Critiques / Reviews

MUSIQUE VOCALE

Bach : Jesu, deine Passion (Cantatas BWV 22, 23, 127 & 159)

Collegium Vocale Gent/Philippe Herreweghe

Harmonia Mundi HMC 901998 (63 min 47 s)

HHHHHI $$$

Philippe Herreweghe transcende encore une fois les partitions qu’il choisit pour en faire rayonner l’essence comme à travers un prisme d’émotions et de spiritualité. Le choix des tempi est on ne peut plus avisé : sans précipitation inutile, mais sans recours non plus à un pathos trop appuyé, comme il arrive encore parfois dans le répertoire sacré. On ne peut que recommander cet enregistrement lorsqu’on y a entendu l’alto gracile de Matthew White. Jan Kobow, ténor, et Peter Kooy, basse, sont des valeurs sûres, qui chantent avec force, avec élan – et parfois un peu trop de retenue. Le soprano de Dorothee Mields est tout aussi heureux. À preuve, le merveilleux aria de la Cantate no 127, où le dialogue élégiaque avec le hautbois est simplement divin. Une incontournable réussite. FC

Bach Solo Cantatas

Bernarda Fink, mezzo-soprano; Freibuger Barockorchester/Petra Müllejans

Harmonia Mundi HMC 902016 (76 min 20 s)

HHHHHH $$$

Pur bonheur que le présent enregistrement, qui démontre ce que beaucoup savent déjà : Bernarda Fink est l’une des grandes interprètes actuelles de la musique baroque. Comme dans ses deux récitals de lieder de Dvofiák et de Schubert, elle est ici au sommet de son art. Celui-ci est empreint d’une expressivité aussi juste qu’appropriée aux trois cantates pour soliste qui composent le programme : les BWV 35, 169 et 170, toutes de 1726, début de l’époque leipzigoise de Bach. Fink se surpasse même dans les longues arias, telles Stirbt in mir (BWV 169) ou Geist und Seele wird verwirret (BWV 35), dialogues raffinés entre la chanteuse et l’orchestre, qui compensent en quelque sorte la quasi-absence de déploiement choral dans ces compositions. De même, de magnifiques parties purement instrumentales, sinfonias pour orchestre ou avec orgue obligé, font office de prélude ou d’interlude. Petra Müllejans, qui est aussi premier violon de la formation, dirige avec souplesse et imagination l’Orchestre baroque de Fribourg. Prise de son très réussie. AL

Melodiya: Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Glinka, Tchaikovsky

Marianne Fiset, soprano; Marie-Ève Scarfone, piano; Orchestre Radio-Canada Musique/Jean-Philippe Tremblay

Analekta AN 2 9962 (56 min 59 s)

HHHHII $$

Following the success of her debut disc released last year on Analekta, soprano Marianne Fiset returns to the recording studio for a second offering, this time an all Russian program. It came about as a result of her being awarded the title of Révelation Radio-Canada Musique 2008-2009. An orchestra was set up for the sessions, conducted by Jean-Philippe Tremblay, who also conducted her debut disc. Fiset’s pure, clear, silvery lyric soprano is a pleasure to the ear. It is smooth and even throughout its range, lacking only a truly hushed high pianissimo, something that she may yet develop in the future. The Rachmaninoff songs on the disc are well known, including “Ne poj, krasavitsa” (Sing not, O Lovely One), which she sang so beautifully at the MIMC in 2007, and the ecstatic “Vesennije vody” (“Spring Torrents”). Fiset sings with much feeling, excellent enunciation and attention to detail. (In the program booklet, she thanks her Russian language coaches Esfir Dyachkov and Carol Issac). The Rachmaninoff and Glinka benefited from the excellent playing of collaborative pianist Marie-Ève Scarfone. My favourite selection is the final one on the disc – Tatiana’s Letter Scene. Tremblay’s tempo here is a little brisk, but fully supportive of the soloist. Tatiana’s long scena fits Fiset’s voice like a glove, and she sings it with gleaming tone and plenty of expression. Let’s hope some impresario will engage her to sing this most sympathetic of Tchaikovsky heroines on stage. JKS

