Music Media Monthly

Aaron Copland: Fanfare for America. A film by Andreas Skipis. Arthaus Musik (101573), 2011. 60 minutes.

My annual acknowledgement of my country’s independence typically involves spending time with flame-grilled indulgences and things that explode. That’s all good and caloric, but this year I decided to try something different: spending time learning more about one of America’s most celebrated composers. This disc is a reissue of the 2001 television documentary that provides a whirlwind survey of Aaron Copland’s life, with much of the juicy bits coming from interviews with Copland biographer Howard Pollack. We learn that Copland had a carefree, middleclass childhood in Brooklyn and that he traveled to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger; he also traveled throughout Europe and was exposed to other composers both personally (Stravinsky) and musically (Mahler). There is some very special footage here, of Bernstein conducting “Lincoln Portrait” and of Copland conducting a performance of his clarinet concerto featuring Benny Goodman. Copland himself is interviewed several times; in one clip, he speaks about being approached by Mr. Durand after performing one of his early piano works. The famed French publisher pitched a low-ball offer to the budding composer, who accepted and signed away all his rights to the work for under $50. Throughout the documentary, interviewees espouse Copland’s temperance and modesty, and likewise the film itself is mellow and undramatic to the point of being disengaging—it has a cinematic presentation whose flow is interrupted by enjoyable but lengthy musical interludes. The narration is in German, and subtitles are provided in several languages. As might be expected from a made-for-TV documentary, the content is aimed at a very general audience, making this film a potentially good fit for a humanities curriculum.

Diabelli, Handel, and Goldberg Variations. Daniel Barenboim, Yefim Bronfman, András Schiff. EuroArts (2066468), 2011. 170 minutes.

If good things really do come in threes, then there’s some kind of trinity going on here. From three themes, three treasured composers, and three distinguished artists, this disc brings us three engaging hours of 88 variations. As someone whose greatest musical wish is to proficiently play the piano, these guys have left me stupefied; I think students of the keyboard will be humbled and motivated by these three performances. And even though the performances were given in different venues in different years, all the film comes from the same production company so there is continuity in the quality of the audio and video.

András Schiff, famous for his interpretations of Bach on the modern piano, is shown here in a live 1990 performance of the Goldberg Variations at Germany’s Reitstadel Kulturhaus. One of Schiff’s earliest successes was his 1982 studio recording of the Goldberg, which was remastered and re-released in 2006. He has also made a live audio recording of this work, recorded in 2001 in Switzerland. The recorded output of this Hungarian artist is impressive and goes beyond Bach—he’s released in entirety the Mozart piano concertos and sonatas, Beethoven concertos, and the Schubert solo sonatas.

Daniel Barenboim, an Argentinean perhaps known more widely today for his work as a conductor than a pianist, spent fifteen years in front of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. During most of the 1990s, his work as director of the Berlin Staatsoper included a wide repertory but concentrated on German opera. This footage of his performance of the Diabelli Variations in Munich (1991) shows off his great sensitivity and flexibility. While the recording of Schiff’s performance shows a full house of respectful attendees in the shadows, Barenboim plays to empty seats, giving the DVD viewer the feeling of a private concert.

Russian pianist Yefim Bronfman rounds out the video with his 1987 performance of Brahms’s Handel Variations. Brahms, who owned a first edition of Handel’s keyboard suite in B-flat major (HWV 434), extracted the theme from the work’s final aria, added twenty-five variations and a fugue, and gifted his new masterpiece to Clara Schumann in celebration of her forty-second birthday. Bronfman gets a little excited in the final fugue, losing some of his discipline and playing with more weight than he needs to, but overall it’s clear he’s mastered this piece that Clara herself admitted was too challenging for her.

– Anne Shelley

Cyrano de Bergerac. Conducted by Patrick Fournillier; directed for stage by Michal Znaniecki. Naxos, 2011. Available in DVD (2110270) and Blu-ray (NBD0005) versions. 141 minutes. $39.99.

Franco Alfano composed around a dozen operas, only half of which were ever completed or published. Based on Edmond Rostand’s well-known drama of the same name (a film adaptation of this work earned an Oscar nomination in 1990), Cyrano de Bergerac was not Alfano’s first opera, nor is it his primary claim to fame. Alfano’s first contract with the publisher Ricordi, in 1898, was to compose the opera La fonte di Enschir, and ended in some disappointment. But after their success together on the very Puccini-esque Risurrezione and after Puccini’s death in 1924 left Ricordi with an incomplete copy of Turandot, Alfano was chosen to finish the work. Cyrano’s Rome and Paris premieres came in 1936, and it was finally performed at La Scala in 1954, just months before the composer’s death.

