Alan Campbell's Opera & Vocal Previews
New & Notable Opera & Vocal CDs
~ 
2002 Grammy BEST CLASSICAL ALBUM
Winner:
"Berlioz: Les Troyens"
Hector Berlioz
available here.
The fantastic, eccentric, wild, yet subtle genius of Berlioz has
never dated, no matter how harsh the reactions against Romantic
excess--in part because of this composer's extraordinary blend of
19th-century adventurism and classical poise. It just may be that
aspects of that genius have taken a while to be understood, and few
conductors have sympathized so clearly with the vision of Berlioz as
has Sir Colin Davis. On this, his second recording of "Les
Troyens"--the composer's epic homage to Virgil's "Aeneid"--Davis
assembled a dream cast featuring Ben Heppner and Michelle De Young
and inspired brilliant playing from the London Symphony.
Our Pick:
"Berlioz: Les Troyens"
Hector Berlioz
available here.
It's tempting to give a cheer for some of the wonderful recordings
that are leading to a (belated) appreciation of misunderstood
20th-century pioneers (Mitsuko Uchida's modernist Viennese classics
and Boulez's reading of Varese), but that can't displace our
enthusiasm for this truly excellent Berlioz recording.
Congratulations to Sir Colin Davis and all the wonderful ensemble
for a thrilling experience!
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BEST OPERA RECORDING
Winner:
"Berlioz: Les Troyens"
Hector Berlioz
available here.
See above.
Our Pick:
"Ruders: Tjenerindens Frotaelling (The Handmaid's Tale)"
Poul Ruders
Our price: $30.38 | You save: $1.60
available here.
Since the case has already been made for "Les Troyens," let's not
overlook the gripping imagination of one of today's most intriguing
composers. Poul Ruders reveals a latter-day mastery of orchestral
wizardry (one of Berlioz's strong suits) and color to delineate the
dystopian vision in his treatment of Margaret Atwood's "The
Handmaid's Tale."
BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Winner:
"Bach - Matthaus-Passion / Pregardien, Goerne, C. Schafer, Roschmann,
Fink, von Magnus, Schade, M. Schafer, Henschel, Widmer, Harnoncourt
[with Enhanced CD-ROM]"
Johann Sebastian Bach
Our price: $48.43 | You save: $2.55
available here.
In the three decades since Nikolaus Harnoncourt's first recording
of the St. Matthew Passion--a watershed in the early-music
movement--the maverick conductor has gained new insights, which he
brings to bear in this beautifully packaged version, especially to
be treasured for the work of Matthias Goerne, Bernarda Fink, and
Christoph Pregardien.
Our Pick:
"Pasion Segun San Marcos"
Osvaldo Golijov
Our price: $30.00
available here.
Last year, interestingly, it was Philippe Herreweghe's recording of
the St. Matthew Passion that won our vote for this category. But--in
one of a series of major new compositions inspired by the richly
communicative models of Bach's legacy--Argentinian composer Osvaldo
Golijov has painted an exceptionally arresting, catholic canvas in
his polystylistic setting of the St. Mark Passion. Golijov's "Pasion
Segun San Marcos"--rather like the recent John Adams masterpiece on
the nativity, "El Nino"--seems to point toward a more globally
aware, vibrant source of inspiration for classical music. This is a
significant and joyful work that should not be overlooked.
BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL PERFORMANCE
Winner:
"Cecilia Bartoli - Gluck Italian Arias ~ Dreams & Fables"
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Our price: $15.99 | You save: $1.99
available here.
La Cecilia does it again--just as she did last year with her
Vivaldi project. With Bartoli in top form, it's no wonder that she
again won over the Grammy voters, this time with her program of
arias in Italian from Gluck operas, aptly titled "Dreams and
Fables." Bartoli's high level of taste and intelligence sheds new
light on Gluck's utopian goal of restoring the balance between
poetry and music.
Our Pick:
"Schwanengesang; Vier Ernste Gesange"
Franz Schubert
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.49
available here.
There's no denying the intense delight to be had from Bartoli's
"Dreams and Fables." But it would be a shame to miss out on another
great vocal recital from the nominees--also voted into our Best of
2001 releases late last year--namely, baritone Thomas Quasthoff's
intensely moving account of Schubert's final song cycle,
"Schwanengesang."
BEST CLASSICAL CONTEMPORARY COMPOSITION
Winner:
"Sharon Isbin"
Christopher Rouse
Our price: $15.49 | You save: $1.49
available here.
Tan Dun has gotten a heap of attention for his hugely successful
score to the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which makes it
all the more interesting that it wasn't his own guitar concerto
singled out on this recording, but instead that of Christopher
Rouse, for his lively "Concert de Gaudi."
Our Pick:
"Ruders: Tjenerindens Frotaelling (The Handmaid's Tale)"
Poul Ruders
Our price: $30.38 | You save: $1.60
available here.
We have to admit a bias for the operatic imagination here, and
therefore once again give the nod to Danish composer Poul Ruders for
his stunning achievement in "The Handmaid's Tale." Ruders's work is,
in fact, but one sign among several recent operas that point toward
a resurgence of creative energy in the genre. Check out our list of
new American opera, for example.
BEST CLASSICAL CROSSOVER ALBUM
Winner:
"Perpetual Motion"
Bela Fleck
Our price: $12.58 | You save: $5.40
available here.
"Crossover"--it's become such an ugly word for many a classical
fan, a crass business product that shows no respect for tradition or
musical value. But five-string banjo player Bela Fleck agilely
disarms such gripes thanks to the tasteful, virtuosic, and
natural-sounding transcriptions he has made from classical sources
on "Perpetual Motion."
Our Pick:
"Joshua Bell ~ Bernstein - West Side Story Suite"
Leonard Bernstein
Our price: $16.99 | You save: $1.99
available here.
Though he appears on the Bela Fleck recording--and indeed on a
number of "crossover" projects of late--Joshua Bell deserves special
notice for this marvelous all-Bernstein disc, which includes a
completely new symphonic suite that arranges "West Side Story" as a
sort of mini violin concerto.
Previews excerpted are copyright © 2002 amazon.com & associate ncdn and CDnow, TowerRecords, Barnes & Nobel associates