Opium : Mélodies françaises

Philippe Jaroussky, contre-ténor; Jérôme Ducros, piano; (Renaud Capuçon, violon; Gautier Capuçon, violoncelle; Emmanuel Pahud, flûte)

Virgin Classics 50999 216621 2 6 (66 min 6 s)

HHHHII $$$

Le contre-ténor Philippe Jaroussky, connu pour ses interprétations de Vivaldi et de Haendel, se frotte ici à la mélodie française. On est d’abord saisi par la singularité de la rencontre entre un répertoire intimiste de la fin du XIXe et du début du XXe siècle et une voix forgée pour remplacer les castrats dans des opéras du XVIIIe. La voix de contre-ténor ayant connu une éclipse presque totale entre l’époque baroque et le milieu du siècle dernier, l’anachronisme est flagrant. Mais il est assumé; en effet, l’idée de confier des mélodies toutes en subtilités et en demi-teintes à une voix blanche d’une certaine fragilité, au vibrato délicat ou absent, est intéressante. On perd toutefois ici en chaleur et en sensualité et les phrases trop souvent hachurées agacent dès la fin de la première piste, tout comme la diction un peu molle, très proche de la langue parlée. Saluons tout de même la qualité des interventions des musiciens « invités », la grande sensibilité de Jérôme Ducros au piano, le choix savoureux des mélodies et le charisme indéniable de Jaroussky, qui réussit malgré ses faiblesses à rendre son album parfaitement digeste. CR

Ravel: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges/Ma mère l’Oye

Magdalena Kozena, Annick Massis, Nathalie Stutzmann, Sophie Koch, José Van Dam, François Le Roux, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, Mojca Erdmann; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Berliner Philharmoniker/Sir Simon Rattle

EMI 50999 2 64197 2 5 (72 min 58 s)

HHHIII $$$$

Ravel’s one-act opera L’Enfant et les Sortilèges (The Child and the Magic Spell) is based on a wise and charming libretto by Colette. But it is a piece best appreciated when it can be seen as well as heard; an audio recording does not do it justice. That is especially true of the present recording, in which it is difficult to distinguish the characters. For example, Magdalena KoÏená and Nathalie Stutzmann as the Child and the Mother respectively have similar dark mezzo-soprano voices. In a recording it would have been helpful to have the Child sung by a lighter and more obviously youthful singer. Be that as it may, the performance has lots of vitality and humour.

The performance of Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) is equally good. Ravel originally composed this music for piano duet and children performing, but in its orchestral form the music is extremely subtle and sophisticated and not suitable for children at all.

This CD includes ‘bonus material’ which can only be accessed on a computer. However, EMI allows you to access this material only by joining their EMI Classics Club. And having signed up what do you get? Basically two things: a bunch of promos for their new recordings and a chance to accumulate points to buy more EMI products. In this age of internet downloading, this seems like a step backwards and a misuse of the technology available to genuinely give the buyer something extra. There is nothing whatever in this ‘bonus material’ to enhance one’s enjoyment of these two fascinating pieces by Ravel. PER

Richard Wagner: Lohengrin

Johan Botha (Lohengrin), Adrianne Pieczonka (Elsa von Brabant), Falk Stuckmann (Friedrich von Telramund), Petra Lang (Otrud), Kwangchul Youn (King Henry), Eike Wilm Schulte (Herald); Prague Chamber Choir; NDR Corus; WDR Radio Choir Cologne; WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne/Semyon Bychkov

Hänssler Profil PH09004 (3 Hybrid SACD – 215 min 15 s)

HHHHHH $$$

This is the kind of CD release that record reviewers dream about. It presents a new benchmark performance of a staple work reproduced in the finest conceivable sound quality (for conventional CD playback and stereo or multichannel super audio). It is an album that reinforces two fundamental truths: Firstly, independent labels have clearly stepped up to take the initiative away from the moribund ‘majors’. Hänssler proves that it is still worthwhile to go to the trouble of recording new performances. And secondly, that the gramophone remains the supreme exponent of great music in itself. In recent years, opera collectors have increasingly turned away from audio CDs in favour of DVDs containing both live stage and feature film productions. The technically advanced DVD can give us the ‘full Monty’: opera uniting every artistic discipline. And yet, listening to this set reveals how much the visual sense takes over our perception on the small screen. This magnificent Lohengrin was recorded after concert performances in Cologne just one year ago. Here is Lohengrin as Wagner conceived it: the score, the entire score and nothing but the score. This account surpasses the standard audio versions conducted by Kempe (EMI), Kubelik (DG) and Barenboim (Teldec).