This live performance was filmed at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia in February 2007. Conductor Fournillier—a Massenet champion—was well-chosen for his role, and stage director Znaniecki gives us simple, yet provocative backdrops for the four short acts. Domingo headlines the production; he had first played Cyrano, his 121^st role, at the Met two years prior. Swashbuckling and almost spry, the lauded tenor looks and sounds nothing close to his age. In fact, his focused, powerful presence makes his stage companions seem like physical and vocal whippersnappers, though American soprano Sondra Radvanovsky, with her full, effortless tone, does complement Domingo well. Here, the duet “Sens-tu mon âme un peu dans cette ombre qui monte?” between Domingo and Radvanovsky that closes Act II is exquisitely beautiful; its soaring, climactic lines are infused with Puccini. Especially considering the leads, this lovely show is not to be missed.

Theodora. Conducted by Ivor Bolton; directed for stage by Christof Loy. C Major, 2009. Available in DVD (705708) and Blu-ray (705804) formats. 189 minutes. $39.99.

This version of Theodora was presented at the 2009 Salzburg Festival as a Handel-anniversary-year highlight. Unlike Peter Sellars’ 1996 staging at Glyndebourne, Loy takes a more conservative approach to a modern interpretation. The chorus appears in typical dress black attire and a tiered platform provides some visual relief and staging options for the otherwise vast and barren stage. The video was directed by the versatile Austrian Hannes Rossacher, who produced for TV Elvis in Las Vegas and Schönberg’s Moses und Aaron in the same year. Stage director Christof Loy, producer of several Handel operas and well-known for his staging of Ariadne auf Naxos at the Royal Opera House in 2002, succeeded in his goals of avoiding implications of a narrative and of conveying emptiness.

Handel’s penultimate oratorio was originally a flop, probably because it consists mainly of contemplative theological musings instead of theatrics. The music is spectacular—the chorus had me at “blessing” yet they continue with an addictive brightness that carries over from the sinful and joyous numbers to the solemn and repentant. Though countertenor Bejun Mehta continues to impress me with his unique tone, his runs sound a little stiff and he makes some interesting choices with elongated consonants. As Theodora, the lovely Christine Schäfer shows us why it’s valuable to have this oratorio presented in a semi-staged environment—her journey to martyrdom is an emotional one and she drags us with her every step of the way. This production is well-sung, and recommended.

The Giacomo Variations. Written and directed by Michael Sturminger. Arthaus Musik DVD (101570), 2011. 173 minutes. $19.99.

Giacomo Casanova was many things, and behind the womanizing talents with which his name is now synonymous he veiled his roles as violinist, escaped prisoner, military officer, and chum of the powerful and influential —Benjamin Franklin, Voltaire, Mozart and his librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte among them. Aside from his unabashed promiscuity, he’s probably best known for the 1790 memoir that he composed while serving as a mentally captive Bohemian librarian in the Castle of Dux. He was also weird, kind of like this DVD.

This staged concert unsuccessfully fuses the work of Mozart, Da Ponte, and Casanova, an odd, three-way marriage composed of the versatile John Malkovich’s recitations of selections from Casanova’s memoir, while he is periodically interrupted by highly sexualized excerpts from Don Giovanni, Così fan tutte, and Le Nozze de Figaro. A pair of singers and a pair of actors lead us through flashbacks of Casanova’s life and all the hearts he touched and shattered.

The disc includes thirty minutes of supplementary content: interviews with the writer, musical director, and cast, and rehearsals of musical and textual readings that reveal Malkovich as uncomfortable and self-conscious in his first public singing in thirty years. As for the show itself, the staging looks cheap, the audio is imbalanced, and Malkovich’s performance is flat and unengaged. Despite several entertaining moments, this concoction falls short in its quest to satisfy opera and theatre lovers alike.

– Anne Shelley

Serse. Conducted by Christophe Rousset; directed for stage by Michael Hampe. EuroArts DVD (2053798), 2011. 160 minutes. $24.99.

Handel composed Serse just before he gave up writing operas altogether. Though it is now considered one of his finest operas and the greatest of his late period, Serse initially ran for only five performances, mostly because Handel gambled and lost. Technically opera seria—but based on a comic Venetian libretto and treated as comedic here—the opera’s blending of tragedy and humor confused the public. Handel also strayed from the much-expected da capo aria form and instead hacked each aria down to a single movement.

Serse is a very popular opera but only a couple of video productions are currently available. This disc is a reissue of a live June 2000 production by the Semperoper in Dresden, originally released on video in 2005. The role of Serse—originally written for castrato—is played handily by Paula Rasmussen; she delivers an exceptionally lyric “Ombra mai fu.” Despite some slight challenges with flexibility and pitch, Canadian soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian’s portrayal of Romilda makes a vocally rich and convincing case for Atalanta (sung by Sandrine Piau, the “queen of baroque opera”) to stay away from their mutual potential lover in “Se l’idol mio rapir mi vuoi.” Conductor Christophe Rousset, an accomplished harpsichordist and baroque specialist who founded Les Talens Lyriques (the period ensemble heard on this disc), plays continuo and was a natural choice for conductor.

Aleksis Kivi. Conducted by Mikko Franck. Ondine DVD (4009), 2011. 113 minutes. $29.99.

