Puccini: Suor Angelica

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, Valerio Galli

DYNAMIC 57873 Blue-ray

This the third part of last year’s Florence production by Denis Krief, and certainly lives up to the promise of the splendid Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi. Unfortunately the opening is not very impressive. Though the stark setting works well, the large number of nuns, many of them not seeming to know what to do, look more like a G&S chorus than the sheltered but secretive body the music implies. However, once the narrative gets going it picks up very quickly. Maria Jose Siri is a totally convincing Angelica, a mixture of naivety and inner strength. Her scene with the icily vicious princess, wonderfully sung by Anna Maria Chiuri, is uncomfortably convincing. Left alone, Angelica is devastated by the news of the loss of her son, but realises, as he is in heaven so could she be. Her suicide quickly follows and for a moment she is torn by doubt that this might be a mortal sin but the final scenes seals this wonderfully. Where the ending can too often seem sentimental, here as she lies dying, a seven year old boy appears, unsmiling, but holding out his hand to her. She reaches out and the opera end. It is so simple yet so effective.

Juan Diego Florez: Mozart

Orchestra La Scintilla, Riccardo Minasi

C MAJOR 754904 Blue-ray

Juan Diego Florez gave this concert in the Cuvillies Theatre in Munich where the intimacy of the venue makes it seem like a concert for friends. Casually dressed, he needless to say sings an all Mozart programme magnificently. All the expected favourites are there, and the orchestra La Scintilla under Riccardo Minasi, playing original instruments, add a number of overtures to break up the arias. In most cases arias follow logically from the overture. The oddity is Figaro until one recalls there is not major tenor aria in Figaro. A highly enjoyable and often quite light-hearted occasion.

Henze:  Der Prinz von Homburg

Stuttgart Opera, Cornelius Meister

NAXOS NBD0115V Blue-ray

This 2019 production from Stuttgart, by Stephan Kimmig is in modern dress and uncomfortably relevant. With the rise of so many far-right groups, and the sense that law is something that can too easily be ignored if you have the power to do so, the parallels sit uncomfortably. That ostensibly it has a happy ending does not help the listener to reconcile himself with the reality of the world reflected in the opera as a whole. Cornelius Meister handles the large number of moods and changes of style in Henze’s score with skill and the large cast impress with their obvious understanding of a work which is rarely staged.

Beethoven: Variations

Angela Hewitt, piano

HYPERION CDA 68346

Is there anything Angela Hewitt can’t do? This is a fine collection of seven sets of variations by Beethoven ranging from the familiar sets on God save the King and Rule Britannia to Quant’e piu bello and Nel cor piu non mi sento neither of which I knew. If the more extended variations on Eroica form the heart of collections there is nothing either side to suggest the other works are lesser pieces.

Cesti: La Dori

Academia Bizantina, Ottavio Dantone

CPO 555 309-2

Cesti’s opera La Dori was a huge success when first staged in 1657, and had been seen in over 30 productions by 1689. Cesti’s innovation to the art form was the introduction and gradual shaping of the aria. Where most early operas relied on recitative or arioso, Cesti introduces arias which we would recognise as such today. While historically interesting, does it make this 2019 staging worth listening to? Yes certainly, particularly if you are familiar with Monteverdi and Cavalli to give you a starting point. If nothing else the score is engaging throughout.

Emilie Mayer: Symphonies 1 & 2

NDR Radiophilharmonie, Leo McFall

CPO 555 293-2

I knew nothing about Emilie Mayer before I listened to this new recording of her first two symphonies and was really delighted by them. While certainly late romantic there is no obvious comparison with other composers of the period. I must admit to indulging in their warmth and the sense that this is a genuine and quite distinctive voice yet firmly within the romantic framework which is so familiar. If, like me, you know nothing of her, then do give this a try.

Bach: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier – Vol2

Steven Devine, harpsichord

RESONUS RES 10261

One of the troubles with Bach is that it is almost impossible to make a bad recording. Occasionally artists turn out dull performances but even this is rare. Steven Devine’s new recording of the second part of the Wohltemperierte Klavier is certainly as impressive as his finely crafted and often technically suave first set, and beyond that it is difficult to know what to add. My only real problem, these days, is that I have quite a large number of fine recordings of the Wohltemperierte Klavier  and I never know which to choose!

Niels Gade: Chamber Works Vol5

Ensemble MidtVest

CPO 555 199-2

This latest collection includes the Fantasy Pieces Op 43 for clarinet and piano, the string quartet Op63 in D major and the string quintet Op8 in E minor. The Fantasy Pieces date from 1864 and are elegantly effective. The often revised Quartet Op63 is a more substantial work whereas the earlier Op8, dating from the composer’s time in Leipzig, shows the continuing influence on him of national romanticism.

