Benjamin Grosvenor revitalizes Chopin
English
Benjamin Grosvenor: “The annoying thing about these times is that musicians are exposed to a lot of fixed traditions and views. I have to be aware of history, but it needs to be translated to the present”. He proves that this is possible with his recording of Chopin’s piano concertos.
Grosvenor talks about his relationship with Chopin’s concerto’s:
Piano works by Sergei Bortkiewicz: What a discovery!
Dear people: this CD is simply magnificent! Secretly I find myself thinking that it might be one of the most beautiful piano recitals of recent times. Not that Sergei Bortkiewicz is an acknowledged genius, but since when is genius a prerequisite for appreciation and – more importantly – for pure enjoyment?
I knew the composer mainly for his vocal works and I think I once heard one of his piano works, without it making any special impression on me. Which is the reason why I put the CD in my player without much enthusiasm. And lo and behold; there I was on my couch, enjoying it shamelessly and with bated breath!
Pavel Gintov plays ‘Chaos’ from Bortkiewicz’s Esquisses de Crimée:
Bortkiewicz was born in 1877 in Kharkov, a Ukrainian city known for its many uprisings, amongst others that of the Cossack leader Khmielnicki. Since 1667, the city, together with the eastern part of Ukraine, belonged to the Russian Empire and when the Bolsheviks took over Kharkov, Bortkiewicz’s family was completely robbed of everything they owned.
Together with his wife, the composer fled, first to the Crimea and from there, along with one hundred and fifty other thousand Russian refugees, to Constantinople. On the way his mother sadly succumbed to typhus.
Helped by friends, the Bortkiewiczs continued on their way to Sofia and Belgrade, eventually reaching Vienna. In 1925, they acquired the Austrian nationality. After the Second World War, the composer was appointed head of the teaching programme at the Vienna Conservatory.
In 1952, Bortkiewicz briefly became popular but he was soon simply forgotten. His very accessible piano pieces are strongly inspired by Chopin, Liszt and early Scriabin, but Schumann is never far away either. The Esquisses de Crimée op. 8 were composed by Bortkiewicz in 1908 as an ode to the stunning landscapes of the Crimean peninsula where he was living at the time.
The Ukrainian pianist Pavel Gintov plays very beautifully, his touch is supple and his interpretation fiery.
Sergei Bortkiewicz
Esquisses de Crimée op. 8 – Minuit op. 5 – Lyrica Nova op. 59 – Lamentation and Consolation op. 17 nr. 3 & 4 – Étude in gis, op. 15 No. 6 – in E, op. 15 No. 10 – in C-sharp, op. 29 No. 3 – in E flat, op. 29 no. 6 – Prélude in B flat, op. 40 No. 2 – in F-sharp, op. 40 No. 4 – in E, op. 40 no. 7 – Consolation in E-flat, op. 17 No. 8
Pavel Gintov (piano)
Piano Classics PCL0120 – 65′
Discography of Khovanshchina by Mussorgsky
I love Khovanschina very much. The music is a combination of Russian folk songs, religious chorales, moving arias and glowing orchestral splendour and presents us with a masterpiece of an altogether unprecedented beauty. The libretto, based on historical facts, tells of religious strife, struggles for power, political manipulations, sectarianism and a collective suicide. The chorus plays a fundamental role, but the six leading roles are also particularly well developed as to their individual psychological developments.
The opera had its premiere in 1886, in Rimsky-Korsakov’s abridged version: Mussorgsky had left the score unfinished. In 1959, Shostakovich orchestrated the original piano arrangement. That version, with the ending recomposed by Stravinsky, is almost always used nowadays.
Boris Khaikin
The conductor Boris Khaikin, who was very popular in the post-war Soviet Union, is mainly known for his recordings of Russian operas, including Khovanshchina.
He already recorded the opera in 1946, with the unsurpassed Mark Reizen as Dosifej.
For the curious: you can find the complete recording on YouTube.
In 1974, Khaikin recorded the opera again, this time with Alexander Ognivtsev as Dossifej, Aleksey Krivchenya as Chovansky and Vladislav Piavko as his son.
Golitsin was beautifully performed by Aleksey Maslennikov. Anyone still looking for an example of a tenor from the ‘old Russian school’? Listen to Maslennikov!
