The Feast of Seven: The Best Opera Recordings of 2018

Seven notable opera recordings in seven different styles.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

The seven best opera recordings of 2018. Art © the respective classical music labels.

Although Superconductor mostly features coverage of live performances, recordings are and continue to be an important part of the classical music genre: the "permanent"...well...record of art that will endure in physical form for decades or even centuries after a performer has moved on to whatever awaits. I don't get to write about recordings anywhere near as often as I would like to, but that doesn't mean I don't listen to and pay attention to what is new.

To kick off our year-ending "Best of 2018" series, here are seven memorable opera recordings for 2018. Chronological order by style. And this year, there's no Wagner or Strauss!):

Singing Into a Can

Some presumptive thoughts on the nature of classical recordings.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Georg Solti and producer John Culshaw at work in the Sofiensaal, Vienna.
Photo © Decca Classics/UMG.

2017 is winding down and the holiday shopping season is around the corner. That means it's time to start looking at the newest crop of recordings arriving at Superconductor Central (my Brooklyn apartment.) Before delving into these releases I wanted to hold forth (cos it's my dime) about the nature of the classical recording industry, with some,thoughts on its history, its evolution and its way forward in the 21st century.

The Many Joys of Figaro

Some thoughts on thirty years of life with Mozart's opera.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

A piano score for The Marriage of Figaro featuring
Cherubino in the chair,  discovered by the Count.

The Marriage of Figaro and I have been through a lot together. I first saw Mozart's opera at the New York City Opera with my parents and while my young self may have snoozed through some of its four hour length (I think I was ten years old at the time) what I remembered of the show was engrossing, the madcap household and its goings-on, with the supremely confident and nimble Figaro at its center had immediate appeal.

Obituary: Regina Resnik, 1922-2013

From Bronx baby to international opera star.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

A gypsy from the Bronx: Regina Resnik.

Regina Resnik, the opera singer who went from soprano roles to mezzo to a Tony-nominated career on Broadway, died today. She was 90.

Born in 1922 in the Bronx, Ms. Resnik studied drama and music at Hunter College. She vaulted to stardom on December 6, 1944, when she debuted at the Met. On just 24 hours notice, she stepped in for Zinka Milanov in Verdi's Il Trovatore. This launched a ten-year career playing opera heroines in works by Mozart Beethovem Wagner, Veri and uccini. She was the first singer to play Ellen Orford in Peter Grimes at the Met, and she created the role of Delilah in Bernard Rogers' now-forgotten opera The Warrior.

Finding the Cathedral

An approach to the music of Anton Bruckner.

A Viennese silhouette of Anton Bruckner at the organ.

by Paul Pelkonen

Among the major symphonic composers of the 19th century, Anton Bruckner is one of the most popular, the most misunderstood, and for the novice listener, the most forbidding. Bruckner's eleven symphonies (counting the "student" work numbered "00" and the rejected Symphony in D (commonly known as "Die Nulte" or "Number 0") chart a vast evolutionary sweep.

Bruckner is a composer who has been accused by music writers of repeating himself in his symphare many clichés about this composer: "sky-reaching cathedrals of sound," "Bruckner rhythms" and "Block chords played like organ stops" to name the three most popular among critics. (Don't laugh. I've used all three of these, and there are others.)

My first encounter with Bruckner was in Boston when I was an enthusiastic, if callow graduate student pursuing a degree in journalism. At a local record store, I found a used promotional copy of Daniel Barenboim's second recording of the Eighth. I listened, or tried to, and quickly became lost in the vast sonic spans of this penultimate symphony. I didn't understand it. Eventually, that disc, with its pretty cover (a photograph of Saturn, the Seventh (!) planet--apparently Teldec marketers thought Bruckner was actually Holst) went back to the shop.

Are You Ready For Some Classical?

A Soundtrack For Super Bowl XLVI.

The New York Giants (left) and New England Patriots (right) will battle for
 the Lombardi Trophy (center) in Super Bowl XLVI.
All images © 2012 The National Football League,
the New York Giants and New England Patriots.

Today, at Lukas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN, the New York Giants battle the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI.

No, you haven't walked into the wrong blog. Bear with me a second. I'm a music lover, as well as a football fan. And I thought I'd write this up as a guide to make the Super Bowl more enjoyable for music lovers.

With gametime fast approaching, here's a recommended football playlist in case you get sick of play-by-play, long commercials, and Madonna. (Although frankly, I'm looking forward to Madge's half-time cavort where she dresses up like Bill Belicheck.)