This opera and its libretto—which chronicle the life of Finland’s national author from whom the opera draws its name—were written by the versatile and prolific Einojuhani Rautavaara, who incorporates into the opera several of Kivi’s poems and his favorite drinking song. Kivi, who died at age 38, is credited with writing the first significant published works in the Finnish language, though attacks by literary critics drove him to depression and madness, followed somewhat predictably by poverty and suicide. In Act III, as Kivi turns to liquor for comfort during a hallucination, he and a men’s chorus of mental patients engage in a call and response of decent one-liners translated as “I sacrifice my life to you, o eternal elixir” and “The world may tumble, as long as there’s beer.”

As early as his teenage years, Rautavaara had considered Kivi as an ideal subject for an opera. It was not until much later in his life, however, that Finnish baritone and former director of the Finnish National Opera Jorma Hynninen approached Rautavaara about composing the opera. Aleksis Kivi premiered in 1997, but this 2011 DVD release is in honor of Hynninen’s 70^th birthday, and in this production Hynninen plays the role of Kivi. (If you’re wondering how Rautavaara pulls off this casting—since Kivi died so young—he doesn’t, really. Act I is a flashback, Act II shows Kivi in maturity, and Act III only has a pinky toe inside reality.)

In this nationalistic opera, Rautavaara combines elements of serialism with tonal harmony, and his affinity for mysticism is apparent in the setting of the primeval forest in which dwell mythical representations of the collective subconscious. Rautavaara gives Kivi’s real-life arch-nemesis August Ahlquist no musical voice, and—as he did with Kivi’s part—the composer includes much of Ahlquist’s own writings in the villain’s speaking part. It’s a very dark show with a slow-moving plot and awkward staging, but the vocal lines are lovely and the performances solid.

L’Amour des Trois Oranges. Conducted by Sylvain Cambreling. Arthaus Musik DVD (107241), 2011. 146 minutes. $29.99.

The last twenty years have seen a reappraisal of Prokofiev’s output beyond Peter and the Wolf and Romeo and Juliet—we have conductors Rostropovich and Gergiev to thank for this. One of Prokofiev’s earlier works and his third opera, The Love for Three Oranges was commissioned by the Chicago Opera while Prokofiev was living, composing, and performing in New York. (The March is the best-known section of this avant-garde, essentially aria-less work.) Though he almost died from illness while putting together the opera, he completed it in time for rehearsals to begin on schedule. The work’s premiere was delayed due to the death of the Chicago Opera Association’s director in 1919, but in 1921 Prokofiev and the company had resolved some outstanding financial issues and the work was first-performed with the composer as conductor. Prokofiev adapted his libretto from a French play, and as the premiere was sung in French, so is this performance.

This elaborate production could be pulled off by only the alpha-est of Alpha Squads. Conductor Cambreling is a 20^th-century specialist, and stage director Gilbert Deflo is experienced in producing commedia dell’arte, an Italian form of which The Love for Three Oranges bears elements. Deflo takes advantage of the space allotted at the Opéra Bastille by spreading out the chorus and allowing room for oranges five feet in diameter, fireworks, and characters who juggle, fly, and eat fire. The performances in this 2005 production are very strong, the most notable among them that of Victor van Halem as a twelve-foot-tall cook. The disc includes a 30-minute bonus feature with scene clips and interviews with the cast and production staff. Highly recommended.

– Anne Shelley

La Traviata. Conducted by Lorin Maazel; directed by Robert Carsen. Arthaus Musik DVD (107227), 2004. 146 minutes. $29.99.

The March 1853 premiere of Verdi’s La Traviata in Venice’s Teatro La Fenice was less than successful and deemed a fiasco by the composer. That version was performed only eight more times that season, and when a smaller theatre picked up the opera a year later, Verdi took advantage of the revival to revise his work into the heralded and oft-performed La Traviata we know and, well… know today. In 1996, the Fenice burned to the ground. This production represents more than one phoenix’s emergence from the ashes, for in celebration of the theatre’s 2004 resurrection, someone decided to blow the dust off the theatre’s archival copy of the 1853 version of La Traviata and give a performance authentic in origin yet modern in interpretation. The film opens with an odd intro of various shots and rolling credits whose presentation is reminiscent of The Sound of Music. Director Robert Carsen does not waste any time letting the viewer know that this production will be unconventional: during the overture, a scantily-clad Violetta sits atop a bed as she accepts cash handouts from various men; the bills bear Verdi’s image and have a symbolic role throughout the production. What the very busy company scenes lack in sophistication and refinement, they make up for in overt sexuality and some truly luscious sounds. The reedy Patrizia Ciofi delivers a convincing performance of Violetta’s troubles that culminate in Act III—“Addio del passato” is especially dark, gripping, and impressive—and Roberto Saccà as Alfredo matches Ciofi in emotion and musicality.

Beethoven: Missa Solemnis. Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden and Staatskapelle Dresden. Conducted by Christian Thielemann. C Major DVD (705408) and Blu-ray DVD (705504), 2010. 90 minutes. $24.99/$39.99.

