{"id":6027,"date":"2020-04-13T16:14:35","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T15:14:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.larkreviews.co.uk\/?p=6027"},"modified":"2020-04-13T16:14:35","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T15:14:35","slug":"cdsdvds-april-2020-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/?p=6027","title":{"rendered":"CDs\/DVDs April 2020 (2)"},"content":{"rendered":"
Purcell: King Arthur<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
NAXOS 2.110658<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

There are a number of very obvious difficulties with this production, the most immediate of which is the fact that it is far more play-with-music than opera. While Purcell\u2019s score is very well sung and played under Rene Jacobs, the production itself updates the story to the 1940s with Arthur as an 8 year old indulging fantasies of his father who is a dead fighter-pilot. The musical numbers are sung in English but the play text is in German with subtitles. King Arthur<\/em> has never been an easy work to stage \u2013 Dido<\/em> is possibly the only stage work of Purcell which stages easily today \u2013 but this production, for all its occasional felicities, never quite comes off.<\/p>\n

Verdi: Falstaff<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Teatro Real, Madrid, Danielle Rustioni<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
BELAIR BAC177<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

This production, like a number of other recent stagings, moves the action into the 1950s and then carries through with conviction. The opening scene in a cramped caf\u00e9 is brilliant in setting the seedy background for the whole work, bringing the realities of class clearly into focus at the same time as making sense of the sexual politics. Roberto de Candia is a fine and rascally Falstaff, and I particularly enjoyed Joel Prieto\u2019s Fenton, but the whole cast work well as an ensemble and their enjoyment carries sympathetically.<\/p>\n

Wagner: Die Walkure<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Simon Rattle<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
BR KLASSIK 900177<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

This was recorded live in Munich over a year ago but only just released. The previous Das Rheingold<\/em> had assumed a fairly rapid release for the whole cycle, even if it was being built up over a number of years, but the rather lukewarm reception for that recording may lie behind the late release of the second part of the Ring. <\/em>Rattle is not an obvious Wagnerian but the more romantic, lyrical score which imbues Walkure <\/em>seems more to his taste and, with a very well balanced cast, this is certainly a much stronger argument for pursuing this Ring. <\/em>Stuart Skelton is surely one of the finest Sigmund\u2019s around at the moment, and the first act is very impressive. \u00a0Irene Theorin is a steely Brunnhilde and James Rutherford a youthful Wotan. In all, a splendid release and one which makes me look forward to the other two operas with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

Beethoven: the Piano Concertos<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Stephen Hough, piano; Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hannu Lintu<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
HYPERION CDA68291\/3<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

This is a pleasing set \u2013 a light, fresh approach to the concerti. I particularly enjoyed the Third and Fourth concerti which don\u2019t get quite as much coverage as the Fifth. Stephen Hough is obviously enjoying himself and this comes across with ease.<\/p>\n

Clara Schumann; Piano Trio, Fanny Mendelssohn, Piano Trio, String Quartet<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
The Nash Ensemble<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
HYPERION CDA68307<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

Three works which prove to be highly contrasted. I particularly enjoyed Fanny Mendelssohn\u2019s Piano Trio which is forthright, almost aggressive in its writing, and makes an immediate impact. If the Clara Schumann is more contemplative it is also lyrically uplifting. An impressive coupling.<\/p>\n

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
Les Talens Lyriques, Christophe Rousset<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n
ALPHA CLASSICS ALPHA 449<\/strong><\/span><\/h6>\n

This is an engaging disc with counter-tenor Christophe Rousset particularly impressive. In addition to the more familiar Stabat Mater<\/em> we also have Nicola Porpora\u2019s Salve Regina<\/em> with Sandrine Piau as soloist and Leonardo Leo\u2019s Beatus Vir. <\/em>\u00a0A fine combination and all the more valuable for the rarer works.<\/p>\n

<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Purcell: King Arthur Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Rene Jacobs NAXOS 2.110658 There are a number of very obvious difficulties with this production, the most immediate of which is the fact that it is far more play-with-music than opera. While … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6027"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6027"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6027\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6028,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6027\/revisions\/6028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.larkreviews.wickedlemon.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}