Verdi: Otello
Orchestra & Chorus of La Fenice, Myung-Whun Chung
UNITEL CLASSICA 716508
This production was staged in the courtyard of the Ducal Palace in Venice, where much of the action of the opera is actually set. With the use of highly effective video projections the visual impact is stunning, particularly the starry night sky. The musical side is also very strong, particularly the orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung, and the soloists are effective vocally. Unfortunately the staging is frequently uninspired and the soloists spend much of their time walking around on trestle tables, too close to the reality of the regularly flooded St Mark’s Square for comfort.
I found myself listening rather than watching, which is hardly the point of a DVD. One striking point, given that this is a very recent production, was the heavy black makeup for Gregory Kunde as Otello. I thought we had got past this.
Sibelius: Complete Symphonies
BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, John Storgards
CHANDOS CHAN 10809
I have a large number of complete recordings of the Sibelius symphonies in my own collection and am aware of how many are available. This new set however is a strong contender, taking an uncompromising approach to the dark, turbulent world of so much of Sibelius’ writing, giving a bleakness to the 4th symphony with unusual clarity. It also has, in addition, three tiny late fragments which, while obviously intended for orchestra, may or may not be from the proposed eighth symphony. A glimpse of what might have been.
Schubert: Winterreise
Gerald Finlay, Julius Drake
HYPERION CDA 68034 74’37
There is always a dichotomy listening to Winterreise. How much do we allow the beauty of the singing to distract from the deep despair of the work itself? Here the glory of Gerald Finlay’s deeply affecting reading allows us to do both. It is almost worth listening twice at least, coming at the cycle from both directions, to indulge both approaches.
Brahms: String quartets and Quintet
Gringolts Quartet, Peter Laul, piano
ORCHID ORC 100042 68’06
These are surprisingly dark works, given intense performances here. The quartet is joined by Peter Laul for a well-balanced reading of the Piano Quinter in F minor Op34.
Sibelius: Lemminkainen Suite; The Wood Nymph
Lahti Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vanska
BIS 1745 69’37
This is a reissue of a very fine recording made in the Sibelius Hall, Lahti – on of the finest new concert halls and with an acoustic as good as Birmingham Symphony Hall. The Wood Nymph alone makes it worth purchasing as it is a rarity, but the virile approach to Lemminkainen is equally impressive.