Semyon Bychkov administers a master class in Wagner conducting and reveals some of his secrets in an addendum to the booklet note. And it must be said that over the course of a decade, Bychkov has developed an extraordinarily fine radio orchestra in Cologne. Within the context of this performance, the cohesion of the massed choruses is astonishing and a further tribute to the conductor’s consummate skill in mounting a performance with diverse forces.

The vocal soloists, including Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, are superb. Hearing this performance is a truly invigorating and inspirational experience. Go for it, allow it to stir your soul and give your eyes a rest for three acts. WSH

MUSIQUE INSTRUMENTALE

Bright Sheng: Spring Dreams

Cho-Liang Lin, violin; Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Tsung Yeh; Erin Svaboda, clarinet; André-Michel Schub, Bright Sheng, piano

Naxos 8.570601 (48 min)

HHHHII $

Bright Sheng est un compositeur américain d’origine chinoise. Sa musique élégante et évocatrice, de tendance néoromantique mais ponctuée d’accents modernes, amalgame les traditions occidentale et orientale. Dans le premier mouvement de Spring Dreams (Midnight Bells), le violon dialogue dans une atmosphère pastorale avec l’orchestre traditionnel chinois. Puis, dans Spring Opera, la conversation se fait plus discordante, faisant place aux percussions et au zheng, l’orgue à bouche chinois (dont la sonorité s’apparente tant à l’orgue de barbarie qu’à l’harmonica). Des images de costumes exotiques, de dragons asiatiques ou de théâtre d’ombres invitent à un rafraîchissant dépaysement. Le langage des Three Fantasies, pour violon et piano, est franchement plus moderne; toutefois, les couleurs emblématiques de la Chine y sont assez bien représentées pour se détacher sur le canevas général. La troisième des Fantaisies, Kazakhstan Love Song, est particulièrement attrayante, avec ses arpèges et ses délicats coloris du piano embrassant avec tendresse un violon retenu. À l’audition, une délicate cour amoureuse se dessine dans notre esprit, où le doux amant attentionné réussit à séduire la belle et farouche princesse. Une Tibetan Dance vigoureuse, robuste, expressionniste, complète le programme. FC

Dalbavie, Kurtag, Lutos∏awski, Sørensen

Leif Ove Andsnes, piano; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Runkfunks/Franz Welser-Möst

EMI 50999 2 64182 2 3 (76 min 6 s)

HHHHHH $$$

Certaines réalisations artistiques ont des airs de manifestes. En voici un exemple. L’alternance de pièces en solo (Sørensen aux extrêmes, Kurtag au centre) et de concertos contemporains (Lutoslawski d’abord, Dalbavie ensuite) aussi judicieusement sélectionnés rendent l’écoute en continu plus que satisfaisante. Mais quand on connaît la mauvaise réputation commerciale de la musique contemporaine, on s’étonne qu’une étiquette majeure publie ce programme et le confie à ses interprètes vedettes. Or, les musiciens s’y donnent complètement, jouant avec une précision hors du commun – précision qui, malgré son autorité, accueille les articulations feutrées des passages piano et les éclats fougueux des passages forte. Rappelons que deux pièces sont ici présentées pour la première fois sur disque (dont l’étonnant Concerto de Dalbavie, à découvrir), rendant ce CD essentiel. RB

Dvofiák Violin Concerto, Cello Concerto

Ruggiero Ricci, violin; Zara Nelsova, cello; Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra/Walter Susskind

Brilliant 93260 (66 min 10 s)