The real star of the recording, however, is Irina Arkhipova. As Marfa, she is absolutely unequalled in my opinion:
If you are used to Shostakovich’s instrumentation, Rimsky-Korsakov’s version feels a bit strange. More melodious, almost fairy-tale like. The overture could just as well have been an introduction to Shéhérazade. Rimsky-Korsakov has taken the sting out of it. Unintentionally, it makes you think of old films in which even the greatest misery has been put through the technicolour filter.
In this version, Marfa’s prophecy also sounds rather bland. Mild and not very threatening, which makes it difficult to understand Golitsin’s terrified reaction.
The recording is very clear, making every word easy to understand. (Melodia MEL CD 1001867)
Boris Leskovich
A year earlier, in 1973, Boris Leskovich conducted the opera in Rome. In Italian. Despite the fact that he used Shostakovich’s version, the result is rather light and it does not “smolder”anywhere. It also lacks the “width” in the overture, but that may also be due to the poor sound quality.
The soloists are fingerlickingly good: Cesare Siepi (Dosifej), Fiorenza Cossotto (Marfa), Elena Souliotis, Veriano Luchetti, Siegmund Nimsgern and the greatest Chovanski in history: Nicolai Ghiaurov.
As a bonus, you get the complete fifth act with Boris Christoff as Dosifej in a recording from 1958 conducted by Artur Rodziński. Also in Italian (Irene Companez’ Marfa sounds just like Azucena here), but with a significantly better sound quality. (BellaVoce BLV 107.402)
Different label, same recording:
Emil Tchakarov
The much-lamented Bulgarian conductor Emil Tchakarov (he died of AIDS at the age of 42) recorded Chovanshchina in 1990, with the best Bulgarian voices available at the time, including – how could it be otherwise – Ghiaurov in the title role.
Nicola Ghiuselev is an excellent Dosifej, Alexandrina Milcheva a very charismatic Marfa and Kaludi Kaludov a very lyrical Golitsyn. He stands with both feet firm in the Russian tradition, but at the same time sings with a large dose of Italianitá.
Tchakarov keeps the orchestra very transparent. (Sony S3K 45831)
The recording can also be found on You Tube.
Below act 1:
Claudio Abbado
In 1989, Abbado conducted the opera at the Vienna State Opera. Alfred Kirschner’s direction and Erich Wonder’s staging are real masterpieces. Anchored in tradition, with a great eye for detail, strong direction of the characters and a well-developed mise-en-scène. The final scene is a dramatic climax, leaving you riveted to your seat, gasping for breath.
Paata Burchuladze sings an excellent Dosifej and Ludmila Semtchuk is a very erotic Marfa. Ghiaurov once again manages to impress as Chovansky.
(Arthaus Musik 100 310)
Michael Boder
In Barcelona (May 2007), the opera was presented in yet another version. Although the orchestration used was that of Shostakovich, the ending was recomposed by Guerassim Voronkov.
Norwegian director Stein Winge says the story is set in the 1950s, but it could just as well be 300 years ago. Or the here and now. His images are timeless and very evocative.
Vladimir Ognovenko is an excellent Chovansky and Vladimir Vaneev a ditto Dosifej. Vladimir Galouzine is without doubt one of the best Andrews I know, if not the best. With Robert Brubaker, Golitsyn sounds less lyrical than usual, but the character does gain character. Graham Clarke provides the comic note as the writer (Opus Arte OA0989 D)
Excerpt from the production:
Kent Nagano
Kent Nagano’s well-conducted and Dmitri Tcherniakov’s extraordinarily excitingly directed Munich production of Chovanshchina unfortunately has two misfits. Paata Burchuladze (Chovansky) whose career by then has lasted for too long and Doris Soffel (Marfa), whom I love very much, has ended up in the wrong opera. Not for a second can she convince me that she is a young, sexy woman. A real pity, because otherwise the production is strongly recommended.
Anatoli Kocherga is a magnificent Dosifej and Klaus Florian Vogt a ‘creepy’ Andrej. John Daszak, like Brubaker, is a ‘character Golitsyn’ and Camilla Nylund a dreamy Emma.