So here's the playlist. Mute your TV, crank your stereo, and watch as the Giants and Patriots occasionally collide in sync with really loud orchestral music. Hit it, boys.

Lineups and Coin Toss:
Richard Wagner: Overture to Die Meistersinger (9:37)
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra cond. Rafael Kubelik (Arts & Media)
Celebrate the pomp and circumstance of the big game with the lead-in to Wagner's comic opera, which is actually longer than the four-hour Super Bowl broadcast. If the show runs long (and it does) you might have time to play the whole of Act I.

First Half:
Mahler: Symphony No. 6 ("Tragic") (87:00)
Vienna Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein. (DG)
The fierce, chugging rhythms that open Mahler's darkest symphony remind me of the march of a football team towards their opponent's end zone. The three hammer-blows in the last movement are like penalty flags, or three unsuccessful attempts at ground gain before you have to punt.

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (33:25)
Cleveland Orchestra cond. Pierre Boulez (DG)
Lisa Simpson, (an expert on NFL football if there ever was one) coined the term "savage ballet" to describe NFL football. Nothing is more savage than Igor Stravinsky's primal sacrificial Rite with powerhouse rhythms that are as chaotic as a pile-on with defenders fighting to strip the ball from their sacrificial victim: the running back.

Half-time Show: 
Ponchielli: The Dance of the Hours from La Gioconda (8:52)
Orchestra e Coro de St. Cecillia di Roma cond. Lamberto Gardelli. (Decca)
This fanciful ballet from a wonderfully over-the-top opera provides a welcome alternative to lip-synching and wardrobe malfunctions. Then again, Madonna might actually be worth watching this year. Doesn't mean you have to listen to her.

Second Half:
Sibelius: Symphony No. 2 (45:09)
Lahti Symphony Orch. cond Osmo Vänskä. (BIS)
Much like the underdog team facing heavy opposition, Sibelius' Second Symphony is about beating the odds. And it has a really good brass part in the last movement.


Holst: Excerpts from The Planets 
(I: Mars, The Bringer of War,
IV: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity.) (Total time 14:38)
Boston Symphony Orchestra cond. William Steinberg (DG)
The opener of The Planets is an obvious choice for the head-banging crunch of pro football. If your team is winning, put on the Jupiter movement (it's the fourth one) and have a triumphant sack dance.

Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Ravel Orchestration. 32:21)
Berlin Philharmonic cond. Claudio Abbado (DG)
Ever think that the portly tread of the composer in the "Promenade" reminds one of watching a game clock tick down? The clatter and bang of "Gnomus" sounds like pads smashing together. And the "Hut of Baba Yaga" is a wide receiver catching the ball and sprinting down the field, taunting his opponents.

Richard Strauss: Symphonic Fantasia from Die Frau Ohne Schatten. (20:29)
Berlin Philharmonic cond. Zubin Mehta. (Sony Classical)
We end with the cosmic harmonies drawn Richard Strauss' most complicated opera, boiled down by the composer into a handy-dandy "fantasia" that uses some of the best bits from the score. Hopefully the game will be as exciting as this music.

Enjoy the game, all. Go Giants!

The Year in Reviews: Recordings and DVDs in 2011

"These go to eleven."
By Paul Pelkonen.

Weird scenes inside the gold mine: Scene I of the Valencia production of Das Rheingold.
Pictures © the Palau de les Arts, Valencia © 2011 Unitel. 

Despite rumors to the contrary, the market for recorded music isn't dead--and neither are the record companies. There were some really good issues and reissues this year, including an exciting Ring Cycle on DVD and more Beethoven and Liszt than you can shake an ear trumpet at. Here's the 11 best recordings (audio and video) of the year that went to 11.


Best Complete Opera Recording
Frankfurt Opera cond. Sebastian Wiegl: Die Tote Stadt (2 CDs) (Oehm)
"The effect is one of Wagnerian longing in this famous tune, drawing out the characters' nostalgia and inner anguish, expressed through this inspired melody. Elsewhere, the giant orchestra is adeptly led in the dance music for Marietta and the phantasmagoric carnival scene in Act II. "

Best Orchestral Disc
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra cond. Robert Spano, Garrick Ohlsson, Piano: Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3, Symphonic Dances (ASO Media)
"This exciting disc of Rachmaninoff's most challenging concerto features Garrick Ohlsson meeting the work head-on. Mr. Ohlsson interlocks smoothly with Atlanta Music Director Robert Spano. They craft a thrilling ride through the work's three movements. An energetic set of Symphonic Dances demonstrates the quality of this Southern orchestra."