HHHHHI $

The performances here can best be described as “oldies but goodies” – two legendary instrumentalists captured in their prime, together on the same disc playing two chestnuts at a bargain basement price. Ricci is still with us at the grand age of 91 – he bid farewell to the concert stage only in 2003, after an unbelievable 75-year career. Winnipeg-born Nelsova passed away in 2002 at the age of 84. Both are super-virtuosos of their era, masters of the old school, with their own distinctive sound. Of course there are numerous wonderful contemporary CDs and DVDs of both concertos, but there is something to be said about going back to the old recordings for a more individual style and a sound that is – dare I say it – more distinctive and less generic than it is today. Still, I am very fond of Nelsova’s playing here, not at all dated. The Ricci is more in your face, perhaps more a function of the digital transfer. The sound is overly bright, edgy and icy, typical of first-generation CD transfers. By nature, the violin sound is bright, so Ricci’s playing, with its showy style, is a bit hard and fierce. Nelsova has a more mellow and introspective tone. No matter, this is a really great disc and at this price, you can’t go wrong. JKS

Gustav Mahler: Symphonie No. 4

Mojca Erdmann, sopran; Bamberger Symphoniker/Jonathan Nott

Tudor 7151 SACD (55 min 29 s)

HHHHHI $$$$

Jonathan Nott compte parmi les plus féroces jeunes gladiateurs de l’arène mahlérienne. Son travail auprès du Bamberger Symphoniker est régulièrement encensé par la critique, et sa Quatrième ne fera pas exception. En fait, je ne me souviens pas d’avoir entendu meilleure lecture du premier mouvement. Non seulement les tempi sont-ils judicieux, mais la transition de l’un à l’autre se fait avec un magnifique naturel. Idem pour les dynamiques et les caractères des thèmes et motifs. Dommage que les autres mouvements ne soient qu’« excellents » : on aurait souhaité de plus vifs contrastes dans le second, une passion plus généreuse dans le troisième, une chanteuse plus engagée dans le dernier. En effet, bien que son timbre possède les qualités de clarté et de douceur requises, Erdmann donne l’impression d’exécuter sa besogne sans porter la moindre attention au sens du texte. On l’a manifestement choisie pour sa voix, non pour ses capacités interprétatives. Mais tant pis, l’auditeur reste charmé par la quasi-perfection de l’ensemble, et le critique attend la suite avec impatience. RB

Janáãek: Sinfonietta/Taras Bulba

Bamberger Symphoniker/Jonathan Nott

Tudor 7135 SACD (61 min 42 s)

HHHHII $$$$

Dommage que la musique symphonique de Janáãek ne soit pas jouée plus souvent. En matière de combinaisons instrumentales, le compositeur n’a rien à envier aux meilleurs de ses contemporains. Jonathan Nott tente d’ailleurs de le prouver en se concentrant sur l’opulence sonore – au détriment, il faut le dire, de la mordante précision d’attaque qu’on attendrait de ce spécialiste bartokien du folklore de l’Europe de l’Est. En effet, la mollesse de la direction vient çà et là déséquilibrer le mouvement d’ensemble. Mais les musiciens se rattrapent aussitôt, rassurant l’auditeur; les passages « nobles », en particulier, sont totalement dénués de pompe ou de prétention. Le résultat net est un peu cher payé, mais recommandable quand même. RB

Morten Olsen: In a Silent Way

Esbjerg Ensemble/Christopher Austin

Dacapo 8.226525 (76 min 42 s)

HHHHII $

Le Danois Morten Olsen cultive un subtil mélange des genres : sur fond de franc modernisme apparaissent, dans ses œuvres, de petits élans d’appréhension post-modernistes d’une part et, d’autre part, des soubresauts typiques de la musique « actuelle ». Même si son langage n’offre rien de proprement original, ledit mélange des genres laisse quand même une empreinte personnelle sur le résultat. L’instrumentation (le choix des instruments) est clairement au service de l’orchestration (l’utilisation des instruments) : à un ensemble vaguement semblable à notre NEM s’ajoutent ici un accordéon, là une guitare électrique, ou encore un carillon de gongs, tous des plus pertinents. Le prix modique et la qualité de l’étiquette, comme d’habitude excellente, nous font recommander aux curieux de prêter l’oreille. RB

