Vocal and Choral

Stephen Chatman –
Magnificat: Songs of Reflection
UBC University Singers; Graeme Langager; UBC Symphony Orchestra;
Jonathan Girard
Centrediscs CMCCD 19313

Students at UBC are fortunate to have one of Canada’s most popular choral composers close at hand. Stephen Chatman, multiple JUNO nominee and a Member of the Order of Canada, is Professor and Chair of Composition at the UBC School of Music. In this recording, the UBC University Singers and Symphony Orchestra begin with his setting of the Magnificat, a work commissioned in 2010 by the Vancouver Chamber Choir. Chatman begins the piece with the traditional Latin text, and then sets the following sections in the six official languages of the Vancouver Winter Olympics: French, Spanish, German, Chinese, Russian and English. The 40-voice choir handles the linguistic transitions well and there are some wonderful changes of cultural idiom for the orchestra. A fourth year student (at the time of recording), soloist Bahareh Poureslami manages the voice of Mary with lovely expressiveness ranging from tender anticipation to soaring joy and divine rapture.

Following with a collection of “songs of reflection” the choir performs (sans orchestra) Chatman’s settings of contemplative poetry by Christina Rossetti, Sara Teasdale and Walt Whitman, as well as two from FitzGerald’s Rubaiyat and John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields. Themes of love, loss and longing, followed by transcendence and peace, find tender expression through skilful composition and artful nuance in the choir’s performance.

Sospiro: Alessandro Grandi –
Complete Arias, 1626
Bud Roach
Musica Omnia mo0506
musicaomnia.org

Grandi’s songs were highly popular in Venice in the 1620s. Here they are played as they would have been — for solo voice and instrument. In this case, tenor Bud Roach accompanies himself on the five-course Spanish guitar that created real competition for both lute and theorbo. From the start, Roach interprets a much-maligned genre by combining a sensuous set of lyrics with the strumming technique (in Italian, stile battuto) offered by the Spanish guitar of that period. He brings a real vigour and animation to this CD.

It is always tempting to associate this genre with a lovesick young man describing his anguish over unfulfilled love. From track two alone, Grandi’s young man laments the pain he feels from Chloris, Lilla, Flora and a whole host of nymphs! For a really sensuous approach, listen to the lyrics of È si grave‘I tormento, the anguish of the words accompanied by expressive yet measured guitar accompaniment. And for those who are totally disillusioned, you are not alone — Sotto aspetto ridente warns of “a hidden, deadly poison. Don’t believe in Love!”

Roach displays his own vocal versatility in songs such as Consenti pur e ti pieghi, which tests his higher ranges. His skill with the baroque guitar needs no further comment. Quite simply, this is a comprehensive rendition of Grandi’s multi-faceted arias, which demand and receive a multi-faceted performance from Roach. He himself acknowledges his inspiration from one of the very greatest period-performance musicians, the much-loved James Tyler, whose research into the earliest guitars has proved invaluable in bringing this genre to modern audiences.

Handel – Orlando
Owen Willets; Karina Gauvin;
Allyson McHardy; Amanda Forsythe; Nathan Berg; Pacific Baroque Orchestra; Alexander Weimann
ATMA ACD22678

Handel – Alessandro
Max Emanuel Cencic; Julia Lezhneva; Karina Gauvin; Xavier Sabata;
Armonia Atenea; City of Athens Choir; George Petrou
Decca 4784699

Ariosto’s early 16th century epic, Orlando Furioso, has been a real quarry for opera composers and their librettists. The earliest was by Giulio Caccini, in 1625, and altogether more than 90 operas have been based on Ariosto. Handel composed three: Orlando in 1733 and Ariodante and Alcina both in 1735. In Orlando two important roles were added to what Ariosto had provided: the shepherdess Dorinda first appeared in a 1711 opera with music by Domenico Scarlatti (the music is now lost), while the wise and benevolent magician Zoroastro, a Sarastro figure, is essentially Handel’s invention.

The orchestra on the CDs of Orlando is the Vancouver-based Pacific Baroque Orchestra. It includes several musicians familiar to Toronto audiences: the violinists Chantal Rémillard and Linda Melsted and the lutenist Sylvain Bergeron. The quality of their playing is matched by the quality of the singing. Several of the singers are Canadian: the soprano Karina Gauvin, the mezzo Allyson McHardy and the bass-baritone Nathan Berg. There is also a fine performance of the shepherdess Dorinda by the American soprano Amanda Forsythe. Orlando is sung by the young English countertenor Owen Willetts; he is a revelation. I have some reservations about the casting of Berg as Zoroastro. Although Berg is an accomplished singer, the role could do with a deeper bass. It was written for the famous Antonio Montagnana and, among modern singers, David Thomas comes closest to capturing the qualities Montagnana must have had. Thomas can be heard in the complete recording of the opera conducted by Christopher Hogwood and also in the Harmonia Mundi recital record (no longer available), Arias for Montagnana.

