne, 19-21 August 2010.

Extraordinary highlight of the program is the additional perspective of the “Conductor Camera”. This special feature offers the option to experience Claudio Abbado from the orchestra’s perspective.

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 95 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

R E V I E W S:

Die Fledermaus:
When a director and a production team have a concept for an opera production that alters the composer-librettist’s original vision, the results can vary from imaginative to hubristic expressions of a director trying to be unique—or just unusual. The concepts that work best are the ones that retain the integrity of the opera. Such is the case with this DVD of Die Fledermaus derived from performances at Glyndebourne. The action has been moved into the early 20th century, art deco simplicity has replaced 19th-century fussiness. The score remains intact, but the dialogue is new—yet it remains quite faithful to the story line. It was adapted by Stephen Lawless and Daniel Dooner, written in English, and then translated into German by Johanna Mayr. Purists are not likely to be offended by Glyndebourne’s updated Die Fledermaus, and most viewers will probably greatly enjoy this production.

The cast is a talented ensemble that excels not only as musicians but actors as well. Thomas Allen and Pamela Armstrong are wonderful as the Eisensteins. Their comic timing creates characterizations that are in equal measure sophisticated and droll. The act-II seduction with the watch is terrific. Lyubov Petrova makes the most out of Adele, the chambermaid with a mind of her own. Håkan Hagegård is an especially genial Dr. Falke, with intriguing glimpses of the anger prompting the Revenge of the Bat. Pär Lindskog makes a suitably lecherous Afredo. Special kudos to Malena Ernman in the trouser role of Prince Orlofsky. She does a convincing male impersonation complete with bushy mustache.

Udo Samel has the non-singing role of Frosch, the jailer. Frequently the role is assigned to the comedian of the day who pads the third act with a monologue of trademark shtick or topical humor. Mr. Samel introduces himself as Frosch — James Frosch. He admits his banter is intended to cover a scene change; however, this interplay with the audience has been edited from the operetta and appears as part of the Extras.

The biggest liability of Die Fledermaus is the third act. The first act lays the groundwork for the disguises and intrigues in act II. The third act serves as the dénouement, the unmasking after the splashy second-act party...Happily, this Glyndebourne production keeps affairs moving along nicely. The cast maintains the energy level from the first two acts. Quite a feat, since it appears the entire performance was done without intermissions.

Scene designer Benoit Dugardyn has created a clever set on a revolving stage...in this case the set is interesting and adapts quite well to the scenic demands of each act. A rather nifty scene change transforms the Eisenstein home into the Orlofsky ballroom. During the second act, the set frequently revolves, adding interesting dimensions and scenic interest.

Acts I and II and the Entr’acte to act III are on the first disc, act III is on the second disc, along with a number of interesting extra features and interviews. A compliment is due to television director Francesca Kemp and television producer Ross MacGibbon for the excellent transference of a stage production to home video. This video is respectful of the stage production without gimmicky distractions. There is very much a sense of being in the theater while watching....the new Glyndebourne production makes any evening New Years Eve.

David L. Kirk, FANFARE

La cenerentola
This is a conventional production of La cenerentola in most respects. The stage sets are sparsely suggestive rather than literal and detailed, but sufficient. Costumes are excellent, and Peter Hall gets superior comic acting from his principals. Timing and definition of gesture are especially good, with Di Pasquale and Alberghini making the most of their respective parts, minus any distracting add-on gags that all too often disrupt both the work’s rhythm and audience’s attention.


I have one reservation concerning Hall’s production, however: his treatment of the concertato . This Italian operatic convention completely stops the action and allows all characters on stage to express their thoughts simultaneously; which in Rossini’s comic operas invariably means stupefaction and derision. Hall exchanges conventional lighting at these instances for blue scrims, and sets his performers moving and weaving about in odd, slow motion patterns. In theory, this is interesting; in practice, I admittedly found it hard not to laugh at something Hall intended to be taken earnestly. I could only recall Eugene O’Neill’s pretentious 1929 play, Strange Interlude , with its characters given to occasional zombie-like speeches out of time, revealing their thoughts; or to Groucho Marx’s satire on it in the 1930 movie, Animal Crackers : “I see figures . . . strange figures . . . weird figures . . . Steel 186, Anaconda 74, American Can 138 . . .”. Hall’s desire to gussy up each concertato (and there are several, if you count smaller sections of otherwise standard ensembles, as Hall does) with a psychological dimension definitely raised a specter, but I don’t think Rossini had bushy eyebrows, a moustache, and a cigar. It’s possible to work up an academic thesis about the depth and seriousness of anything meant humorously, and the liner notes accompanying this release strive earnestly to accomplish this. But sometimes the light is just that—all light, no shadows; and this composer wasn’t a post-modernist.


