This classic Kirov production of Swan Lake by Artistic Director Oleg Vinogradov includes the familiar happy ending in the final act, where Siegfried fights and ultimately defeats the evil magician, von Rothbart, and at dawn is reunited with Odette.
La clemenza di Tito
La Clemenza di Tito was commissioned to celebrate the coronation of the Emperor Leopold II as King of Bohemia in 1791, and was written in eighteen days. Nicholas Hytner’s elegant new staging, performed in the original Italian language, was premiered during the Mozart Bicentenary season at Glyndebourne on 28th June, 1991. An impressive cast is led by Philip Langridge (Tito), Ashley Putnam (Vitellia) and Diana Montague (Sesto). New recitatives, to replace those written by Mozart’s pupil Süssmayr, were commissioned from composer Stephen Oliver for this production. Andrew Davis conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
War and Peace
From the Kirov Opera St. Petersburg 1991 This production marked an historic ‘first’ collaboration between Russian and British operatic talent. Producer Graham Vick, designer Timothy O’Brien and lighting designer Matthew Richardson mounted a War and Peace that was revolutionary in staging terms for the Kirov Opera. The galvanic conductor Valery Gergiev fielded a cast of the company’s finest singers, including Nicolai Othotnikov, Irina Bogachova, Yuri Marusin and Yelena Prochina, supported by a huge, expertly-rehearsed chorus. The impact of this War and Peace is formidable. (Sung in Russian)
Orfeo ed Euridice
From the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 1991: Staged for the Royal Opera, Harry Kupfer’s production updates the Greek legend of Orpheus and employs ingenious sets by Hans Schavernoch, with projections onto revolving mirrors and screens, to conjure up images of a modern day Hell. It is sung using the original Italian libretto and, in the title role, the male alto Jochen Kowalski gives a “star performance of bewildering energy and commitment” (London Evening Standard). Soprano Gillian Webster is a radiant Euridice and Hartmut Haenchen conducts. (Sung in Italian)
Carmen
From the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden 1991 Bizet’s much-loved opera, a fateful story of jealousy and passion, was staged at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in a quintessentially Spanish production by the eminent director Nuria Espert, with designs by Gerardo Vera and costumes by Franca Squarciapino. Zubin Mehta conducts an outstanding cast, with Luis Lima as Don José, Gino Quilico as Escamillo, Leontina Vaduva as Micaela and starring the sensational Maria Ewing, aloof and magnetic, in the title role she has made her own. (Sung in French)
Fidelio
“Those in search of a thoroughly teutonic Fidelio should speed to The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. It moves swiftly and surely, is powerfully cast and is conducted with fine muscular authority by Christoph von Dohnányi,” wrote The Times of this production by Adolf Dresen, which starred Gabriela Benacková and Josef Protschka. Designed in an austere but traditional style by Margit Bardy, it conveys Beethoven’s theme – the triumph of love and freedom over the forces of evil and oppression – with a natural, unadorned simplicity.
Mozart, Symphony No.39 in E flat major, K. 543
This symphony is the first segment of the famous symphonic triptych composed by Mozart in the summer of 1788. Although we do not know exactly why Mozart wrote these three symphonic masterpieces at that time, it is assumed that they were intended for a series of concerts in Vienna. Despite his waning popularity in Vienna and his desperate financial situation, Mozart succeeded in forgetting his daily concerns and created a masterpiece of good spirits and self-confidence. The stately introduction leads into a graceful, urbane theme that seems to flow without effort. But a highlight of this work is the Trio of the Minuet, a pastoral Ländler for woodwinds that contrasts strikingly with the pounding energy of the Minuet. A musician’s musician, an occasional firebrand and a constant paradox – Nikolaus Harnoncourt (born in 1929) is one of the most profound and intriguing conductors of our time. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, he has long since turned his attention to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and even to Jacques Offenbach and Johann Strauss. He spent many years as a cellist with the Wiener Symphoniker before founding the “Concentus Musicus Wien” with his wife Alice in 1953. It soon became one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments. In the 1970s, Harnoncourt joined forces with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle to stage a series of Monteverdi operas at the Zurich Opera House. This universally acclaimed cycle contributed to a renaissance of Monteverdi’s music and set standards for early Baroque performance practice. Harnoncourt later began to turn his attention more and more to the music of Mozart, whom he considers “the most romantic of all composers”. His concept of Mozart’s music ran counter to the prevailing 20th-century views, however. He sees Mozart’s music as “dramatic, dynamic, often directly and highly emotional.” The Vienna Philharmonic, known for its suave and gracious Mozartian interpretations, initially rebelled against Harnoncourt’s unconventional approach. Yet the compellingness of his vision soon came to be accepted and shared by all members of the orchestra. In this recording, Harnoncourt conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.