The earlier opera, Alessandro (Alexander the Great), is sometimes seen as heroic, whereas Orlando has been labelled magical. Both labels are misleading. In Orlando Handel is more concerned with exploring Orlando’s madness and the interactions between the characters than with Alcina’s magical world. AlthoughAlessandroopens in a suitably martial manner, much of the rest of the opera focuses on the way Alessandro is torn between two women and on the rivalry between them. That rivalry mirrors that of the singers for whom the parts were written, Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni, “the Rival Queens.” On this recording their parts are very well taken by Karina Gauvin (as the Scythian princess Lisaura) and Julia Lezhneva (as Rossane, Alessandro’s captive). It also features two superb countertenors, Max Emanuel Cencic as Alessandro and Xavier Sabata as the Indian King Tassile. I would recommend both recordings to anyone interested in Handel or baroque opera.

Concert Note: Isabel Bayrakdarian will impersonate both Rival Queens in a series of concerts with Tafelmusik April 9 to 13.

Mozart – Così fan tutte
Persson; Brower; Plachetka; Villazon; Erdmann; Corbelli; Chamber Orchestra of Europe; Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Deutsche Grammophon 4790641

This opera buffa with wonderful symmetry of three men, three women, two sisters, two lovers and two “cads” is one of Mozart’s most enduring. He was not, however, the first one to try to set the libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte, who also wrote Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro. It turns out that none other than Antonio Salieri tried his hand at this opera of intrigue, betrayal and happy ending. Alas, Salieri gave up after just a few duets had been scored and Mozart had the green light to add yet another gem to the operatic repertoire. The title (sometimes translated as “Such are all women”) frequently raises the feminist ire, but a closer reading (and better translation: “They All Do It”) quickly diffuses the argument.

It is about the games people in love play — and the male protagonists emerge not only humbled, but also shamed. What is of particular interest in this recording is the assured conducting of the Quebec wunderkind, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who is rapidly establishing a reputation as a go-to operatic conductor. His appearances at the Met and elsewhere are greeted with uniform praise. Another point of interest is the participation of Rolando Villazon. The Mexican tenor, after a brilliant debut and a string of successful roles, had to undergo vocal cord surgery — every singer’s nightmare — in 2009. Unfortunately, as recently as April of 2013 he had to cancel a number of appearances due to ongoing vocal problems. It has to be said that his voice is not fully recovered, but in this recording cannot be faulted.

Peter von Winter – Das Labyrinth
Christof Fischesser; Julia Novikova;
Malin Hartelius; Michael Schade;
Thomas Tatzi; Mozarteumorchester Salzburg; Ivor Bolton
ArtHaus Musik 101 677

If you did not know that The Magic Flute had a sequel, you are not alone. Despite the three decades of successful productions after its 1798 premiere in Vienna, Das Labyrinth disappeared from the stages, it seemed, for good. After the success of The Magic Flute, Emanuel Schikaneder, ever the impresario and driven by profit as often as by art alone, sensed the public’s appetite for more. The libretto was the easy part — still fantastical and baroque, and yet more down to earth in character descriptions, making them more ambiguous and human. But what of the music? With Mozart’s death, it wasn’t possible to find another composing genius to take on the task. Enter Peter von Winter, acclaimed composer of the era, in service to the Bavarian court. He took a surprisingly fresh approach — only a few homages to Mozart, a playful re-interpretation of Papageno’s tune, but other than that — original, definitely romantic music.

Truth be told, the re-animated Queen of the Night does not scale coloraturas comparable to those of Mozart. Neither is Sarastro the stentorian announcer of what’s right and true. The frantic set changes were Schikaneder’s way of dazzling the audience and seem unnecessary now. This Salzburg production, only the second this century, however, proves that Das Labyrinth is a worthy companion piece and ideally presented side by side, or more cheek by jowl, with The Magic Flute — as Schikaneder intended.

It may yet happen — there are two new productions of the opera planned for this season in North America alone!

Wagner – Das Rheingold
René Pape; Nikolai Putilin;
Stephan Rugamer; Mariinsky Orchestra; Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky MAR0526

When Valery Gergiev and his Mariinsky Orchestra mounted a new production of Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle in 2003, the event marked the return of Russians performing opera in the original language rather than in the vernacular. The entire project was acclaimed, leading to the company taking their production to Germany, Japan and elsewhere, including the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and New York’s Met.

The critics were not unanimous but, as I seem to recall, the sets contributed to a diversity of opinions. However, in an audio cycle, our sole concern is the performance, not the production.