Like most other Rossini operas, for many years La cenerentola went unperformed because of changing public tastes that in turn led to an absence of singers who could handle the parts. This was a vicious circle—for a lack of appropriate voices meant a lack of productions, and the absence of productions meant no need to train the voices. What are Rossini voices? They require the same qualities that can be found in other bel canto music: great agility, firm breath support, good enunciation, proper score-reading habits, and schooling in style. All of these qualities can be found in varying degrees in the seven performers who take a major stage part in this La cenerentola . Please note this; because if you ever doubted we’re entering a renewed age of bel canto , then a Rossini production that can boast of three basses, a tenor, two sopranos, and a mezzo, all reasonably fluent in coloratura, is surely as good an indication as any. However, I will single out only Ruxandra Donose for praise. Hers is a dusky mezzo, even in coloration, volume, and support across the registers. The voice is able to handle exacting coloratura without any aspiration or evidence of strain. Her forthright, focused attack in her final aria (“Non più mesta”) brought memories of Marilyn Horne in the 1970s; and like Horne, Donose builds her part from the text, not by working around it. A young singer with little as yet on CD or DVD, she clearly bears watching.


Jurowski is incisive, and alert to his singers’ needs. Sound is available in LPCM stereo and surround sound, while the video is offered in 16:9 anamorphic. Finally, there are subtitles in English, French, German, Spanish, and Italian, as well as one of those bits-and-pieces interviews (entitled “Insights,” just in case you missed what it offered) that tries to sell a darker view of the opera. It doesn’t work, but it also doesn’t matter. This production of La cenerentola was a good one for Rossini, and the audience agreed. I think you will, too.


FANFARE: Barry Brenesal


Cosi Fan Tutte
Simply put, this widely praised Glyndebourne production is the Così we’ve been waiting for. Yes, there are plenty of alternatives. But little of the video competition has fared well on these pages. Sometimes the problems stem from the musical performance: the Pritchard-led Glyndebourne predecessor was dismissed as “largely routine” by David Kirk (29:5); the Östman was ruled out of court by Barry Brenesal, who said that the “conducting belonged to the then-new movement that found only three tempos in Mozart operas: fast, faster, fast forward” (30:4). Others were panned because of inadequate production values: Chereau’s “takes itself far too seriously,” according to Brian Robins (30:3); Bob Rose was less charitable still with Hermanns’ “simply rotten” production that, he said, “reveals the producers’ lack of understanding Mozart’s genius” (30:6). Only Muti’s Vienna production (Brenesal 32:3) and Harnoncourt’s from Zurich (Christopher Williams, 30:1) received passing grades.


So what makes this performance stand out? First, the singing of the young cast is uniformly excellent. Or perhaps not quite uniformly: as is the case with her new Susanna in Pappano’s Figaro , Miah Persson is even better than excellent, combining a gorgeous, flexible, and stunningly controlled voice (even in the most challenging coloratura passages) with her by-now familiar depth of dramatic insight. Just listen to (and watch) the solid scorn on “Come scoglio”—or, even better, the subtle variations in mood in her wrenching account of “Per pietà”—and you’ll understand why she’s my favorite Mozart soprano these days.


But the rest of the cast is nearly as good. Anke Vondung holds her own as Dorabella (certainly, a less rich part), and their voices blend extremely well. Topi Lehtipuu and Luca Pisaroni capture the emotional wobbles of the two self-deluded lovers—their ardor, their ungrounded confidence, their fury—with unerring security and luxurious tone. More than most performances, too, this one reveals a key social dynamic: the deception works in part because they’re so much sexier when their costumes allow them to abandon the constraining propriety imposed by the social conventions that normally govern their behavior. Ainhoa Garmendia is a pert, disdainful Despina who doesn’t over-camp the impersonations; and running the show tactfully is Nicholas Rivenq. An unusually attractive Don Alfonso, he’s younger and far more fit than most in this role (he looks as if he just came off the racquet-ball court), and he seems an intellectual without a trace of pedantry; you can really believe that he wants to educate these two naive friends. Iván Fischer conducts with more romantic flexibility than you often get with period-instrument orchestras—and balance (both among the singers and between stage and pit) is finely calibrated. Purely as an audio version, this would stand up to any I’ve heard.