Purcell : Fantasias

Les Voix humaines (Margaret Little, Mélisande Corriveau, Elin Söderström, Susie Napper, Felix Deak, Arnaud Leroy, Marie-Laurence Primeau)

Atma Classique ACD2 2591

HHHHHH $$$

Henry Purcell: The Complete Fantazias

Fretwork (Wendy Gillespie, Asako Morikawa, Susanna Pell, Richard Boothby, Richard Campbell, Richard Tunnicliffe, viols)

Harmonia mundi HMU 907502 (49 min 50 s)

HHHIII $$$

Presque simultanément, sans doute à l’occasion du 350e anniversaire de naissance de Henry Purcell, deux consorts de violes, soit les Voix Humaines montréalaises et les Fretworks londoniens, ont enregistré la douzaine de Fantazias et les deux In Nomine, tous composés par Purcell à l’âge de vingt ans. Le disque des Voix Humaines inclut la treizième Fantasia, laissée inachevée mais complétée par Matthias Maute, d’amusants extraits de The Fairy Queen et un arrangement pour quatuor de violes du célèbre lamento de Dido. Là n’est toutefois pas la distinction majeure à faire entre ces deux enregistrements. En effet, le consort anglais joue droit, sec, froid, avec une élégance sérieuse et émaciée; à l’occasion, même, avec l’ombre d’un début d’idée musicale. Bref, son disque distille un ennui mortel. Surtout comparé à celui des Voix Humaines, dont quelques secondes suffisent à happer l’auditeur. Là, la chaleur enveloppante des violes est modelée dans une infinité de textures et d’enflés. Les imitations ne découlent plus d’un procédé d’écriture savant, mais bien d’une nécessité musicale irrépressible. Chaque note prend son sens au sein d’un tout, chaque ornement trouve sa raison d’être, la fantaisie reprend ses droits. De plus, le travail des interprètes est servi par une prise de son remarquable. Un disque splendide, à écouter absolument. CR

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (complete)

Tanglewood Festival Chorus; Boston Symphony Orchestra/James Levine

BSO Classics 0801 (54 min 55 s)

HHHHII

In his later years as music director of the Boston Symphony, Seiji Ozawa seemed to have lost interest and his relationship with the musicians seriously deteriorated. When Ozawa finally left, some major rebuilding was required and James Levine was hired to do it. Since his appointment in 2004 the quality of playing has improved enormously and by general agreement the BSO is now in great shape. This recording is the first BSO/Levine collaboration and it also inaugurates the BSO’s own label.

The choice of repertoire is curious since the BSO has already recorded the complete Daphnis with Munch, Ozawa and Haitink. Perhaps it has become a rite of passage for BSO conductors. In any case the new recording, based on live performances from October, 2007 is superb. This score is a virtual master class in orchestration and Levine and his players are attentive to every detail. More than that, it is poetic too. But those of us who learned the music through Munch’s legendary 1955 RCA recording still cherish that album for its excitement and virtuosity. The trumpet double- and triple-tonguing that so thrilled us in the Dance of the Pirates in the Munch recording is simply part of the overall tapestry in the new version. PER

Robert Schumann: Symphonies Nos 1-4

Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserlauten/Stanislaw Skrowaczewski

Oehms Classics OC 741 (2 CD – 137 min 41 s)

HHHHHI $$$

On the basis of the scores, Robert Schumann’s symphonies should, in theory, not work. Gustav Mahler famously revised the orchestration to help the composer out. And yet in the hands of master conductors and accomplished orchestras, these works succeed sensationally in practice. Complete cycles recorded by Herbert von Karajan (DG), Wolfgang Sawallisch (EMI) and Daniel Barenboim (Warner) are prized by collectors. But at a stroke the high-octane octogenarian, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, leaps to the top of the stack. Oehms has boxed up his excellent Saarbrücken accounts. And these are of comparable quality to his outstanding Beethoven and Bruckner cycles for the same label.

