Hector Berlioz (1803 - 1869)
Marcello Giordani - Isabel Bayrakdarian, Kristine Jepson
Peter Coleman-Wright, John Del Carlo, Robert LLoyd
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus
dir: James Levine
The Metropolitan Opera (2010) - 3 CDs
Live recording December 27, 2003 Metropolitan Opera
(Excellent sound)
Flacs & cues; cover, inlays, booklet and discs scans
Review
"It is always thrilling to attend the premiere of a neglected work in a house like the Met. I should say that the Met is not the only important company to neglect this opera by Berlioz, in fact it has been neglected anywhere. I have to say this is somehow unfair. In my not always humble opinion, Berlioz created very fine music for this juvenile work, music that is partially known to any aficionado to music. When 'Teresa' and 'Cellini' sing their love duet of Act I, with asides by 'Fieramosca', they do it to a famous melody heard in the concert overture that the French composer made out of the main themes of the opera. I have to say that heard in the context of the opera, the melody is even more interesting and beautiful.A probable reason to neglect this opera is the very high degree of difficulty of its music. Berlioz employs every imaginable rhythm, mixing them in any imaginable combination. He experiments with the newly employed bass clarinet. He demands from the 'Cellini', originally sung by Duprez the inventor of the Do di petto, very high notes, I think I heard a note higher than top C in act I, and very flexible coloratura from Teresa. 'Ascanio', Cellini’s apprentice, is a long and rewarding role for a mezzo, and the three roles for low male voices, Clement VII, Balducci, and Fieramosca are not walks on a park.Marcello Giordani had a very good performance opinion, although he sounded rather strained when singing top C and higher. His French was superb, especially considering that his exposure to this language has been very limited in the past. Isabel Bayrakdarian was a very good 'Teresa' lending her beauty and youth to the role, and managing the demanding coloratura very well. I was impressed by the solidity and beauty of the voice of Robert Lloyd, who I believe is starting his good-bye tour. His 'Pope' was very impressive and very funny, and her low notes were a prodigy of intonation. John Del Carlo and Alan Opie sang decently as 'Balducci' and 'Fieramosca'. Finally, Kristine Jepson, sang a beautiful 'Ascanio', full with expression and sympathy. The opera had its absolute premiere at the Opera de Paris, and so, I wonder if the role falls into the category known then, and now, of a young Dugazon.The chorus had a decent work, better than its average, and the orchestra of the Met had an outstanding night, all conducted lively and masterfully by James Levine.There was another debut this night, that of the director Andrei Serban. His idea was to fill the stage with mimes, what could have been to good effect during the Carnival scenes, but their presence was so excessive and inconspicuous, that lost the intended effect, becoming more an irritating factor. In regards to the costumes, designer Alexi–Meskhisvili forgot to do some basic research; the mask of 'Cellini' in act I scene 1 was the typical mask used by doctors when combating the plague. All the time there was a semi cylinder on the stage plus two staircases designed by George Tsypin; the rotation of the three elements was used in all five scenes of the work. Unfortunately the culminating scene, that of the cast of the statue of Perseo and the Medusa, was dull. I should deem the production attractive in the first half, but repetitive, and stupid, in the second.After seeing the three operas of Berlioz, and attending a performance of his dramatic Symphony ‘Romeo et Juliette’, I can say that I find the French as one of the most inventive composers, albeit with weak dramatic instincts. I don’t think that a performance of La damnation de Faust may change my way of thinking of this monster of the music." www.mundoclasico.com - Luis Gutiérrez Ruvalcaba - December 12, 2003