Best Recital Disc
Henri Sigriddsson, Piano Sibelius Symphony No. 2, 5 (Piano Transcriptions) (Ondine)
"Hearing a symphonic score rebuilt for the piano often allows the listener to experience fresh details of tone and color that may be obscured by the wash of strings or the stentorian force of brass. For Sibelius, whose compositional style is focused on simplicity and clarity, the transcription process sharpens each musical idea to a diamond edge."

Best Boxed Set 
Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich cond. David Zinman: Mahler Symphonies Nos. 1-10 (RCA Red Seal 15 discs, 1 DVD)
The opening "bloc" ofWunderhorn symphonies (Nos. 1-4) are solidly performed, with rich brass playing and energetic strings and winds. Mr. Zinman has a firm grasp of Mahler's treacherous rhythms, making the sudden celebratory dance in the middle of the Symphony No. 1 Marcia funebre lurch to playful life.

Best Compilation
Lang Lang: My Piano Hero (Sony Classical)
In this year of Liszt-o-mania (the man turned 200) Lang Lang unleashed this disc pairing solo piano excursions with an exciting recording of the First Piano Concerto with the Vienna Philharmonic under Valery Gergiev.


Best Reissue
Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Daniel Barenboim Bruckner: Symphonies 0-9 (10 discs, DG)
"This set has been out of print for almost two decades, mostly because Daniel Barenboim decided to record a second Bruckner cycle in the 1990s with the Berlin Philharmonic. This older, analog set made in the 1970s offers the conductor's fiery first take on these classic works. It allows the listener to hear the early relationship between the young Barenboim and this great American orchestra."

Best Opera DVD
Vienna State Opera cond. Bertrand de Billy: Don Carlos 
"The Princess imagines a happy domestic life as a '50s sitcom housewife. Carlo is her hard-working white-collar hubby, King Philip and Queen Elisabeth are their dinner guests, and Posa as the pizza delivery guy who shows up after Eboli burns the roast."

Best Orchestral DVD
Vienna Philharmonic cond. Christian Thielemann:
The Beethoven Symphonies
"The whole endeavor is a bit of a throwback, to an age before tonmeisters and record company suits crammed the record shelves with mediocre Beethoven cycles led by egotistical conductors at the height of an unsustainable boom. By making honest music without the aid of modern machinery, the Viennese have done the impossible: they have come up with a fresh take on this well-known, well-loved music."


Best DVD Boxed Set
Valencia Opera Orchestra and Chorus cond. Zubin Mehta:
Der Ring des Nibelungen.
"Behind all the flash (and java) is a solid retelling of the myths, steered by Mr. Mehta's steady hand in the pit and Carlos Padrissa's innovative (but not intrusive) directorial ideas."

Best Bargain (Download):
Lahti Symphony Orchestra cond. Osmo Vanska
Sibelius Symphonies 1-7, Orchestral favorites (Amazon download, originally on BIS)
A near-complete Sibelius box set led by one of the finest Finnish conductors of our modern age. Originally issued by the Finnish label BIS, these sparkling, authentic recordings rise to starry heights and sink to dark, Arctic lows. Did we mention it costs five bucks?

Best Complete Edition
Leslie Howard: The Complete Liszt Piano Works (Hyperion, 99 Discs)
This heavyweight box features all the Liszt piano music. The sonatas, poems, concertos. The Années de la Pelerinage. The Hungarian Rhapsodies. Even the opera transcriptions and piano versions of orchestral works by Beethoven, Berlioz and Wagner. Alternate versions are included. Everything is played by the brilliant, scholarly Mr. Howard, who has dedicated his life and his piano careers to making this massive aural document.


Visit the rest of the 2011 Year in Reviews, our account of the year that went to "'11".


Contact the author: E-mail Superconductor editor Paul Pelkonen.

The Superconductor Top Ten: Mozart's Greatest Hits

Celebrating Mozart's birthday with Superconductor.

by Paul J. Pelkonen

Mozart as a child.

January 27th marked Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 255th birthday. To celebrate, here's a completely arbitrary list of essential Mozart compositions, and some recording recommendations to  back them up. No particular order--they're as I think of them.