Tcherniakov portrays the three clashing currents – the conservative, the power-hungry and the progress-seeking – very well. The confrontation between the three rulers is chillingly exciting. Unfortunately, the tension weakens towards the end, so that the last scene feels like an anticlimax. (EuroArts 2072424)
Trailer of the production:
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John Adams and his post-style
A peculiar man, Adams, but he can compose like no other. He is one of the most successful and frequently performed contemporary composers and that is not without a reason: his music is very accessible and pleasant to the ear, without it immediately sounding like a tapestry of sound or muzak.
Adams gets his inspiration from “landscapes and their relation to the human psyche” (his own words!) and considers his music to be “ethnic, but influenced by jazz and pop”. He calls his style ‘post-style’ and says that most of his compositions are a celebration of American culture.
He loves America and its poets. His (in my opinion) most beautiful work, The Wound Dresser, was composed to a poem by Walt Whitman.
‘Hail Bop’, Tony Palmer’s documentary about John Adams, is beautiful, exciting and informative. There are many music and opera fragments, interesting interviews, and beautiful images of the American landscape that Adams loved so much.
I only have trouble with the fragments of the filmed version of ‘Death of Klinghoffer’. I have never experienced the opera as anti-Semitic or even anti-Israeli, but I find the over-realistic images of Palestinian children throwing stones and Israeli soldiers shooting, a bit too much and also irrelevant: the opera was composed in 1991, almost ten years before the outbreak of the second Intifada. But anyway, you don’t have to agree with me (Warner Music Vision 50-51011-4857-2-5)
Bonus: 10 Essential Nixon in China Clips (shared from Opera News):
10. While this is not a performance clip (there’s not a hugely diverse selection online), it’s a good introduction to Adams’s opera (via Adams and director Peter Sellars) for those unfamiliar. Interviewed by Sondra Radvanovsky, in 2011 at the Met. —EG
9. The original cast of Nixon at HGO, 1987, with John Duykers as Mao, Sanford Sylvan as Chou En Lai and James Maddalena as Nixon. —FPD
8. June Anderson, looking eerily like First Lady Pat Nixon, at the Chatelet in Paris, 2012. —FPD
7. Carolann Page created the role of Pat Nixon in the HGO premiere, but Dawn Upshaw’s recording of “This is Prophetic” is a beautiful interpretation. —EG
6. A bright-eyed, sympathetic Pat Nixon sung by Janis Kelly in the Met’s HD Live transmission. —LTG
5. Peter Sellars’s production had its Met premiere in 2011, Mark Morris’s choreography shining in the “Flesh Rebels” scene. —EG
4. The opera’s centerpiece, “This is prophetic,” is a show-stopping reverie, especially as sung by Carolann Page. —HS
3. Adams’s Foxtrot for Orchestra is some of his most glorious, gorgeous music. I love the way that it shimmers with strange melancholy and a kind of cubist nostalgia. It is so keenly constructed that it was also used to wonderful effect a few years ago in the Tilda Swinton movie I am in love and seemed instantly to take on an entirely new meaning. —AW
2. Kathleen Kim is fantastic in this performance of Jiang Qing’s signature aria. This is one of the opera’s big moments, and she makes the role and this siren song entirely her own. —AW
1. Nixon’s entrance aria, “News has a kind of mystery,” sounds like classic rock n’ roll deconstructed through minimalist opera. A decade after first seeing this opera, I still get this stuck in my head. —HS
And this is my favourite piecee of the opera is the aria of Chou En-lai (Sanford Sylvain) “I am old and I cannot sleep”
Ein Stern fällt vom Himmel: the short life of Joseph Schmidt
On 16 November 1942, Joseph Schmidt died, only 38 years old. On his grave is written, “Ein Stern fällt”, a reference to one of his most successful films.
The whole film:
Schmidt was born on 4 March 1904 in the village of Davydivka in the Duchy of Bukovina (today Ukraine), which was then part of Austria-Hungary. He was blessed with a beautiful tenor voice and soon he was singing in the synagogue of Czernovitz where his family had moved after the First World War.
Below, Schmidt sings ‘Ano Avdoh’, an Aramaic prayer (1934 recording)
In 1924, he moved to Berlin, dreaming of a career as an actor. And dreaming of the opera. Unfortunately, his short height (Schmidt was only 1.54m) stood in the way of his dream. At his many auditions, his voice was considered exceptional, but his height… Luckily for him, a new medium was discovered at that time: the radio.