J S Bach:

Cello Suites – arranged for solo piano

Eleonor Bindman, piano

GRAND PIANO GP847-48

Cello Suites –vol2 – arranged for guitar

Jeffrey McFadden, guitar

NAXOS 8.573626

There is certainly an interesting comparison here. I had thoroughly enjoyed Jeffrey McFadden’s own arrangements of the first three suites and these are certainly as good. Knowing the originals very well and having quite a number of different versions, these  arrangements for guitar seem to move away very little from the heart of the originals. I can listen with as much ease as I do to them and every so often pick up a nuance which I had missed when heard on the cello.

Eleonor Bindman’s arrangements for piano are very different. One is immediately aware that there is little connection between the sound world of the cello (which the intimacy of the guitar can match) and that of the piano. While there is nothing obviously wrong with transcribing for the piano, the outcome is of an entirely different oral world which either appeals or does not. Much as I appreciate the skill of the performance this is not how I prefer to listen to the Cello Suites. I am sure others will disagree. I underlying reality is that Bach’s genius is never compromised.

Puccini: Gianni Schicchi

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

DYNAMIC 57874  Blue-ray

I have to state that we have just bought a Blue-ray player for the first time and I am staggered how much difference it makes both in HD picture quality and sound. This production comes from Florence last summer and is hard driven and totally convincing throughout. There is nothing sentimental about Francesca Longari’s Lauretta or her approach to O mio babbino caro  while Dave Monaco’s praise of Florence is spine-tingling. Bruno de Simone is a Gianni Schicchi of the old school, beautifully sung and hard as nails, which works superbly. I can’t recommend this too highly.

Dvorak: Rusalka

Glyndebourne Festival Opera

OPUS ARTE OABD7266D

We saw Rusalka at Glyndebourne when it first opened and loved it. While it is certainly a magical production there is a nasty, destructive edge just below the surface. Melly Still manages to balance the very real fantasy of swimming mermaids, complete with prehensile tails, with the darker side of fairy life. Sally Matthews is a convincing Rusalka who ultimately loses everything, while her prince Evan Leroy Johnson, has no power against the evil swirling around him. Key to this is Patricia Bardon’s knife toting Jezibaba. Robin Ticciati manages equally to tread the fine line between a score which can seem romantically over-indulgent and the darker recesses of the sub-conscience. Good to have this available.

Handel/Mozart: Der Messias

Les Musiciens du Louvre, Marc Minkowski

Staged by Robert Wilson

UNITEL 803408

Once I have reminded myself that this is a Robert Wilson staging, everything slots into place. His totally idiosyncratic approach either works magnificently or it sends you screaming and running out of the room. I really enjoyed the Butterfly and Aida but hated the Turandot. But if he was waiting for the one work which would crown his brilliance so far this Messias is it. Staged using the Mozart version of Handel’s score, the music comes across swiftly and intelligently from all concerned. What is unexpected is the approach to the text. The work is sung in German, but the visual impact sweeps away any hints of Judeo-Christian spirituality  – or worse, the sort of sentimental religiosity of far too many Messiah’s I have sat through.

Image after image is breathtakingly beautiful, but please don’t ask questions. Why is the little girl dancing, why is the old man in fits of giggles, why is the tenor solo an aging song-and-dance man who winks at the audience when he leaves the stage? I have no idea – I only know it works.

Elena Tsallagova’s radiant singing of I know that my Redeemer Liveth is done from a gondola which slowly traverses the stage as she sings. There are many wonderful, mesmeric moments throughout the whole.

I was not expecting this and can’t recommend it too highly.

Donizetti: Don Pasquale

Wiener Staatsoper on tour, Hector Urbon

NAXOS 2.110659

In 1977 the Vienna State Opera took its company on tour. This charming production of Don Pasquale is sung in German and was recorded in the Volkshaus,  Murzzuschlag. It is a very small house compared with the main Opera in Vienna, but ideal for the intimacy of Donizetti’s comedy which comes across with crisp attention to details and much beautiful singing. Given that it is almost half a century old the quality of the recording is exceptionally impressive and needs no apologies.

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No 5

Finzi: Clarinet Concerto

Michael Collins, clarinet & conductor, Philharmonia Orchestra

BIS 2367

A wonderful combination of works which sit perfectly alongside each other. With Michael Collins both conductor and soloist in the Finzi Concerto there is a cohesion between the works which may be obvious intellectually but rarely comes across with such musical finesse. The symphony is superbly paced and the tone never really grows above the intimate, leading to the darker passages of concerto which are allowed to flower and work their poignant magic. Highly recommended.

Brahms; Cello Sonatas

Daniel Muller-Schott, cello; Francesco Piemontesi, piano

ORFEO C979201

There are three sonatas recorded here No1 in E minor Op38; D major sonata Op 78 and No2 in F major Op99. While enjoyable, these are highly serious works and need to be approached with a strong sense of their often hidden depths and beauties. Worth exploring and taking time to get to know.

