July 27, 2007
Delos Diary
Delos InsiderWe've been waiting a long time to release the last recording American conductor James DePreist made while music director of the Oregon Symphony. Famous for his special affinity with 19th century classical masterpieces, Maestro DePreist is also an impressive orchestral technician who brings out the very best in every ensemble he conducts.
With the Oregon Symphony he has dazzled us in recent releases with his Respighi, Stravinsky, Korngold and Walton and more. In this new disc, he displays all of his and his orchestra's skills in selections by Wagner, Berlioz and Tchaikovsky. The CD, titled Tragic Lovers, is an apt description of the characters portrayed in Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and in Tchaikovsky's and Berlioz' Romeo and Juliet. All three are lush examples of 19th century symphonic works, but how differently they treat the same subject! Listen and learn.
Wagner's lovers, Tristan and Isolde, are mature beings, almost beyond passions of the flesh, yearning to fulfill their love in darkness, oblivion and death.
Both Berlioz' and Tchaikovsky's lovers are young, radiant with life and their passion, victims of the society around them… but each composer sees them differently.
Berlioz' music is a close-up of their love tryst. You are there, breathing with them, as close as they are to one another.
Tchaikovsky's music is a long-shot, a condensed retelling of the whole tragic tale… Friar Lawrence, the marriage, the feuding families, the intense love scene, the final death of the two lovers. One must remember, Tchaikovsky was still quite young when he wrote this piece.
Although familiar works, these three pieces have seldom sounded so eloquent. If there's a spark of romance in your heart, you'll surely find this a recording worth waiting for.
July 26, 2007
Delos Diary
Delos InsiderTo avoid being swamped by the summer heat, we at Delos keep busy finalizing preparations for Dmitri Hvorostovsky's new operatic blockbuster CD, soon to be released. The title "Heroes and Villains" sounds intriguing, but closely examined, leaves open some questions about the CDs contents. Hvorostovsky sings everything so convincingly that even his "villains" sound "heroic," while his actual "heroes" sound super-heroic.
For example, how could you not love the villainous Scarpia who trumpets his lustful desires for the diva Tosca so openly, and in church, too!
Or what about Rubinstein's "Demon" where the devil's minion spends all his energy mooning over one female, while thousands must be available to him.
Also, there's the wimpy hero, Valentin in "Faust," who gets killed very handily by Faust and Mephistopheles, for defending the honor of his sister who has already lost it. And then there's "Prince Igor" who heroically celebrates his defeat and capture after his first battle, while "Hamlet" ignores his own indecision by singing an elegant drinking song.
I could go on with these contradictions, but why bother when listening to Dmitri Hvorostovsky. In every instance he convinces us that he is the evil villain or sonorous hero he wants us to believe he is.
Remember, in opera, a beautiful voice and a masterful interpretation can make you believe anything. The new Hvorostovsky album will give you 15 opportunities to make up your own mind.
My personal favorite unlikely hero is the mellifluous lyrical baritone hero Wolfram in Wagner's "Tannhaüser" who spends his valuable time serenading an evening star while ignoring his possible true love, Elisabeth.