1) Die Zauberflöte
Mozart's last German opera is a hybrid of Masonic rite and rollocking music hall comedy. Packed with memorable arias, duets and choruses, The Magic Flute presents the story of a young prince on a quest to attain enlightenment: helped by his buddy, a bird-catcher who only wants to eat, drink, and get married.
Recording: Berlin Philharmonic cond. Karl Böhm

2) Piano Sonata in C Major K. 545
All of the Mozart piano sonatas are masterpieces--full of rich tunes that delight the ear and astound the listener as to the composer's mastery of the keyboard and technical facility. This one made the "cut" because it's the most famous.
Recording: Carl Seeman, Piano

3) Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor K. 491
Mozart is one of the fathers of the piano concerto. This minor-key work points the way forward to the great concertos of Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. So it makes the list.
Recording: English Chamber Orchestra cond. Jeffrey Tate; Mitsuko Uchida, Piano

4) Bassoon Concerto K. 191
This was Mozart's first wind concerto (he was 18) and one of the few written for this low-voiced instrument. It remains a standard work for bassoonists, and one of the most enjoyable Mozart concertos.
Recording: Vienna Philharmonic cond. Karl Böhm

5) Missa da Requiem
Mozart's last composition has become the stuff of legend. Commissioned by an under-handed nobleman who wanted to pass the work off as his own (an idea used in the last act of the film Amadeus) the incomplete Requiem is a potent, experimental setting of the Latin Mass for the Dead.
Recording: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra cond. Robert Shaw

6) Le Nozze di Figaro
One of the most important opera comedies ever written and still securely in the repertory over two centuries since its premiere. Packed with fine comic moments, great tunes, and class warfare--Figaro never disappoints.
Recording: Vienna Philharmonic cond. Erich Kleiber

7) Don Giovanni
The second collaboration between Mozart and Lorenzo da Ponte combines tragic elements with comedy. And the Don's defiance in the face of eternal damnation inspired a whole generation of Romantic writers and composers.
Recording: Chamber Orchestra of Europe cond. Claudio Abbado

8) Symphony No. 39 in G Minor
Mozart's third-to-last symphony explored the possibilities afforded by working in what was, at the time of its composition, an under-used minor key. With strong melodic ideas (including an instantly recognizable "hook") this is one of the composer's most enduring creations.
Recording: Berlin Philharmonic cond. Karl Böhm

9) Violin Sonata in E Flat K. 481
As with most categories of Mozart compositions, all of the sonatas for piano and violin are splendid. The E Flat Sonata breaks new ground with ith its theme-and-variations final movement.
Recording: Radu Lupu, Piano; Szymon Goldberg, Violin

10) Serenade: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
This remains the most enduring and best-known melody written by this august composer. But what you may not know is that this four-part serenade was originally five movements. The Serenades were Mozart's laboratory for musical experimentation. More importantly, listening to them can just make you happy. Promise.
Recording: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

Liszt At 200: Five Essential Works

Franz Liszt

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a prolific composer, making vast contributions to the international repertory of piano and orchestral music. Here are some great examples of his art to get the curious listener started.

Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Flat Major
From its majestic opening figuration, Liszt set out to make a grand statement with this, the first of his three piano concertos. As usual, the composer broke new ground, giving the piano equal voice in the opening moments and bringing the role of the instrument deeper into the orchestra.

Polonaise from Eugene Onegin
Liszt wrote many opera transcriptions, setting works by Wagner, Verdi and others for the piano. This version of a dance from Tchaikovsky's opera is one of his finest. It bursts with the same enthusiasm and rhythmic joy as Tchaikovsky's work, bursting with a propulsive force from the keys.

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C Sharp Minor
Liszt decided to explore the music and national identity of Hungary with his set of 19 Hungarian rhapsodies. The No. 2, with its sturdy rhythms and glissando passages, is among the most famous--and not just because it's featured in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

La lúgubre gondola No. 1
This dark composition for piano depicts a Venetian funeral procession. Composed in 1882, it prefigured the death of Liszt's son-in-law Richard Wagner. (Wagner, married to Liszt's daughter Cosima von Bülow, died in Venice in 1883.) The piece also exists in an orchestration (by contemporary composer John Adams) called The Black Gondola. Both are recommended.

Bagatelle Sans tonalité
This short piano piece, written in 1885 (a year before Liszt's death) is characteristic of the composer's late style. It is also one of the earliest examples of a work without tonality, relying on shifting chromaticism instead. Liszt was part of the "music of the future" movement during his lifetime. With this late composition, he predicted what was to come.

Opera Preview: Simon Boccanegra at the Met

 Dmitri Hvorostovsky recently sang Boccanegra at San Francisco Opera.
Photo by Brett Coomer © Houston Grand Opera

The next opera on the Met season schedule is a revival of its acclaimed Giancarlo del Monaco production of Simon Boccanegra. The story of a pirate who becomes a statesman, only to win back his long-lost daughter is a complicated one. But what's even better is the story of the opera's initial failure, and its 30-year journey to the operatic stage.

