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Presto News - 10th August 2009Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle |
 This week I’ve been enjoying a new recording of Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s only opera, Bluebeard’s Castle. It was quite an early work in Bartók’s output and is almost unique amongst 20th century opera in its design and style. It is only one act (less than an hour long) and is a dark and intense work, involving only two characters: Duke Bluebeard and his young bride Judith. Over the course of the opera Judith persuades Bluebeard to open seven doors in his castle in order to let light into the grim interior. Behind each she finds increasingly disturbing sights, until behind the final door she discovers Bluebeard’s former wives and learns her own fate.  Elena Zhidkova I think it is a brilliant opera, and it is a great pity that Bartók didn’t explore the genre any further. Performances were very rare during Bartók’s lifetime due to the librettist’s (Béla Balázs) communist credentials, which made the opera unacceptable to the Hungarian political regime. In the last fifty years or so, however, its reputation has increased vastly, and it is now seen as a key work in Bartók’s output. Listening to it I’d suggest the influences of Richard Strauss and Debussy are the most apparent, but the harmonic language and treatment of rhythm is typical Bartók, while the textures are full of extremes, with his evocative use of orchestral colours contrasting brilliantly with huge dissonant waves of sound.  Sir Willard White The new recording I’ve been enjoying comes from Valery Gergiev and the LSO and features two outstanding singers in the form of Sir Willard White and Elena Zhidkova. Sir Willard White has long been associated with the role of Bluebeard on stage and is renowned as one of its greatest ever interpreters. This, his first complete recording, has therefore been long overdue. The real revelation though is Berlin-based Russian mezzo Elena Zhidkova who was a late replacement following the withdrawal of Katarina Dalayman. The remarkable range of emotion in her voice is staggering and you really can’t imagine a better Judith. On this evidence I’d be very surprised if a major recording contract doesn’t follow shortly. Overall it is an outstanding recording of a great work, which if you don’t know already is well worth getting to know. A lot of it is dramatic, but no scene is more vividly portrayed, or more memorable, than the moment when Judith opens the fifth door to behold a vista looking out over all Bluebeard’s vast and beautiful kingdom. It must be one of the most spine-tingling moments in all twentieth-century opera, as a violently dissonant passage suddenly transforms into a massive C major chord in the full orchestra. I’ve put this bit on the website for you to listen to where you hear about twenty seconds of gradually building dissonance followed by Judith’s cry of ‘Ah’ as the fifth door swings open. Enjoy!
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 Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle, Sz. 48, Op. 11Elena Zhidkova (Judith) & Sir Willard White (Bluebeard), London Symphony Orchestra, Valery Gergiev |
Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
listen - Bartok - Bluebeard's Castle - Fifth Door (extract)New Releases10th August 2009 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Debussy & Ravel - Music for Two PianosVladimir Ashkenazy & Vovka Ashkenazy (pianos)One of the twentieth century's greatest pianists returns to the piano with a disc of rarely recorded French Impressionist duets with his son Vovka Ashkenazy. |
 Mahler: Symphony No. 7 in E minorTonhalle Orchestra Zurich, David ZinmanHaving completed several cycles, among them the complete Beethoven symphonies (with over 1 million copies sold internationally), the orchestral works of Richard Strauss and Schumann, in 2007 David Zinman embarked on this recording of Mahler’s complete symphonies with Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. This is the seventh release, with each issue being released in numerical order, and the cycle will be completed in 2010 |
 Haydn - The OperasOrchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Antal DoratiFor Haydn year, a re-issue of Dorati's Haydn Opera recordings in a budget-priced box set. Many of these operas are still something of a rarity, and Dorati's advocacy of Haydn's music during the 1970s resulted in many award-winning recordings, including his cycle of symphonies as well as this series of operas. |
 Handel Opera CollectionAnd to celebate Handel year... an attractively packaged 22 disc box set containing complete recordings of 8 of Handel’s great operas, including his first opera, Rinaldo, and some of his best-known operatic masterpieces such as Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano and Rodelinda. |
 Hans Gál - Piano TriosDoris Adam (piano), Karin Adam (violin) & Christoph Stradner (cello)The Viennese composer Hans Gál was born in 1890 and studied at the University of Vienna. He was Jewish and emigrated to Great Britain in 1938, living under great difficulty until he eventually became a professor of music at the University of Edinburgh. His numerous works include 110 with opus numbers and many without, covering all musical genres. |
 Sir Adrian Boult conducts SibeliusLondon Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian BoultSir Adrian recorded this collection of some of Sibelius' most popular works in 1956 for PYE and they now appear on SOMM for the first time on CD. These were performances that were universally admired. |
 Strauss - Orchestral WorksStaatskapelle Dresden, Herbert BlomstedtThese recordings were originally recorded for Denon in 1988/9 and are now available on CD for the first time in 15 years. They were highly acclaimed performances from one of the world’s leading conductors and an orchestra with a long affinity with the music of Richard Strauss. |
 8 new Barbirolli re-issuesThe Barbirolli Society was formed in 1972. Since then, its aim has always been to keep alive the art of Sir John Barbirolli. The continued release of Sir John’s recordings has been the Society’s main work. For new generations of music-lovers, these recordings are now the only way to re-live that particular joy of Barbirolli’s unique music-making. Thanks to a new UK distribution, 8 titles have just become available. |
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