Wagner - Der Ring des Nibelungen / Levine, Metropolitan Opera (Complete Ring Cycle)
by Brian Large
from Deutsche Grammophon
Berlioz - Les Troyens (remastered)
by Fabrizio Melano
from Deutsche Grammophon
Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex
by Julie Taymor
from Philips
JESSYE NORMAN: A Portrait
by Andre Heller
from Decca
An intimate and in-depth portrait of one of the world s
greatest sopranos, a true primadonna assoluta!
Yves Saint Laurent s garden paradise in Marrakech provides
the lush, tropical background for this deep insight into
Jessye Norman s professional and private life. Filmed by
German film maker Andre Heller this DVD gives a deeply
personal and emotional portrait of one of opera and lieder s
most respected exponents.
The film also includes 13 specially staged performances
in fantastical settings of her repertoire, of pieces by Mozart,
Richard Strauss, Schoenberg, Ravel, Schumann, Mahler,
Wagner, Purcell and Schubert and Berg. The performances
give a beautiful and unique look at the artistic world of this
very special diva.
Filmed in wide-screen, this DVD is significant for being
the only program-length, in-depth interview film of both the
public and personal sides of someone with a reputation for
being fiercely protective of her privacy.
Amongst many other subjects, Norman discusses her
childhood, family, her idols, working relationships with
different conductors and directors, how she chooses
repertoire, her career path, her political views, relationships,
attitudes towards religion, and her aspirations and dreams.
The wide range of interview matter, coupled with the striking
performances, make this DVD a fascinating, unusual and
essential product for all vocal aficionados and certainly for
the many fans of Jessye Norman.
Richard Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos / Levine, Norman, Battle, Troyanos, Metropolitan Opera
by Brian Large
from Deutsche Grammophon
Vangelis: Mythodea (Music for the NASA Mission: 2001 Mars Odyssey)
from Sony
Wagner - Die Walkure / Levine, Behrens, Norman, Metropolitan Opera (Levine Ring Cycle Part 2)
by Brian Large
from Deutsche Grammophon
It's no surprise that the second opera in Wagner's epic Ring cycle, Die Walküre, is the one Deutsche Grammophon released first on DVD: it's by far the most popular of the four parts of The Ring, from the thrilling Act I love duet for its brother and sister lovers, Siegmund and Sieglinde, to the spectacular finale of the "Magic Fire Music," as the god Wotan puts his beloved but disobedient daughter Brünnhilde into a deep sleep (no jokes, please!), over four hours later. This 1990 Metropolitan Opera production, originally broadcast on PBS to great acclaim, has been stunningly transferred to digital disc.
Musically, of course, is where any worthy Ring earns its keep, and under James Levine, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra makes the most sumptuous Wagnerian sounds of any current orchestra, as the dazzlingly fresh-sounding "Ride of the Valkyries" makes abundantly clear. The ravishing music is not solely instrumental, of course; the principal cast--Gary Lakes (Siegmund), Jessye Norman (Sieglinde), Hildegard Behrens (Brünnhilde), and especially James Morris (Wotan)--more than handles the vocal and acting demands, even those long stretches of unbelievably difficult singing passages that Wagner demands. This Otto Schenk production has taken its lumps for its conventional approach to Wagner's mythic music-drama. But it's an easy first approach for newcomers, and it's actually a rarity nowadays--among countless deconstructionist approaches--that many Ring-lovers will enjoy Die Walküre in its original setting and context. --Kevin Filipski
Berlioz - Les Troyens / Levine, Troyanos, Norman, Domingo, Metropolitan Opera
by Brian Large
from Geneon [Pioneer]
Verdi - Requiem / Margaret Price, Jose Carreras, Jessye Norman, Ruggiero Raimondi, Claudio Abbado, London Symphony Orchestra
from Image Entertainment
Claudio Abbado's 1982 performance of the Verdi Requiem with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus is not, perhaps, a classic in the league of the 1963 Carlo Maria Guilini recording, but it has a steely, controlling intelligence that never stands in the way of the work's passionate and ecstatic qualities. José Carreras's tenor voice was at that point in its fullest bloom, and Ruggiero Raimondi's bass has a spine-tingling dark lyricism that reminds us that the writing for bass here has much in common with possibly his greatest role, King Philip the Second in Don Carlos. The decision to use Margaret Price and Jessye Norman as the two female soloists is an interesting one--there is less distinction of range between them than is usual, but their particularly characterful voices offer quite enough contrast. The chorus gives the climaxes of the Dies Irae everything it has and is perfectly gentle and still in quieter passages. --Roz Kaveney, Amazon.co.uk
Recorded live from Usher Hall, Edinburgh, this memorable performance features the highly distinguished soloists Jessye Norman (soprano), Margaret Price (soprano), Jose Carreras (tenor) and Ruggero Raimondi (bass). Claudio Abbado conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. 120 minutes.
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