These new recordings were made in the Mariinsky concert hall in two sessions, two years apart. From the first minutes it is eminently clear that this will be a powerful performance and as the story unfolds Gergiev and his cast let us know that, except for the teasing Rhine Maidens, these characters are a pack of disingenuous narcissists, not models of good behaviour and fine sensibilities. Their métier is deceit and deal-making and deal-breaking. We know that is bad karma as they will find out by the end of the complete cycle when only the Rhine Maidens survive to have the last laugh.

As with any music he conducts, Gergiev is absolutely faithful to the score, a quality that has pros and cons. In Stravinsky, for example, his performances are outstanding but his Mahler symphonies are glaringly unidiomatic, a quality much admired by many. Gergiev’s orchestra is easily up to Wagner’s demands; accurate, dynamic and secure, together with being finely balanced. The only familiar voice is the German bass René Pape as Wotan; the other soloists are Russians who all bring their characters to life, singing without any discomfort in German, except for a glaring lapse from Alexei Markov (Donner) who repeatedly sings “Donner, de Herr” instead of “Donner, der Herr” as he summons the mists. A miserly observation indeed, one that does not detract from this extraordinarily exciting beginning of this ambitious undertaking to which I now look forward with the highest expectations.

I mentioned the quality of the orchestra which is captured in demonstration quality sound by a Russian team under the supervision of ex-Decca, award-winning producer James Mallinson who also does the same for the London Symphony’s and Chicago Symphony’s own recordings. The layout from left to right and front to back is the ultimate in realism for orchestra and singers ... a touchable reality.

I have since received a copy of Die Walküre which was issued earlier this year and reviewed by Janos Gardonyi in April. I somehow missed his review at the time but as I read it now I see that he was as enthusiastic as I. Do check it out. A few comments though ... Jonas Kaufmann’s Siegmund is far ahead of what we saw from the Met two seasons ago. Although Gergiev displays much empathy with the characters, he keeps everything pertinent and free from any hyperbolic heart-on-the-sleeve moments that divert our attention from the linearity of the plot. Performances such as this demonstrate, to me at least, that not a note of Die Walküre is wasted or superfluous. As in Das Rheingold, the recorded sound is wondrous; a convincing argument that a recorded concert performance is sonically superior to a live opera house recording. There is a world of difference between the sound of an orchestra in the pit from the expansive freedom and air on the stage. We look forward to Siegfried and Götterdämmerung to be released towards the end of 2014.

Britten – Peter Grimes
John Graham-Hall; Susan Gritton; Christopher Purves; Felicity Palmer; Catherine Wyn-Rogers; Teatro alla Scala; Robin Ticciati
Opus Arte OA 1103 D

The year 1945 saw the premiere of what many consider the greatest of English operas to date, Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes. The harrowing tale of a fisherman whose apprentices suffer mysterious deaths at sea was quickly taken up internationally, with Milan’s La Scala mounting a production in 1947. The present DVD brings us their latest staging, featuring a predominantly English cast and production team. John Graham-Hall plays the demanding leading role of Grimes as a paranoid wreck of a man with little suggestion of the commanding malevolence the late Jon Vickers brought to the role. Though his reedy voice is bright enough to fill the hall and his interpretation is effective in its own terms, Graham-Hall has a bit of trouble finding his notes at times, especially if a large interval is involved. The supporting cast is rock solid however, with Susan Gritton as Ellen Orford and Christopher Purves as Captain Balstrode both excelling in their roles as Grimes’ only friends amongst the hostile hypocrites of the fishing village. The massive choral passages so vital to this work are commanding, though it would be wise to turn on the English captions as the diction of the Italian chorus is sometimes a bit mushy (oddly, there are no Italian subtitles offered on this disc).

The orchestra pit at La Scala is larger than most, allowing a luscious string section to bloom under the assured leadership of the rising young British conductor Robin Ticciati. Perversely, director Richard Jones has opted to move the time frame of this fishy tale from coastal Britain of 1830 to the urban blight of U.K. council housing of the 1980s. The money saved on costuming was evidently passed on to movement co-ordinator Sarah Fahie, who gingers up the strutting local yobs and mini-skirted strumpets with some risible disco-era booty shaking. The only visible evocations of the sea are limited to incongruous flocks of stuffed seagulls perched hither and yon. Set designer Tom Pye contributes clever articulated boxes which sway effectively from side to side in the strobe-lit storm scene. Video and sound quality are both excellent. Despite my reservations about the wacky stage direction this is a production well worth a look.

Concert Notes:The Canadian Opera Company presents seven performances of Peter Grimes from October 5 to 26 at the Four Seasons Centre. James Ehnes performs Britten’s Violin Concerto with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under Stéphane Denève’s direction on October 10 and 12 at Roy Thomson Hall. (See Editor’s Corner in our June 2013 issue for a review of Ehnes’ recording of this concerto with the Bournemouth Symphony.)