In a rare display of unanimous praise, international music critics rated this cycle one of the greatest operatic events of its time. Although Monteverdi played a truly important role in the development of opera, only few major opera houses have ventured to present these three Baroque masterpieces. Years of intensive study by conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, not only of the transmitted scores but also of the instruments used in Monteverdi’s time, were necessary to provide a basis for the exceptionally high standard of the Zurich productions. Just how meticulously Harnoncourt and the celebrated stage director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle prepared themselves is made partly clear by the fact that the orchestra exclusively played original 17th-century instruments and specially-made copies for these productions. This in turn meant that each of the 39 members of the -awaited expansion of the standard opera repertoire had successfully been realized. What makes the Monteverdi cycle a unique project is the certainty that it can never again be repeated with quite the same quality and feeling.
Portrait Richard Strauss
Herzog Blaubarts Burg (Bluebeard’s Castle)
Bartók called his opera an “infinitely sad Adagio”. Inspired by Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist tale, the work takes us on a psychological journey into the soul of the legendary Bluebeard, who is depicted here not as a ruthless murderer but as a sorrowing, idealistic man. By using Hungarian singers, Sir Georg Solti has found the ideal cast for evoking the high drama and emotional depths of this Hungarian, yet universally moving opera.
Concierto Barroco
Bach, Weihnachtsoratorium (Christmas Oratorio) BWV 248
Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, Nikolaus Harnoncourt founded the “Concentus Musicus Wien” in 1953. It has since become one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments or faithful reproductions. With its opulent decor and gilt ornamentation, the Austrian Baroque church of Waldhausen provides a setting evocative of Bach’s times. An added highlight of the program is the retelling of the Nativity story with the magnificent carved figures of two master wood-carvers of the Baroque period from Upper Austria. Also heard on the recording are the distinguished tenor Peter Schreier, bass Robert Holl and the Tölzer Boys’ Choir.
The Turn of the Screw
The central dramatic situation of the opera, based on Henry James’s novella, lies in the conflict between the governess and two evil spirits, the former servant Quint and the former governess Miss Jessel, both of whom exerted a great influence on the two children and who after death – at least this is what the governess believes – are trying to establish their hold over the youngsters. The question of whether the ghosts really exist or are only a figment of the young woman’s feverish imagination remains open in the Henry James tale. Indeed, in the opera the ghosts are seen and heard; consequently, in the film, Petr Weigl leaves open the possibility that they are only imagined by the governess. The viewer can decide whether “The Turn of the Screw” is a fairy-tale battle between good and evil or a tragedy about destructive influences on inexperienced youth. Britten’s score stands in contrast to the abundance of ideas to be found both in the literary model and the libretto. The score is tighter and the music formally more consistent than in his other operas. The work consists of a prologue and 16 scenes which are connected by orchestral intermezzos – variations on the main theme. This main theme is a 12-tone scale which, however, Britten in no way considered to be a negation of tonal hierarchy, but rather as a ramification of that technique. “The Turn of the Screw”, written in 1954, was premiered that same year at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice with the English Opera Group.
Documentary on the Filming of “Elektra” – “Do I hear the music? It pours out of me.”
The “Elektra” documentary is the last testimony to a life of artistic fulfillment, an homage to the conductor Karl Böhm. The streets and squares of Vienna unfold before our eyes as the automobile bringing Karl Böhm to the recording studio drives through the city with which Karl Böhm had the most intimate musical relationship. And when he steps up to the conductor’s desk in the Sophiensaal, we are about to witness his last great performance. We see him conversing with the singers and the orchestra, rehearsing, criticizing, encouraging, and reminiscing: “Strauss once told me¿” At the end of the production, after Elektra’s dance, he sits back silently in his chair – exhausted but happy. On 14 August 1981, shortly after the shooting of the film, Karl Böhm died, aged almost 86. His death marked the end of an era. This documentary provides fascinating insights into the work of the director Götz Friedrich. And it also illustrates the dramatic power of musical tragedy, for example in the masterful depiction of Clytemnestra by Astrid Varnay, herself once a fabulous Elektra, and in the outstanding interpretations of top singers such as Leonie Rysanek, Catarina Ligendza, Hans Beirer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Josef Greindl, Kurt Böhme and others.
Hommage à Séville
Introduction to Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen”
Beethoven, Missa solemnis in D major, op.123
This work is part of the complete cycle of Beethoven symphonic and choral works featuring the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam conducted by Leonard Bernstein. In this recording with the Dutch orchestra, Bernstein also conducts the soloists Edda Moser, Hanna Schwarz, René Kollo and Kurt Moll, along with the Chorus of Radio Hilversum.