Since 1951, a requiem has been performed annually on 13-14 February in memory of the lives lost during the 1945 annihilation of Dresden. The still-grieving audience was moved to silence at the conclusion of the inaugural concert, so it’s now an established practice for a moment of silence to occur in place of applause. This performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis (not so much a requiem, but apparently solemn enough to make the cut) marks a couple different occasions: the sixty-fifth anniversary of the destruction of both Dresden and the Semperoper, and also the twenty-fifth anniversary of the opera house’s reopening. The attendance of former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was as symbolic as it was convenient, as he was in town anyway to accept the Dresden Peace Prize; his cameo in the opening credits is brief and stoic. This performance was also the first to occur after the announcement that Thielemann would assume the role of the Staatskapelle’s principal conductor in 2012. It took me until the end of the Kyrie to get used to the sight of a score-less, baton-less Thielemann, whose formidable frame, large hands, and intense focus make him appear at times to be directing traffic or swatting at a particularly persistent fly. The quartet of soloists is very cohesive, though the women outshine their male counterparts in both richness and musicality. Latvian mezzo Elīna Garanča is astoundingly haunting in the Gloria, and on more than one occasion her color and volume nearly overpower the other three soloists combined. The video is well-shot and among its many angles is one from atop and behind the choir, showing a vertical pan of the magnificent hall and encompassing the evening quite nicely. The concert ends emotionally, for instead of audience members rushing to the parking lot amid mad applause, the orchestra and audience all stand and silently honor the dead.

Celibidache Rehearses Bruckner’s Ninth. A film by Jan Schmidt-Garre. Arthaus DVD (101555), 2005. 58 minutes. $24.99.

In 1992, Schmidt-Garre directed a full-length documentary about the controversial conductor Sergiu Celibidache. This 1991 footage—in which Celibidache rehearses the Munich Philharmonic on the Adagio section of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony—is a remnant of that project. The rehearsal is periodically interrupted by brief interviews, some as Zen-like as the volatile conductor claimed to be and a couple in which Celibidache simply spews lofty rants. Personality issues aside, Celibidache was often musically criticized for his radical interpretations of tempi, for demanding a high number of rehearsals, and for his principled refusal to release commercial recordings. This film reflects many of his virtues, however, including the fact that he rarely conducted with a score in either rehearsal or performance and is recognized even by his critics for his exemplary interpretations of Bruckner’s symphonies. In this rehearsal, he typically only gets through two measures at a time and gives unspecific, aesthetics-focused directions, yet his players respond well and appear compliant, engaged and mostly happy in their work. Perhaps it is a combination of Celibidache’s age (he would die a few years later at 84) and his slow yet steady rehearsal style that seems to draw in the viewer and player. At the very least, this disc offers the opportunity to view a unique rehearsal methodology and experience a mini-documentary of one of the twentieth century’s most polarizing and important conductors.

–Anne Shelley

Gurrelieder Directed by Mariss Jansons. BR KLASSIK DVD (900110), 2011. $24.99.

This seldom-performed behemoth has, in terms of production costs, truly given frugality the finger. After all, any self-respecting choral/orchestral work written in Wagnerian style is going to require at least four choruses, six timpanis, four Wagner tubas, and a set of iron chains, and Gurrelieder does not disappoint. (In the spirit of Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, the patient chorus does not even see any action until the third and final Teil.) Though it was originally conceived in 1900 as an entry for the Vienna Music Society’s song competition, Schoenberg did not complete Gurrelieder until 1911. Because he’d begun composing the work early in his career, this story of unrequited love is infused with enough Romanticism to have sold tickets that bore the name “Schönberg,” for by the time Gurrelieder received its acclaimed premiere in 1913, his overall adherence to Western tonality had all but disappeared and the public was not thanking him for it. (In case you’re wondering, Castle Gurra was the residence of 14^th-century heroine Tova, the soprano soloist in this work.)

This October 2009 performance was held and recorded in celebration of the 60^th anniversary of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and is the only recording of Gurrelieder available on DVD. Due to various illnesses, the five vocal soloists cover six roles is this production, with Michael Volle acting as the narrator in addition to his role as the peasant, and tenor Stig Andersen having filled in at the last minute for the substantial role of Waldemar. Deborah Voigt soars as Tova, though her character does not live past the first part. The disc includes documentary footage and interviews in German. Though you may someday have the good fortune to attend a live performance of Gurrelieder, this one is a fine and guaranteed opportunity.

Medea. Conducted by Michael Boder; directed by Marco Arturo Marelli. Arthaus Musik, 2011. Available in DVD (101551) and Blu-ray (101552) versions. $29.99/$39.99.

This fabulous recording of a commission by the Wiener Staatsoper, in collaboration with the Frankfurt Opera, brings us the world premiere of Medea. Reimann’s eighth opera and his first in ten years, Medea was awarded World Premiere of the Year by the German magazine Opernwelt. Reimann focuses on a few hours of the life of Medea, a mythological Greek protagonist who seeks revenge on her husband, who has fallen in love with another woman. Visions from Reimann’s scarred childhood—during which he saw Berlin and Potsdam bombed and blazing—are incorporated into Medea as they were in his other operas Traumspiel, Melusine, and Troades.