Fortunately, Nicholas Hytner’s production is equally impressive—hardly a false step from beginning to end. In general, this staging takes the opera—arguably, Mozart’s most intellectually challenging—seriously. But the seriousness does not bring solemnity. Hytner may avoid extreme farce, but there’s plenty of wit, energy, and color throughout. More important, he doesn’t condescend to the characters: you can understand both why they’re so foolish and why they’re so torn, and the final shots (where the resolution is clearly only partial) create tremendous poignance. The sets and costumes—simple but far from austere—suggest the late 18th or early 19th century, without creating a very specific moment; and while the production doesn’t ostentatiously update the action, it stresses those aspects of character and situation that still ring true today. One point highlighted here is the bond between the sisters—indeed, one could argue that it’s really Dorabella who seduces Fiordiligi; and while there is nothing louche or tasteless in the presentation of their relationship, it’s obvious that they have a strong erotic link. Not that there’s any lack of heterosexual electricity—as a result, the final scene, where nearly every possible pairing seems highly charged, is as smoldering as any you’ll see. Yet aside from one or two moments, the sex is handled with tact: the performance is hardly prudish, but it’s never aggressive either.


The Blu-ray video quality is stunning: you can see each leaf on the salads that our heroines are eating in act I. The 5.0 channel PCM is excellent as well. And while the extras are nothing special, both the conductor and the director offer intelligent insights into the opera. Two numbers are omitted, No. 7 (the duet “Al fato dan legge”) and No. 24 (Ferrando’s “Ah, io veggio”), but that’s a minor issue. All in all, if this doesn’t make it to my next Want List, we’ve got quite a year in store for us.


FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz

Also available on Blu-ray

For the very first time Daniel Barenboim tackled Franz Liszt's two highly virtuosic piano concertos in a single concert. With Pierre Boulez, his friend and esteemed colleague of many years, conducting Barenboim’s own orchestra, the Staatskapelle Berlin, they were showered with praise on their tour across Europe. For both musicians, Liszt was one of the most important pioneers of modern music, as composer, conductor and pianist. He influenced revolutionary contemporaries such as Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner. Two examples of the latter's magnificent orchestral work round off this concert programme celebrating Liszt’s bicentenary.

LISZT: PIANO CONCERTOS

Franz Liszt:
Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124/R455
Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S125/R456
Consolations, S172/R12: No. 3 in D flat major
Valse oubliée No. 1

Richard Wagner:
A Faust Overture
Siegfried Idyll

Daniel Barenboim, piano
Berlin Staatskapelle
Pierre Boulez, conductor

Recorded live at the Philharmonie Essen on 9–10 June 2011 during the Klavier-Festival Ruhr

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 90 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

TILSON THOMAS CONDUCTS IVES, SIBELIUS AND WAGNER

Charles Ives: Orchestral Set No. 1, “3 Places in New England”

Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A Minor, Op. 63

Richard Wagner: Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor

Recorded live at the Symphony Hall, Boston, 1970

Bonus:
- Interview with Michael Tilson Thomas, 1970 & 2013

Picture format: NTSC 4:3
Sound format: Enhanced Mono
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Menu language: English
Booklet notes: English, French, German
Running time: 104 mins
No. of DVDs: 1

R E V I E W:
IVES Three Places in New England1. SIBELIUS Symphony No. 42. WAGNER Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey2 & • Michael Tilson Thomas, cond; Boston SO • ICA 5111 (DVD: 104:08+31:00) Live: Boston 11/13/1970, 23/10/1970

& Tilson Thomas interviews (1970 and 2013)

It’s a shock to see what might pass for a teenaged Michael Tilson Thomas bounding to the podium in Boston’s Symphony Hall. Actually, he was an old man of 25 at the time of these broadcasts, and already an experienced conductor. He obviously had definite ideas about what he wanted to do with these works, and the skills to go ahead and do it.