Conductors are supposed to mellow and become expansive in performance as they age. Toscanini is perhaps the best example of this notion. Skrowaczewaki contradicts it and conducts Schumann with admirable vigour and grip. Listen to his deft handling of tempo and dynamics in No 1 Spring and the cathedral-like grandeur of the Third Rhenish. In the absence from the DG catalogue of Giuseppe Sinopoli’s peerless Dresden cycle, Skrowaczewski will do nicely. May he continue to conduct and record for decades to come. WSH

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 11 “The Year 1905”

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko

Naxos 8.572082 (57 min 37 s)

HHHHHI $

The young Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko has embarked on a Shostakovich symphony cycle with a stunning performance of the monumental Symphony No. 11 from 1957. Emotionally, this work concentrates on feelings of foreboding, despair and outrage almost to the breaking point. It starts with the massacre of peaceful protesters by Czarist soldiers in January 1905 but Shostakovich surely meant to eulogize similar events that have occurred over and over again throughout history.

Petrenko perfectly captures the disquieting stillness of the opening Palace Square movement. His violas play their revolutionary lament “You Fell as Victims” with the utmost expressiveness in the third movement and Petrenko steadily ratchets up the tension to a climax of shattering intensity. The last movement is weaker. It seems to go on too long with thematic material that is not very memorable. Nonetheless, Petrenko plays it with complete conviction through to the very last chord. He is obviously an exceptional talent and under his direction the RLPO sounds like a virtuoso ensemble. Producer and engineer Tim Handley has too done his work well. This is a disc of demonstration quality. PER

Telemann: Twelve Fantasies for Solo Violin

Augustin Hadelich, violin

Naxos 8.570563 (64 min 52 s)

Those who regard Telemann’s concertos and cantatas as so many sausages might hear uncustomary depth in his multi-movement Fantasies of 1735. Or the illusion of depth: The booklet annotator insists they are easy student works designed to sound difficult, and indeed their brevity (only one is longer than seven minutes) suggests practical rather than probing motives on the part of the composer. But the music undoubtedly conveys an aura of thought and grace, even in purely melodic numbers, such as the opening of the Fantasy No. 7, to say nothing of the earnest dialogue of the Largo of this work or the quadruple-stopped Grave of No. 4, which separates two particularly brilliant Allegros. Thumbs are up also for the echo-effect Largo of the eminently performance-worthy Fantasy No. 10. It is almost mandatory to compare Telemann unfavorably with Bach, but this music does not sound trivial and suggests itself as good an option for evenings when something less than celestial is desired. Augustin Hadelich, a young competition-winner born in Italy to German parents, obliges us with what might be the first wide-distribution modern-violin recording since Arthur Grumiaux’s. Technique and style are comparably assured. Only in a few spots (such as the Siciliana of No. 6) does the playing seem earthbound rather than lofty. AK

‘Venezia 1625’: Sonate, Symphonie, Ciaccone, Canzone & Toccate

Maurice Steger, recorder & dir.

Harmonia Mundi HMC 902024 (67 min 30 s)

HHHHHI $$$

Le sous-titre du programme, « Sonate concertate in stile moderno », renvoie à l’apport vénitien du XVIIe siècle à la musique occidentale, à savoir une écriture capable d’exprimer les émotions humaines « vraies ». La date, 1625, paraît arbitraire, la plupart des pièces retenues ici, principalement de Fontana, Merula et Uccellini, ayant été publiées bien après cette date. Sans pouvoir être tenus pour des chefs-d’œuvre, ces morceaux ne manquent pas d’invention. Leur réalisation, due à Maurice Steger, accorde le beau rôle à la flûte à bec dont il est un virtuose acclamé. Les limites de l’instrument donnent toutefois à croire, par moments, qu’il eût pu être remplacé avantageusement par le violon. La qualité de l’interprétation d’ensemble et la prise de son sont quand même louables. AL

DVD

Amor, vida de mi vida: Zarzuelas with Placido Domingo and Ana Maria Martínez

Plácido Domingo, tenor; Ana Maria Martínez, soprano; Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg/Jesus Lopez Cobos