The primary cast of six features German coloratura Marlis Petersen, who is intense and accurate as Medea. Her angular leaps sound effortless, and she easily elicits sympathy from the viewer with her desperate, wailing melismas. She spends most of her time crawling around on a desolate, futuristic landscape. The score is dense, powerful, and atonal, yet the music reflects the physical ambiance and actions of the characters so artfully that its accessibility to the general listener is pretty much a non-issue. Conductor Michael Boder was wisely chosen for his familiarity with Reimann, having premiered his Schloss in 1992, and stage director Marelli’s reputation for world premieres will continue unscathed. This production is not one to miss.

Die Vögel. Conducted by James Conlon; directed by Darko Tresnjak. Arthaus Musik, 2010. Available in DVD (101529) and Blu-ray (101530) versions. $29.99/39.99.

Here is another DVD world-premiere from James Conlon and the LA Opera’s “Recovered Voices” project. Braunfels’s libretto for Die Vögel—his second staged opera and probably his best-known—is based on the ancient Greek comedic play of the same name. After Bruno Walter premiered and put in a good word for the work in the early 1920s, it was quickly adopted in post-World War I Germany and rivaled any Strauss opera in popularity. Polyphonic, tonal, and lyrical, it reflects Braunfels’s conservative style and his adherence to German Romanticism.

It seems like one would have to try to make a satire filled with colorful beasts visually unappealing. The staging is barren to the point of appearing cheap, and the poor lighting fails to highlight much of the Chor der Vögel. And any singing character called Nightingale probably deserves more than what Désirée Rancatore offers here. The Italian coloratura makes her LA Opera debut in this role, and while her top is clear and flexible, her tone is dull and her overall presence seems disengaged. Matthew Moore as Zeus, too, sings with vigor but looks like a terrified fifth grader at a spelling bee.

Gripes aside, Brandon Jovanovich and James Johnson both produce rich, spinning waves of sound, and whether they’re traversing the cardboard heavens or fending off flapping fuchsia mezzos, they’re just a delight to watch. I’m tempted to say “wait for the DVD,” but you already did.

– Anne Shelley

Cello Master Class. Led by Maria Kliegel. 2 DVDs (2110280-81) and 198-page booklet (747313528059). Naxos DVD, 2010. $49.99.

Originally released in 2006 by Schott Music, this multimedia project is the recipient of two European awards: the Digita Award and the European Media Award Comenius EduMedia-Siegel. In over eight hours of video, Grammy-nominated cellist Maria Kliegel examines specific pitfalls of technique that plague even the most advanced performers. Kliegel has conducted master classes on a regular basis at the Cologne Music Academy since 1986 and is active as a solo performer and as cellist for the Xyrion Trio. Kliegel has recorded with Naxos since her 1991 collaboration with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on Cello Concertos (Elgar and Dvořák).

Quintessence, as Kliegel calls this product, consists of two DVDs and a sizable booklet. Part 1 of Quintessence—“The Book”—is not quite a book and yet not quite a booklet (its 200 pages are the size of a DVD case… I’ll let you decide what to call it). Its multiple chapters cover the fingerboard, the left hand (pitch, position, vibrato, etc.), bowing, and strategies for effective practicing. Kliegel’s foreword is motivating and positive and tackily includes images of scanned letters of recommendation written by former teacher János Starker and mentor Mstislav Rostropovich. The book contains many music examples throughout the chapters and there is a brief addendum of technical exercises by Starker, though the print is so small that one hopes these examples were intended purely for reference.

Kliegel’s writing is rich in anecdotes and imagery. At the beginning of the book, she has included a customized image of a pyramid structured synonymously with the seven chapters of the book, each of which is represented by a level in the pyramid. Those who embrace pyramid models will be pleased to know the base level contains the most rudimentary elements of Quintessence (finger positions) while upper levels explore more advanced techniques, such as shifts and suggestions for effective practicing. She has also developed a system in which at the end of each chapter she awards a figurative gem (in a meaningful order) for each new skill set acquired or concept learned. The final chapter of the book contains a synopsis of the accomplished student’s collection of gems.

Parts 2 and 3 are viewed on the two DVDs. Bow technique and left-hand technique, which both appear on DVD 1, explain and demonstrate expressions noted in italics throughout the book. The second half of DVD 1 and all of DVD 2 contain Part 3, which Kliegel calls “Infamous Excerpts.” Kliegel walks the viewer through notable difficulties in Haydn’s Concerto in D major, Schumann’s Concerto in A minor, and Tchaikovsky’s Rococo Variations in A major. Though one could probably use the DVDs and book separately, the product itself recommends the media be used in sync; the book contains frequent references to chapter points in the DVDs.