Brahms, Symphony No.2 in D major, op.73
Thanks to Kleiber’s legendary reluctance to produce recordings, each recording is an event, a classic. He could allow himself the luxury of choosing his own repertoire and performers, and of working at a pace that ensured peerless music-making. The results can perhaps be best illustrated with the image of ‘an expert art restorer who clears away centuries of grime to reveal a painting in its pristine glory. Kleiber… strips away the varnish from some of music’s most tradition-encrusted masterworks to expose the vital creation lurking beneath.’ (TIME)
Mozart, Symphony No.36 in C major, K. 425 “Linz”
Elusive, eccentric, willful, capricious… These are some of the milder words used to describe Carlos Kleiber, the man widely considered “the most venerated conductor since Arturo Toscanini” (The New York Times). Born in Berlin but raised in Argentina, Kleiber made his conducting debut in Potsdam in 1954. He has been freelancing for many years now, conducting infrequently but at the world’s leading venues and with the world’s leading ensembles. Thanks to Kleiber’s legendary reluctance to produce recordings, each of his recordings is an event, a classic. He can allow himself the luxury of choosing his own repertoire and performers. The results can perhaps be best illustrated with the image of “an expert art restorer who clears away centuries of grime to reveal a painting in its pristine glory. Kleiber… strips away the varnish from some of music’s most tradition- encrusted masterworks to expose the vital creation lurking beneath.” (TIME)
Mozart, Symphony No.41 in C major, K. 551 “Jupiter”
Mozart’s last symphony is a solemn and formal work which looks back to the past more than its two fellow works K. 504 and 550. It contains strong reminiscences of Baroque forms like the fugue and the concerto grosso (e.g. in the opposition of clear-cut themes and the interplay of solo and tutti groups). Particularly the last movement is one of the most impressive in symphonic literature because of its unique blend of melodic flow and “scholarly” fugal treatment. Although not truly a fugue, the movement incorporates some exciting imitative work. The theme was well known and often used in the 18th century. Mozart himself used it in two of his masses and in the Symphony K. 319. The “Jupiter” Symphony, a truly Olympian work, must be viewed together with the two preceding symphonies as Mozart’s final word in a genre he raised to heights never before attained. Nikolaus Harnoncourt (born in 1929) is one of the most profound and intriguing conductors of our time. Considered one of the world’s leading specialists of Baroque music, he has long since turned his attention to Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and even to Jacques Offenbach and Johann Strauss. He spent many years as a cellist with the Wiener Symphoniker before founding the “Concentus Musicus Wien” with his wife Alice in 1953. It soon became one of the world’s most respected ensembles specializing in the performance of early music on original instruments. In the 1970s, Harnoncourt joined forces with Jean-Pierre Ponnelle to stage a series of Monteverdi operas at the Zurich Opera House. This universally acclaimed cycle contributed to a renaissance of Monteverdi’s music and set standards for early Baroque performance practice. Harnoncourt later began to turn his attention more and more to the music of Mozart, whom he considers “the most romantic of all composers”. His concept of Mozart’s music ran counter to the prevailing 20th-century views, however. He sees Mozart’s music as “dramatic, dynamic, often directly and highly emotional.” The Vienna Philharmonic, known for its suave and gracious Mozartian interpretations, initially rebelled against Harnoncourt’s unconventional approach. Yet the compellingness of his vision soon came to be accepted and shared by all members of the orchestra. In this recording, Harnoncourt conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.