Open Web Player
I enjoy modern opera by Britten, Adams, or Glass, and I like this one a lot. It's been around Europe for a year or so and the critics love it. I'm not a music pro, so I'll offer a layman's nontechnical review.
The story is a classical one but as presented it's pretty edgy: sex, angels, adultery, murder, a little cannibalism. The vocal parts are sung dialog, performed dramatically and skillfully without bellowing or shrieking. No one sings an aria while everyone waits for them to finish: they speak/sing to each other or to the audience, their speech often overlapping, as in modern theater. Sometimes the characters refer to themselves in the third person as if they were narrators; it is an odd device but it works well.
There is a large orchestra but everyone doesn't blast away at once: changing groups of instruments produce fascinating unexpected textures that underscore the voices, enhance the drama, and provide interludes that create the appropriate mood. It's a pleasure to listen to.
Die-hard opera fans who just want to see Rigoletto again -- and again -- may not care for this, as it is a great departure from traditional Grand Opera. But I think Benjamin and other contemporary composers are taking opera in a new direction, and it sounds fine to me.
There is a short work for piano and orchestra on Disk 2. I find it exciting: surprising textures, strong rhythms, interesting conversation between the piano and the orchestra.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