Tilson Thomas made a terrific recording of the Ives in Boston, also in 1970, and this live performance is very similar. What strikes me about Tilson Thomas’s approach to this score is how sharp he keeps its rhythmic and harmonic outlines. He conducts it like chamber music, and no detail is allowed to vanish into an Impressionist haze. The whiffs of African-American spirituals in the first movement are more noticeable than in any other recording I know, and the second movement, if it lacks something of the boyish joy that Ormandy (for example) brought to it, never sounds congested. Tilson Thomas also makes much of the eerie, flickering colors with which Ives painted “The Housatonic at Stockbridge.” Overall, this performance has a strong impact, both musically and emotionally.

A few months later Tilson Thomas conducted Sibelius’s Fourth Symphony, which the BSO had not played in 30 years. Because Tilson Thomas never recorded this Symphony—has he recorded any Sibelius at all, other than the Violin Concerto?—I was very curious to hear it. My curiosity was rewarded with one of the strangest yet, in its way, most compelling performances of this work that I have heard so far. Especially in the second and fourth movements, the music zips along with incredible impetuousness. The second movement really does sound like a Scherzo, and the fourth movement moves forward with inexorable kinetic energy. Even the forbidding first movement is made to seem less stark than usual. A Symphony commonly regarded as dark and brooding seems much less so in Tilson Thomas’s reading. This won’t be a reading for everyone, but the only detail I really questioned was the use of both tubular bells and glockenspiel in the last movement. The former are so loud than I kept running to my front door and asking, “Who is it?” It’s wonderful, though, to hear the characteristic Boston sound being applied to this work.

Similarly, Wagner is not a composer generally associated with Tilson Thomas, but in fact he spent the summer of 1966 as an assistant conductor at the Bayreuth Festival at the invitation of Wagner’s granddaughter. (As he relates in his interview from 2013, it was this “gig” that resulted, by a series of fortunate circumstances, in his eventually becoming the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s assistant director.) Wagner is even less a prominent in the conductor’s discography than Sibelius. Even so, this “Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey” is completely convincing, even if it doesn’t follow the status quo. (The opening pages are almost static, but as Siegfried journeys further and further down the Rhine, it blossoms into an exciting, joyous ride, and one in which bombast has no place.) Here and in the Sibelius, there are some moments of imperfect ensemble and intonation, but otherwise, the standard of playing is very high.

I believe that Boston’s WGBH originally broadcast these programs. The colors look a little washed out, but apart from that, it is surprising how well everything has held up, including the sound. Even though it is monaural (“enhanced,” according to ICA Classics), it still has plenty of juice and depth.

The earlier interview, with Andrew Raeburn, is short, lasting just over four minutes, and is devoted almost entirely to the Sibelius. In the later interview (27:00), recorded last June, Tilson Thomas talks about his early career, and recalls the many fine conductors and orchestral musicians he worked with in Boston. Both are fun to watch, but it’s the music-making that counts, of course, and there’s much here to attract admirers of the conductor and the repertoire.

FANFARE: Raymond Tuttle

Also available on CD

Jeanne d’Arc au Bucher, written by the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger in 1938, is a fascinating oratorio. The text by Paul Claudel is constructed like a flashback, in which Joan looks back over her life just before she dies.

Marion Cotillard plays Joan with an intensity and sincerity that leap from the screen. The last moments of the martyr’s life, illustrated by the evocative and innovative music of Honegger, resound like a heartrending cry. With an exceptional cast of performers, this live recording offers a gripping new version of one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century music.

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REVIEWS:

Cotillard movingly captures Jeanne's wildly contrasting moods while Xavier Gallas is consoling yet determined in supporting her. Most impressive of all, though, are the searing choral contributions that are convincing in their heartfelt gallic fervor, from an oppressed people, via baying crowd to angelic host.

– BBC Music Magazine

Cotillard marvelously captures Jeanne's innocence, toughness and terrifying doubts; Gallais is compassionate, tender, and at times tellingly fierce. The impact is immeasurably heightened on DVD by our being able to see both the sorrowing beauty of Gallais's face and the extraordinary way Cotillard's eyes let us know exactly what is going on in Jeanne's mind and soul.

– Gramophone