In 1929, Schmidt made his debut as Vasco da Gama in Meyerbeers L’Africaine on Berlin’s Rundfunk
The success that followed is indescribable: Schmidt became a world star. In total, he sang in 37 operas, including many Mozart and, mainly, Verdi.
Below, Schmidt sings ‘Di quella pira’ from Il Trovatore:
In May 1933, his first film, Ein Lied geht um die Welt, premiered with great success
But already in February 1933, Schmidt performed for a German broadcasting company for the last time. One week later, he was denied access to the studios. In December of that year, he moved to Vienna, where his film career really took off.
In 1937, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qc22f6Oh3wI
His success was immense. He performed with the greatest singer-actors of the time, Maria Jeritza, Grace Moore to name but a few.
Joseph Schmidt and Grace Moore in La Bohème
In those days, he earned 3000 dollars for just a few minutes of his singing. Why did he go back to Vienna? What possessed him? Was he so naive that he did not believe what was coming? Did he really think that his fame and stardom would protect him? Or was it just homesickness? Who knows?
After the Anschluss, he fled to Belgium. There his greatest dream came true, a performance on the operatic stage; he sang Rodolfo in La Bohème. Could that be the reason for not fleeing when it was still possible?
He had a particularly warm place in his heart for the Netherlands, where he first performed for Vara Radio in 1936 (he sang in Verdi’s I Masnadieri).
And he also sang in Dutch!
In 1940 he fled to Paris and then to the South of France. From there, he made unsuccessful attempts to reach America. Alas. Now desperate, he tried to go to Switzerland, which he finally managed to reach in the night of 7 to 8 March 1942. Less than three years before, he had celebrated triumphs as a world star there; now he was locked up in an internment camp. He contracted pneumonia and developed a heart condition. Totally penniless, not making any money and unable to pay for a good doctor, he was admitted to a hospital. After two weeks he was discharged there, his medical state was not taken seriously at all.
Two days later he died, 38 years old. He was buried in the Jewish cemetery. On his grave is written: “Ein Stern fällt”, Joseph Schmidt – “Kammersänger”
Joseph Schmidt zum 50. Todestag (ORF 1992):
Piano trios from Armenia: really superb!
What do we know about Armenian classical music? How many Armenian composers does the average music lover know? Few, I’m afraid. Except for Aram Khachatourian and his Gayaneh. But this composer also owes his relative fame to the ‘sabre dance’ and the opening tune of the once so popular TV series The Onedin Line.
And that is sad. All the more so when you consider that the Armenian culture, with its own alphabet and also its own musical notation, is one of the oldest in Europe. Fortunately, more attention has been paid to it recently, which is mainly thanks to (from origin) Armenian musicians. For example, the viola player Kim Kashkashian recorded a CD with the music of Komitas and Tigran Mansurian back in 2003.
Below: Kim Kashkashian, Jan Garbarek and Ivan Avaizovsky play Mansurian’s Lachrymae:
The latter can also be found on the CD with Armenian piano trios, recorded by Et’Cetera in 2004, with, apart from Mansurian’s ‘Five Bagatelles’, compositions by Arno Babadjanian, Gayaneh Tchebodarian and Krikor Hakhinian.
Below, the piano trio by Arno Babadjanian:
All pieces on this CD were composed between 1945 and 1985 and are all very rhythmic and extremely pleasant to listen to. Personally I have some difficulty with Hakhinian’s trio, perhaps because of its ‘baroque’ character, but I soon came to terms with that.
Levon Chillingirian, a violinist born in Cyprus to Armenian parents, is known as the leader of the Chillingirian Quartet. Here he is assisted by Viviane Spanoghe (cello) and André De Groote (piano).
I can heartily recommend this CD! The pieces played are not only interesting, they are also exceptionally beautiful and the performances are more than excellent.
Below, ‘Moderato’ from the Five Bagatelles by Mansurian:
Why do we love Manon Lescaut: discography
Why do we love Manon so very much? She is not really virtuous. She leaves the love of her life for an old rich man, but as soon as she gets bored, she allows her young lover to come back to her. She is willing to run away with him, but not without her jewels. A child can see that it cannot end well.
Once caught, Manon is taken prisoner and exiled to America, where she dies in the arms of her lover. The poor soul refused to leave her. Talk about real love!
It is thanks to Puccini, who captured her character in the most beautiful notes, that she never becomes one-dimensional and you must be made of stone if you do not love her.