Operatic Transcriptions

Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano

HYPERION CDA 68320

This is a highly entertaining collection of works – some by Liszt very familiar – but others by Sigismond Thalberg far less so. His Grande fantaisie sur des motifs to Don Pasquale is particularly appealing, with the melodies clearly recognisable, while the Fantaisie sur des themes de Moise is only unfamiliar because the opera itself is so rarely performed. Warmly recommended.

Busoni; Works for two pianos

Aldo Ciccolini, Aldo Orvieto and Marco Rapetti, pianos

NAXOS 8.574086

Busoni wrote a significant number of works for two pianos. They include arrangements of larger scale works by Mozart and  Schumann, with works by himself which often rely heavily stylistically on Bach.

Silvius Leopold Weiss; Works for Lute

Arranged for guitar Danijel Cerovic

NAXOS 8.574068

A delight; early lute music meticulously and lovingly arranged for guitar seemingly without any loss in the innate musicianship of the original. Mood changes impress by their subtlety and inner charm rather than any attempt to impress.

Oscar Straus: Piano Concerto

Oliver Triendi, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie, Ernst Theis

CPO 555 280-2

An odd coupling. The piano concert is conventional and to be honest very dull. The rest of the recording is exactly what one might expect of the composer of the Chocolate Soldier! The waltzes are charming but the Serenade has an unexpected beauty and lyricism which I really enjoyed.

Verdi: Simon Boccanegra

Salzburg Festival, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Valery Gergiev

UNITEL 802608

A darkly effective modern-dress production by Andreas Kriegenburg brings out clearly the political undertones of the narrative as well as within Verdi’s score. The production sits uncomfortably somewhere between the fascist right and the communist left so that all we are really aware of is the possibility of corruption and the way it affects personal relationships. A fine approach which works well even if it is not a comfortable watch.

Mahler: Symphony No2 Resurrection

Munich Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel

UNITEL 802808

This live recording – and a splendid one it is with all the joy and enthusiasm Gustavo Dudamel brings to his music-making – was made in one of the strangest concert halls I have come across. The Palau de la Musica Catalana was completed in 1908 and is a cross between a vastly ornate Catholic cathedral and a greenhouse. The roof and side walls, all normally impenetrably dense, are here made of glass with the finest stained-glass panels alongside walls liberally decorated with mosaics and sculptures. It almost dwarfs Mahler’s score, though thankfully Dudamel’s wonderful ability to mould extensive passages into sinuous wholes, and superb playing from the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra go a long way to help. Given the strange design, the choir are floated way above the orchestra – rather like having them in the gallery of the RAH. It is a marvellous experience and comes across remarkably well here.

Puccini: Il Tabarro

Maggio Musicale, Valerio Galli

DYNAMIC 37872

As I have noted often before I am a great enthusiast for Il Tabarro and this is one of the finest recordings musically I can recall. Angelo Villari’s heroic tenor as Luigi is magnificent and superbly partnered by Maria Jose Siri as Giorgietta and Franco Vassallo as Michele. Denis Krief’s design is obviously intended for all three parts of Puccini’s trilogy so is only partly successful and often lacks atmosphere where most needed. This said the music is so good it is easy to forgive the visual impact to be swept away by the drama.

There are a number of links on YouTube to Angelo Villari’s performances and they are all worth listening to even when the productions are somewhat dubious. His Nessun dorma is glorious.

Offenbach: Orpheus in the Underworld

Salzburg Festival, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Enrique Mazzola

UNITEL 803008

A strange somewhat frenetic approach to a work which can disappear if too heavily handled. The dialogue is spoken on stage by an actor taking all the parts while the characters mime to his voice. This has a strangely disconcerting effect, particularly on the DVD where the words are clearly not coming from the singer in close-up. The score is hard driven throughout and while some of the ideas work well – the dancing is amusing and the setting effective – the overall effect lacks subtlety and nuance which is surely the essence of Offenbach.

Opere della ‘Musica Degenerata’

Orchestra Abima, Civica Orchestra di Fiati G Verdi, Davide Casali

TACTUS TC 900005

Debussy: Claire de lune and other works

Ilia Kim, piano

DYNAMIC CDS 7881

A challenging collection which places very familiar pieces alongside those in which the composer seems to be moving way ahead into the twentieth century. The Deux Arabesques, Claire de lune and La Cathedrale engloutie need no introduction but I was struck by both the Soiree dans Grenade and Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest the latter of which moves us into highly emotive seemingly improvised passages. Throughout Ilia Kim brings a strenuous confidence to her playing which is entirely convincing.

Bach: Cello Suites 1

Jeffrey McFadden, guitar

NAXOS 8.573625

Cello Suites 1, 2 & 3 arranged for guitar and here played with obvious enthusiasm and delight. While not having the nuance of the original it certainly conveys the joy of the works themselves and is able to communicate the varying moods of the original.

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