Medici Arts 2072478 (101 min)

HHHHI $$$$

This live performance from the 2007 Salzburg Festival was to have starred Plácido Domingo and his protégé, Mexican tenor sensation Rolando Villazón. But Villazón was at the start of his widely publicized vocal crisis, so Martínez was called upon days before the event. If audiences were disappointed by his absence, they were amply compensated by the replacement, the Puerto Rican soprano Ana Maria Martínez. Both Martínez and Villazón were prizewinners in Domingo’s 1999 Operalia. Martínez has a beautiful lyric soprano backed by a solid technique and a charming stage presence – her Fiordiligi and Donna Elvira I saw some years ago were truly lovely. Both singers were completely at home in the program of popular zarzuelas – many of the pieces are warhorses to anyone familiar with this genre. Domingo at 66 may look grey, but the voice, with its burnished tone, is still in remarkable shape. He oozed Latin charm and his gallant stage manner was on full display with Martínez. I only wished the soprano weren’t so ladylike and reserved, allowing herself to feel the rhythm – her aria from Maria la O cries out for a bit of swaying of the hips! They sang four encores, with the last, “Lippen schweigen” from Die lustige Wiitwe the only non-Latin piece, a concession to the largely Austrian audience. The two drew huge ovations when they danced to the Lehár tune, never mind that Domingo looked more like a man dancing with his daughter at her wedding then two lovers waltzing the night away – a truly delightful end to an evening of music making. JKS

Leo‰ Janáãek : La Petite Renarde rusée

Elena Tsallagova (la Renarde), Jukka Rasilainen (le Garde-forestier), Michèle Larange (sa femme/une chouette), Hanna Esther Minutillo (le Renard); Choeur et Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris/Dennis Russell Davies

Metteur en scène : André Engel

Réalisateur DVD : Don Kert

Medici Arts 3078388

HHHHHH $$$$

De plus en plus présents sur les scènes lyriques, les opéras de Leo‰ Janáãek sont en voie de s’imposer comme des incontournables du répertoire du XXe siècle. À juste raison, car ces œuvres profondément originales renouvellent le genre, explorent des chemins dramatiques surprenants et offrent à l’auditeur une musique irrésistible et riche en émotion. Créée en 1924, La Petite Renarde rusée est décrite par son compositeur comme un « opéra-comique qui se termine mal ». Il s’agit en fait d’une magnifique fable sur la vie, l’amour et la mort, où les humains et les animaux se côtoient et cherchent le bonheur. Le metteur en scène André Engel propose à l’Opéra de Paris une relecture fantaisiste et vivante. L’idée que la vie humaine n’est pas si différente de la vie animale lui inspire une certaine dose d’anthropomorphisme (particulièrement dans les costumes, inventifs et amusants, mi-animaux, mi-humains) qui sied bien à la conception panthéiste du compositeur. De la distribution vocale, en tout point parfaite, on retiendra Elena Tsallagova, qui offre une interprétation pétillante et agile de la Renarde. La direction de Dennis Russell Davies est claire et aérée, entièrement au service de l’expressivité vocale et des magnifiques et chatoyantes couleurs orchestrales. Un pur plaisir ! EC

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3/Strauss: Burleske for Piano/Bartók: The Miraculous Mandarin Suite

Rudolf Buchbinder, piano; Wiener Philharmoniker/Christoph von Dohnányi

Medici Arts 2072208 (82 min)

HHHHII $$$$

This is another film from the vaults of Unitel, a Munich-based company that pioneered high-quality films of classical music concerts and put most of its resources into performances featuring Karajan and Bernstein. But other conductors and soloists were represented too. This film was made in 1977 when Dohnányi was forty-eight. At the time he was best-known as an opera conductor and had just taken over the Hamburg State Opera. It would be six years before he succeeded Lorin Maazel as music director of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Dohnányi, a somewhat pedantic and inflexible conductor, can be, at his best, a strong leader and authoritative in music of great complexity. He is old-school, one might say, a Kapellmeister in the best sense of the word, in the tradition of other German conductors such as Böhm and Sawallisch.