The role of Manon was created in 1893 at the Teatro Reggio in Turin by Cesira Ferrari, an Italian soprano who made her debut as Micaëla in Carmen and three years later sang the first Mimì in La bohème. Perhaps here is an indication of the type of voice that Puccini had in mind for his Manon?
How many good Manons are there nowadays? Not many, I think. The role makes very high demands on the performer. It requires a voice that can combine the childishly naive sex appeal of the silly girl in the first three acts with the real tragédienne in act four.
But Des Grieux, too, is a role that is not easy to fill. The man himself may be a sissy, but Puccini has written such violent notes for him, challenging him with such utterly emotional outbursts, that the singer must be a would-be Calaf to survive the opera with his voice intact.
MAGDA OLIVERO
There is no doubt about it: Magda Olivero was the very best Manon Lescaut of the second half of the twentieth century. In 1970, when she was 60 (!) years old, she sang the role in Verona with the not yet 30-year-old Domingo at her side. Quite bizarre when you consider that Olivero made her professional debut eight years before Domingo was born. And yet her portrayal of the young heroine was utterly convincing. Most of her colleagues could not (and cannot) match her performance!
The role of Des Grieux was a role that could have been written for Domingo. As Renato, he was able to combine all his charm, his sehnsucht and his boyishness (something he has managed to retain to an advanced age) with a cannon-like voice. My copy was released on Foyer (2-CF 2033), but nowadays there are more releases in better sound quality and the recording can also be found on You Tube.
Two years later, Olivero sang the role in Caracas. The performance of 2 June 1972 was recorded by Legato Classics (LCD-113-2). The sound quality is reasonably good, but what makes the recording really desirable is Des Grieux by the then 60-year-old Richard Tucker. So yearning, so in love, so beautiful…. Sigh. Yes, folks: once upon a time, opera was made by voices, not by beautiful bodies!
Duet from the fourth act:
RAINA KABAIVANSKA
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Manon was sung in Verona in 1970 not by Magda Olivero alone, but also by Raina Kabaivanska, with the same cast and the same conductor. The recording is very poor and therefore only for the diehards among us, but if you have a chance to listen to it: please do! Between Kabaivanska, who is still extremely underrated, and the young Domingo, a chemistry can be heard that, despite the poor sound quality, comes across really well.
The duet from II Tu, tu, Amore? tu?
As a bonus, you get fragments from 1953 of the live performance in Mexico, with Mario del Monaco and Clara Petrella. Not bad at all! (GAO 162/63)
MIRIAM GAUCI
In 1991, the Maltese Gauci was not exactly an unknown, but her great career only took off with her role as Manon Lescaut at the Vlaamse Opera in Antwerp. The opera was the first in the Puccini cycle, created by the then fledgling Canadian director Robert Carsen. Those who were present will never forget it. Because of the magnificent production, of course, but also because of Gauci’s scorching performance.
In 1992, Gauci recorded the role for Naxos (8660019-20), with Bulgarian tenor Kaludi Kaludov at her side as a very lyrical sounding Des Grieux. His “Donna non vidi mai” is very passionate, but at the same time kept within the boundaries of lyricism. To fall in love with, so beautiful. Alexander Rahbari’s direction is very intense, but also lacks many nuances. A real must because of Gauci and Kaludov.
Highlights are on Spotify:
RENATA SCOTTO
I can be very brief about the offers on DVD: buy the Menotti production with Renata Scotto and Plácido Domingo from the Metropolitan Opera (1980) and you are set for life. There is no other production that comes even close to it and I do not expect that event to happen any time soon. The compulsiveness with which many contemporary directors want to update everything can only kill the opera. Such was the case with Mariusz Trelinski’s production in Brussels a few years ago, with Eva-Maria Westbroek and Brandon Jovanovich. And this was also the case with the latest production from the MET, directed by Richard Eyre, with Kristine Opolais and Roberto Alagna in the leading roles.
Scotto sings and acts Manon like no one else has done before, and together with Domingo she provides us with a lovely evening filled with a whole lot of old-fashioned crying. Menotti’s very realistic, true-to-nature and oh-so-exciting production could not be any better.
It is quite unique (DG 0734241).