On both DVDs, Kliegel speaks directly to the camera in German, often while she is playing. Her instruction is overdubbed in English, though in order to make the cello audible, the producers were required to leave her German commentary audib;e as well. This unfortunate but necessary situation is distracting and hinders the overall usability of the product. Transcriptions of the English translation are provided on the DVDs as PDF files.

It is difficult to tell who the intended audience is for this project. The product abstract seems to bill it as “tips and tricks” from a master cellist, to help advanced players overcome staple difficulties in the repertoire. I have no doubt of this claim when viewing the “Infamous Excerpts” section, in which Kliegel recommends alternate fingerings to maximize agility, advises on how to read a conductor, and instructs in executing sensitive shifts relative to the bow movement.

Overall, this project was surely a massive undertaking that will prove useful to cellists at all levels of ability, and those whose most comfortable language is English will especially appreciate this edition. The only thing missing is the cello…

– Anne Shelley

André Previn: A Bridge Between Two Worlds. A documentary directed by Lillian Birnbaum and Peter Stephan Jungk. C Major, 2010. $24.99.

This documentary gives equal time to Previn’s private and professional lives, as it follows his beginnings as an immigrant child in Los Angeles, his significant performance débuts as a teenager, and his core philosophy that the making of music at a high level can be a collaborative, non-hierarchical endeavor. At eighty-one years old, Previn is still writing operas, conducting orchestras, and playing concerts. His versatility as a successful jazz and classical pianist, conductor, and capable composer is matched only by the level at which he does all these things; Previn is the recipient of ten Grammy Awards in seven different categories, and he has won four Academy Awards for his film music.

Previn’s fascinating private life is explored to an extent. Of his five marriages, one was to Mia Farrow and one to Anne-Sophie Mutter, and both exes share personal and professional memories involving Previn; Farrow recalls their blossoming friendship and then-forty-year-old Previn’s appointment as principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra. There are also some strange and awkward interviews with two of his sons—Lukas and Fletcher, each from different mothers—who both speak about traveling the world as children and meeting stars like Julie Andrews. Renée Fleming, who starred as Blanche in the premiere production of Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire, also pops in for a couple different interviews. The disc includes some fantastic footage from a 1971 guest appearance on the Morecambe & Wise Christmas Show, and of a 1974 four-hand jazz piano performance and interview with Oscar Peterson. Oddly, the bilingual Previn speaks in German as much as he does in English throughout the film.

The documentary is accompanied by lovely if straitlaced performances of Mozart’s two piano quartets, K. 478 and K. 493, recorded at the Mozarteum during the Salzburg Mozart Week in 2000. Subtitles are provided in English, German, French, and Spanish.

Der Zwerg and Der zerbrochene Krug. Conducted by James Conlon. Arthaus Musik, 2010. $29.99.

This disc includes two rarely-produced and rarely-recorded one-act operas, both performed in 2008 as part of the Los Angeles Opera’s Recovered Voices series. The series—started in 2006 but now currently on hiatus due to budget constraints—highlights operatic works by composers whose careers fell victim to the Third Reich. Der Zwerg is written by Alexander Zemlinsky, with a libretto based on an Oscar Wilde short story. The depressing and decidedly heart-sinking plot was born of Zemlinsky’s request for a “text on the tragedy of an ugly man” from fellow composer Franz Schreker, though the libretto was ultimately written by Georg C. Klaren. Der Zwerg was premiered in 1922 at the Cologne Opera, under the baton of Otto Klemperer. (Fun fact: Conlon, the conductor on this disc, also conducted this show in Cologne in 1996.) It’s thought that Zemlinsky’s motivation for requesting such a downer plot comes from his romantic rejection by one of his students—known then as Alma Schindler—who married Gustav Mahler one year later. Her memoirs describe Zemlinsky as “a horrible dwarf,” and include her comments on his unattractive appearance and small stature. Mary Dunleavy, who is most often seen on stage as Violetta in La traviata, plays a very convincing spoiled twelve-year-old princess, and tenor Roderick Dixon performs the Dwarf’s soaring lines with ease.

Der Zerbrochene Krug was written in 1942 by Viktor Ullmann, who had worked many years prior under Zemlinsky at the Neues Deutsches Theater in Prague. Ullmann finished this composition just before his internment at Terezin, where he composed over twenty works in the two years before his life ended at Auschwitz in 1944. The second of three operas written by Ullmann, The Broken Jug is a comical commentary on injustice and corruption. The overture is lengthy and played with crisp precision that is matched by smartly-choreographed silhouettes pantomiming within the outline of a stage-sized jug; the staging only gets more Dutch after that. James Johnson’s portrayal of Judge Adam is so entertaining that it’s easy to forget the character’s true representative purpose of critiquing the Nazi judicial system. Overall, this is a tight, fast-paced, and beautifully-crafted production.

Little Women. Conducted by Patrick Summers; directed by Peter Webster. Naxos, 2010. $29.99.