The Bartók is vivid and exciting and the Strauss with Buchbinder is one of the most interesting performances of this slight work I have ever heard. It captures much of the charm and playfulness of the piece. About this time Dohnányi and the VPO made audio recordings of all the Mendelssohn symphonies for Decca. The Scottish is beautifully played and lively without being hard-driven. PER

WA Mozart: Don Giovanni

Simon Keenlyside (Don Giovanni), Kyle Ketelsen (Leporello), Eric Halfvarson (Commendatore), Marina Poplavskaya (Donna Anna), Joyce DiDonato (Donna Elvira), Ramón Vargas (Don Ottavio), Miah Persson (Zerlina) Robert Gleadow (Masetto); Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Sir Charles Mackerras

Stage Director: Frances Zambello

Video Director: Ferenc van Damme

Opus Arte OA 1009 D (2 DVD – 202 min)

HHHHHI $$$$

Don Giovanni is officially designated a Drama giocoso – but not at the ROH, apparently, as the title page of the booklet proclaims it as an Opera buffa in two acts. The distinction may be a slim one but Frances Zambello pursues a pure buffa line of development here and she always knows what she is doing. This artfully original and communicative theatrical director has given us the most entertaining performance of this opera encountered so far on the medium of DVD. The outstanding septet of vocal soloists, a truly stone-faced Commendatore, and no less than Sir Charles Mackerras (by general consent, the leading active interpreter of the orchestral and opera music of Mozart) in the pit, combine to render the perfect production of the perfect opera. It is also very funny in all of the right places.

It is clear from his exquisite performance that Simon Keenlyside has inherited the mantle of Sir Thomas Allen in the title role, at least within the British opera fraternity. His Don is an agile, athletic sociopath, a man in a constant state of predatory arousal. In the opening scene, Zambello makes clear that the Commendatore has been disarmed when Giovanni brutally stabs him. Reclining beside the prostrate victim, Don Giovanni cynically caresses the dying man and kisses his cheek – and then exults over another conquest. Minor details perhaps, but all part of a collage of impressions that comprehensively depicts the blackness of a villain’s heart. Donna Elvira’s arrival in town with a musket slung over her shoulder also serves notice that this is a Don Giovanni which merits, and will reward, the closest attention. This production has everything except a ‘parental guidance’ advisory. WSH

The Met Player

To inveterate opera fans, the recent announcement that the Met is making its incredibly rich archive of performances available on demand over the Internet is welcome news. Imagine—we can now relive performances that we heard over the radio or saw on TV with a few mouse clicks on the computer—it’s like Christmas in springtime! I decided to give the new Met Player a test drive. It should be noted that only a small fraction of the performances is available at this time. The website claims there are more than 200 full operas. I counted a total of 219 performances, of which 64 are telecasts. A random check reveals that many of my favorites are missing, such as the wonderful Stratas-Carreras-Zeffirelli Bohème, the 1983 Centennial Gala, or the 1996 Levine Gala. Let’s hope that the Met will slowly add these and others to the catalogue. A crucial factor of streaming video is connection speed. With my DSL connection, streaming of other sources such as Youtube often suffers from starts and stops—it makes for a very frustrating experience. So it is a minor miracle that the Met Player, with its “new technology,” plays flawlessly. I tested it at different times of night and day, and there is no hesitation—for this I give the Met Player full marks. The web interface is easy to navigate, and it provides all the relevant information. A performance is divided into tracks and they play seamlessly. If I were to nitpick, there are a few little things that need improvement. The search engine can be inaccurate—I typed in “Bartered Bride” under “Advanced Search,” knowing that this opera is not available. Instead of coming up empty, it came up with the 1967 broadcast of Madama Butterfly. Huh? Also, the Met Player does not allow for multi-tasking. When listening to a performance, if I click the button “Browse Catalogue” the streaming comes to an abrupt stop and I am taken to another screen. Why can’t the catalogue information open in a new window? These quibbles aside, the Met Player is an absolute boon for opera fans and is worth every penny of its subscription price. metopera.org JKS