THE VERY FIRST MANON
Back to the very first Manon. What did she sound like? There is a recording by Cesira Ferrari of “In quelle trine morbide”, made in 1905. It is on a double CD by Standing Room Only (SRO-818-2) with the title “Creators Records”. What you hear is a light, almost soubrette-like voice, but with dark undertones. And with a lot of body. You could say it’s a bit of a big-boned Lolita.
I Puritani: mini discography
It is said of I Puritani that it is a true soprano opera, but that is not really quite the case. Elvira may be the pivot around which everything revolves, she is also one of the most passive opera heroines I know. Everything that happens around her and to her, happens in spite of her; because apart from loving and going mad, she doesn’t seem to be able to do much of anything at all.
It is the bass (her uncle Giorgio) who devises all sorts of plans to steer the action in the desired direction, and for this he is rewarded by Bellini with a most beautiful aria (‘Cinta di fiori’).
Nicolai Ghiaurov:
In order to save the mad soprano from certain death, he asks the baritone to spare the tenor’s life, which ends in a gorgeous duet (‘Suoni la tromba’), a real show-stopper.
Samuel Ramey and Sherrill Milnes:
The tenor also, who in a fit of patriotinic frenzy seems to send the whole thing into disarray, gets to sing a lot of beautiful (and high!) notes.
John Osborn with Mariola Cantarero from Amsterdam 2009:
All these roles require an excellent bel canto technique, with good coloratura, leggiero and legato. And don’t forget a sense of pure drama, because Bellini (and his librettist!) have created a lot of havoc for the poor soprano: first she becomes delirious with joy, then she loses her mind. She then regains it, only to lose it again immediately. Are you still there? Because it’s not over yet: her mind comes back once more and immediately she’s delirious with joy again. Ouch… Fortunately, the opera stops here, because poor Elvira apparently has to repeat such tricks a few times a day
CD’S
JOAN SUTHERLAND
Elvira, like Lucia, was a showpiece for Maria Callas and Joan Sutherland, both of whom recorded it several times. In 1974, Richard Bonynge (Decca 4175882) made a peerless recording of the opera, besides Sutherland, there was the sublime male trio: Luciano Pavarotti, Nicolai Ghiaurov and Piero Cappuccilli. Sutherland sounds like a little heap of misery, and her virtuosity knows no limits. Pavarotti still possessed all his glorious long high notes in those days and he pops them out with no effort at all.
MARIA CALLAS
The recording with Callas from 1953 (Naxos 8110259-60) is weighed down by the fact that Giuseppe di Stefano is totally unfit to sing Arturo. But Nicola Rossi-Lemeni (Giorgio) and Rolando Panerai (Riccardo) are excellent, and Tulio Serafin conducts with verve and theatricality. Unfortunately, the score is not complete.
BEVERLY SILLS
A good (and complete!) alternative is the 1973 recording under Julius Rudel (Westminster 4712072), with a very virtuoso Beverly Sills. Arturo is sung in an extraordinarily beautiful and elegant way by Nicolai Gedda. His approach to the high notes is delightful, and personally I find it very pleasant to listen to him.
Conclusion; you are best off with the Decca and Westminster recordings. You get all the music, all the high notes and the best male voices. But since Naxos’ recording with Callas is in the budget class, why not buy it! Because of the conductor, because of the bass, but mainly because of La Divina. Because let’s be honest – nobody else can go so deliciously mad.
DVD’S
ANNA NETREBKO
It gets more difficult if you want to buy the work on DVD, because I cannot recommend either of the performances I watched without any reservations.
The Metropolitan Opera production, filmed in January 2007 (DG 0734421), is over 30 years old and was originally made for the Sutherland/Pavarotti duo. Perhaps this explains its total lack of personal direction?
There are these monumental tableaux-vivants , in which nobody seems to be allowed to move. The sets are ‘larger than life’ and all the costumes ‘historically accurate’. Anna Netrebko is a very imaginative Elvira. And although she lacks trills, her top notes are there and her presentation (charisma?) is more than convincing.
Both the bass (John Relyea) and the baritone (Franco Vassallo) are reasonable, but no more than that. Eric Cutler (Arturo) has a pleasant timbre and he reaches (albeit with difficulty) the high notes, but it is not really spectacular.