When he was a composer-in-residence for the New York City Opera, Mark Adamo commented that “even writing a small opera is like sculpting a David.” He could have been referring to Little Women, which was Adamo’s first opera for which he wrote both the music and the libretto (in the case of this disc, he also wrote the program notes). When it was first proposed to Adamo in 1996, he found the idea of composing around the plot’s relatively conflict-free episodic stream so uninteresting that the commission initially fell through. Adamo had written a proposal for the work, however, and after David Gockley of the Houston Grand Opera got hold of it, the company produced a scaled-down version in 1998. The full production that appears on this disc, staged in 2000, was later broadcast on PBS’s Great Performances series. This is a chance to own a staged recording of an opera that is performed with greater frequency every year. In the role of Jo, Stephanie Novacek is strong if a bit stoic, and Joyce DiDonato’s performance of Meg leaves no doubt as to why she was recently named Gramophone’s “Artist of the Year.”

– Anne Shelley

Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen. Available in DVD (101521) and Blu-Ray (101522) versions. Conducted by Sebastian Long-Lessing. Arthaus Musik, 2010. $39.99.

Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen is set to Wagner’s self-written libretto and based on a novel of the same name by the English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton. One of Wagner’s earliest operas, Rienzi was composed around 1840 and premiered in Dresden in 1842. The character of Rienzi, a fictitious protagonist of fourteenth-century Rome (the entire title of the opera translates to “The Last of the Roman Tribunes”), acted as a natural idol for those engaged in political opposition leading up to the German Revolution of 1848. Through the opera’s many performances into the twentieth century, Rienzi’s leadership continued to touch those who sought a similar path; a young Adolf Hitler first heard Rienzi in 1905 in Linz, Austria. He likened his own political ambitions to those of the folk hero, so much so that he invoked phrases such as “Heil Rienzi!” and used the overture as an unofficial theme song of the Third Reich.

Having incorporated entire marches, ballets, and battle scenes, Wagner conceived Rienzi to be the grandest of grand operas, one that would be impossible to stage in a small theatre. The five-act show typically lasted over six hours, but it was well received, with 200 performances given in Dresden alone by 1908. This condensed production—the first recording of Rienzi released on disc—is delivered in less than half that time. Philipp Stölztl, whose work prior to directing operas and feature films involved directing music videos for Madonna and Rammstein, delivers a modern interpretation of Rienzi by transporting the Roman characters into an amalgamation of the middle decades of the twentieth century. Name your favorite autocrat of the time, and that is who Rienzi seems to represent. The staging, costumes, lighting, strategic camera work, and a giant screen backdrop upon which interactive film clips are projected all combine to give this visually-stunning production the look of a feature film. Torsten Kerl’s portrayal of Rienzi is convincing and vocally powerful, yet it is American mezzo Kate Aldrich’s performance of Adriano that steals the show. Highly recommended.

Messiah. Available in DVD (703008) and Blu-Ray (703104) versions.  Conducted by Jean-Christoph Spinosi. C Major, 2010. $29.99/$39.99.

Once Handel stops rolling in his grave, he may realize that controversial stage director Claus Guth is onto something with this production — something to upset purists and, at the very least, make every oratorio lover say “Huh.” Recorded live at the historical Theater an der Wien in April 2009 in recognition of the 250^th anniversary of the composer’s death, this rendition of Messiah brings together the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and conductor Spinosi’s capable baroque orchestra, Ensemble Mattheus.

Perhaps the most ironic aspect of this undertaking is that Messiah drew harsh criticisms at its 1742 premiere, to the effect that scripture should not be sung in theatres — enough criticism that Handel billed it generically as ‘A New Sacred Oratorio’ and remained cautious of revival performances until 1750. Here, Guth delivers a dramatic narrative of a husband and father who took his own life and the repercussions of his actions upon his family. A smartly-organized rotating stage depicts various gathering rooms and door-filled hallways of a nondescript modern building. Several green exit signs with arrows indicating directions of escape are prominently displayed. The plot proceeds out of sequence and is divided into sections that loosely correspond with Handel’s three written parts: the funeral, life of suffering, loneliness-togetherness-death, and period prior to the funeral. We learn that the suicide was preceded by unhappiness, infidelity, and lies. In this staged interpretation, the characters’ struggles with their sinful desires and actions are obvious, yet their conflicting words repetitively assure themselves of their salvation.

Even having come on board with the entire concept by the conclusion of Part I, I’ll admit there are some truly bizarre moments. Beginning with “For unto us a Child is born,” the entire chorus exhibits large, asynchronous hand gestures that recapitulate throughout the production. And the “Amen” capstone nearly sends the whole operation up in flames, as a bonfire pit filled with earthly possessions that the chorus prepared many scenes prior begins to smoke. A representative, vocally silent character who has permeated the production with expressions of sign language enjoys a literal and figurative spotlight in this final scene. Nearly every singer endures every possible level of verticalness, including an unusual amount of crawling, yet the vocal quality never suffers.

