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.
La Cenerentola
The popularity of Rossini’s delightful fairy-tale opera is, to a great extent, due to Jean-Pierre Ponnelle’s now legendary production, first seen at La Scala of Milan in 1971. Claudio Abbado, who was then the artistic director of La Scala, has put together for this production a cast – including Frederica von Stade, Francisco Araiza and Paolo Montarsolo – that boasts an outstanding affinity for Rossini’s humor in addition to peerless musicality.