Netrebko sings ‘Deh Vieni al Tempio’ from the first act:
EDITA GRUBEROVA
But Cutler is much better than the totally miscast José Bros in the fifteen-year-old production from Barcelona (ArthouseMusik 107267). His voice is at least a size too small for Arturo. Edita Gruberova is a matter of taste. I do not like her ‘pussy-mouthed ways’ and I do not really want to watch her, but with my eyes closed there is little to complain about, because yes, she can sing bel canto.
Carlos Álvarez is a first-class Riccardo, but the rest of the cast …. Ah, let’s not talk about it. Andrei Serban’s direction, on the other hand, is truly sublime and exciting, I enjoyed it a lot. A friend I was watching with summed it up like this: Netrebko is for straight men and Gruberova (because of Álvarez) for gays and women, but of course it is not that simple. If only we could cut and paste!
BELLINI-BOX
A 25-cd Bellini box set is an absolute must. For 90 euros only, you get all of Bellini’s operas, two of which (La Sonnambula, Norma) are also available in two different versions. Many well known names too: Callas, Caballé, Scotto, Ciofi, Bernstein…
Most recordings are live and the sound and performance quality vary, but who cares? Among them, of course, is I Puritani, recorded in Catania in 1989, with Mariella Devia as Elvira. In the beginning, she is a bit of a disappointment, but gradually she gets better. Not only does she have all the top notes at the ready, she also brings in a lot of (her own) embellishments, and if that is not part of the art of bel canto, then I don’t know what is.
Mariella Devia:
Unfortunately, the men are not of the same level, although Paulo Washington is a moving and very imaginative Giorgio. A special CD-ROM contains all the libretti. A MUST! (Dynamic CDS 52/1-25)
Caterina Mancini, a true ‘Voce Verdiana’
Have you ever heard of Catarina Mancini (10 November 1924 – 21 January 2011)? This soprano, born at Genzano di Roma had the true ’voce Verdiana’: she combined a beautiful height and pure coloratura with a drama that even La Divina might have envied her for.
Never heard of her? Then it’s time to make up for the damage, because I promise you a voice out of thousands. And this is exactly how her Leonora sounds in the recording from 1951 Rome (Warner Fonit 2564661890). Extraordinary.
Her Manrico was sung by the very heroic sounding (then already nearly 60 years old) Giacomo Lauri-Volpi and a very charismatic Carlo Tagliabue sang the role of di Luna. Miriam Pirazzini (Azucena) completed the cast and the whole was very impressively conducted by Fernando Previtali.
Here are Mancini, Lauri-Volpi and Tagliabue in the trio of the first act:
Highlights on Spotify:
Mancini sings “Santo di patria… Da te questo m’è concesso” from Attila by Verdi:
Mancini made her debut in 1948 in Florence, as Giselda in I Lombardi. In 1950, she appeared in Bologna and Venice, in Norma and made her at La Scala in Milan, in Lucrezia Borgia, in 1951. Donizetti, Rossini and Bellini are not lacking in her repertoire.
The Italian label Cetra has recorded a lot with her; difficult to obtain, but so very worthwhile to look for! At her best I find her as Lida in La Battaglia di Legnano by Verdi. Below a fragment of it:
Andrea Chenier with Caterina Mancini, recorded live in Dublin 1957:
Mancini’s career lasted only a short time. People talked about health problems, but what really happened? The fact is that the soprano, born in 1924, stopped working as early as 1960. Although her name can still be found in 1963, as contralto (!) at the concert in memory of Kennedy.
Chamber works by Paul Ben-Haim
Slowly, much too slowly and actually much too late, but the music world is waking up.
One gap after another is finally being filled and the (consciously or unconsciously) ‘forgotten’ composers are at long last coming to our CD players.
Who among you has ever heard of Paul Ben-Haim? If not, why not?
The composer was born as Paul Frankenburger in Munich in 1897 and died in Tel Aviv almost 90 years later. And he left behind a really spectacular oeuvre.
Many vocal works, orchestral pieces, chamber music…. What not, actually?
Most of his works are influenced and inspired by Jewish, Israeli and Arab melodies, so you may call his music “nationalistic”. Nothing wrong with that word.
Just take the opening of his 1941 clarinet quintet! The dancing clarinet part reminds one of swinging klezmer, but in a Brahmsian way.
The ARC Ensemble perform the opening movement of Paul Ben-Haim’s Clarinet Quintet at the Enav Center, Tel Aviv:
Basia con fuoco 