Musically, the performance is respectable and enjoyable and includes an especially strong male cast. Both tenor Richard Croft and countertenor Bejun Mehta deliver wondrously florid lines with astounding technique, and baritone Florian Boesch’s proclamations are thunderous yet deft. The difficulty of defining a target audience for this product makes me doubt that one was ever meant to be defined, so I hope that means it will pique the curiosity of many and bear the disdain of few.

– Anne Shelley

Robert Schumann: Eichendorff-Lieder Op. 39; Kerner-Lieder Op. 35. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone. Harmut Höll, piano. Hänssler Classic DVD, 2010. 93906. $29.99.

Filmed on 14 November 1987 in the Hans-Rosbaud-Saal in Baden-Baden, this <i>Liederabend</i> showcases Fischer-Dieskau doing what he does best. The silver-haired, doe-eyed veteran of both the world of opera and the German army achieved an early start to his career, and this is likely due as much to his musically-rich upbringing as the support he received in his mid-twenties from Wilhelm Furtwängler and other professionals. Though his early years were filled with operatic engagements (the Vienna Staatsoper and Bavarian Staatsoper at twenty-four, the Salzburg Festival at twenty-seven, and the Bayreuth Festival at twenty-nine were just the beginning), Fischer-Dieskau’s output of and contribution to German art song are unprecedented. His recordings include nearly all lieder written by Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Beethoven, Brahms, and Strauss, and he is estimated to have over 1,000 songs in his repertoire. Here, Fischer-Dieskau performs two of Schumann’s song cycles in whose writing Clara played a significant role, both logistically and inspirationally.

Included with the DVD is a bonus audio recording from September 1997. The disc kicks off with an infrequently-recorded declamation by Schumann (Ballade vom Haideknaben op. 122, no. 1) in which we’re treated to Fischer-Dieskau as a colorful narrator in spoken-word. Two more ballads by Franz Liszt follow, along with the “Rilke Cycle” (Die Weise von Liebe und Tod des Cornets Christoph Rilke) written by Viktor Ullmann in 1944, the same year of the composer’s untimely death in Auschwitz.

This DVD kicks off a series of similar releases by Hänssler in which Fischer-Dieskau and one of his regular lied collaborators Harmut Höll perform in the Hans Rosbaud studio. As is the case with this production, most of the footage for this series was shot in the mid-to-late-1980s. At eighty-five, Fischer-Dieskau is not getting any younger, and this footage and that which will follow in the series is sure to be of value to performers and historians, alike.

French Songs. Susan Graham, mezzo-soprano. Malcolm Martineau, piano. EuroArts DVD, 2010. 3079128. $24.99.

Grammy-award winning mezzo Susan Graham treats viewers to a pleasant and moving evening of French art songs presented roughly in chronological order and three minutes and fifty-nine seconds at a time. While this recording was captured at the 2009 Festival in Verbier, Switzerland, Graham and pianist Malcolm Martineau performed this exact program on many occasions earlier that summer during an international tour of the United States and United Kingdom. At one song per composer, the pair provides a smorgasbord of primarily twentieth-century French masters—an ideal arrangement for audience members who desire thematic continuity but also crave programmatic variety. The seemingly ‘best-of’ set is actually strategically grouped; the capable duo features the work of several pioneers of French lyricism, the lush piano accompaniments of the later Romantics, a couple once-riot-inducing and blatantly anthropomorphic early-twentieth-century works, and mélodie, a famous vocalise, and a brief cycle from many core twentieth-century composers. Martinau’s playing is sensitive and very complementary to Graham’s interpretations—her performances of the Ravel and the Hahn especially stand out. With close-up shots of both performers’ masterful technique and with subtitles provided in French, English, German, and Japanese, this disc will be as much a useful tool for voice students as it is an enjoyable concert.

Helsinki Recital. Karita Mattila, soprano. Martin Katz, piano. Ondine DVD, 2010. 4004. $29.99.

The celebrated Finnish lyric soprano Karita Mattila—now fifty, yet having begun an international opera career at twenty-four—is more than comfortable taking center stage, yet she seems especially in her element here on her home turf. Her early roles were mostly Mozart until the 1990s, when her leading performances in recordings of Die Meistersinger von Nümberg and Jenůfa won her some Grammy awards. In 2005, Musical America awarded Matilla with the title of Musician of the Year; the famed Martin Katz—Matilla’s pianist for this program—was also honored by Musical America in 1998 as Accompanist of the Year. The footage on this disc is taken from two different sellout concerts at the Finnish National Opera in Helsinki in October 2006. The program includes canonic songs by Duparc and Rachmaninoff and Dvorák’s cycle Gipsy Songs, yet the challenging song cycle Quatre Instants is clearly the gem of the concert. Composed by fellow Finn Kaija Saariaho and dedicated to Mattila (who sang its premiere in Paris in 2003), the cycle—performed here as its premiere recording—is noticeably engaging for both Katz and Matilla, though the fact that Matilla uses and at times relies on the score for this piece is somewhat distracting. The bonus audio disc—a recording in which Mattila collaborates with pianist Ilmo Ranta—includes songs by Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Sibelius, Kuula, and Melartin.

– Anne Shelley