Verdi's first version of Boccanegra sunk at its Venice premiere. Audiences at La Fenice in 1857 found the opera slow going, with a complicated story based on the same Spanish playwright who had inspired Il Trovatore. The story focused on a father and daughter caught in the web of politics in Renaissance Genoa. The opera had a baritonal hero, few memorable tunes and a small part for the tenor. Worst of all, the original version lacked spectacle--a key elements in successful operas. After a few performances, Boccanegra was shelved.

In 1880, Verdi was approached by Arrigo Boito, a composer in his own right and librettist of the opera La Gioconda. Boito wanted to work with Verdi on an idea he had to set Shakespeare's Othello, but the older composer had not worked on an opera since Aida in 1871. To test their potential partnership, Boito had the idea of re-working an earlier, failed Verdi opera. He chose Simon Boccanegra.

Arrigo Boito and Giuseppe Verdi
at the composer's home in Saint' Agata.

Boito's resuscitated, reworked Boccanegra streamlined the original libretto and tightened the dramatic action. The biggest change: the addition of the Act I "Council Chamber" scene, which took the audience inside the Genoese legislature and showed Boccanegra as a great statesman, unifying his squabbling people.

The taut sequence, which requires tight choral work and heavy, declamatory singing was written after Verdi served a four-year term as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in the newly formed Italian government, More importantly, it provides the spectacle and intensity that the 1857 version lacked.

The Met's revival of Boccanegra features Dmitri Hvorostovsky, making his house debut in the title role. Barbara Frittoli sings Amelia, his long-lost but loving daughter. Tenor Ramon Vargas takes the role of Gabriele Adorno, a member of the rebels who comes over to Boccanegra's side and eventually succeeds him as Doge of Venice. James Levine conducts.

Recording Recommendation:

I usually put two or three versions of an opera in this space. However, there aren't that many recordings of Boccanegra on the market--and there's only one that's worth your money.

Chorus and Orchestra of La Scala cond. Claudio Abbado
Simon Boccanegra: Piero Capucilli
Amelia, his daughter: Mirella Freni
Gabriele Adorno: José Carreras
Fiesco: Nicola Ghiaurov
Paolo: José van Dam

This is one of the finest Verdi recordings of the stereo era. It is the crowning achievement of Claudio Abbado's career on the podium. Finally, this Boccanegra represents the high point of a long, mostly successful collaboration between Maestro Abbado, the La Scala forces and Deutsche Grammophon.

No, I'm not exaggerating.

In the title role, Piero Capuccili ranges from rage to regality. Mirella Freni (whose actual husband appears here as her stepfather--man that's weird) sings with intoxicating beauty. The "Figlia" duet in Act I is performed here with the utmost tenderness. Finally, Carreras, the "other guy" of the Three Tenors, shows his quality as the ardent Gabriele Adorno. Simply definitive.

Mahler Mix and Match

Gustav Mahler

So this morning I was tooling around the Universal Classics websites (that's Decca and Deutsche Grammophon, mostly.) I found a new web applet for Mahler lovers. The company has opened its vault and created Mahler: The People's Edition, making it possible for listeners to select, stream, and download their favorite recordings of the symphonies.

Registered users can then post on the site their Dream Mahler list of the "ultimate" recordings of Mahler symphonies. It's a good idea, which can be later applied to Beethoven, Bruckner, etc. and might serve to open some of the buried riches of the catalogue to the casual (or expert) listener). Unfortunately, Das Klagende Lied and Das Lied von der Erde have been left out of the "Dream."

Anyway, here's my list. Please keep in mind that this only includes recordings that are available from Universal Music Group. It should really include something by Simon Rattle or Klaus Tennstedt, the new Bernard Haitink Mahler recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the first round of Bernstein/New York Philharmonic recordings or anything conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas. C'est la vie.

My list:

Symphony No. 1 "Titan": Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cond. Leonard Bernstein. (1989)
Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection": New York Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein (1988)
Symphony No. 3: Berlin Philharmonic cond. Claudio Abbado (1999)
Symphony No. 4: Philharmonia Orchestra cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli (1993)
Symphony No. 5: Vienna Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein (1988)
Symphony No. 6: "Tragic" Vienna Philharmonic cond. Pierre Boulez (1995)
Symphony No. 7: "Song of the Night": Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Claudio Abbado (1984)
Symphony No. 8: "Symphony of 1,000": Chicago Symphony Orchestra cond. Sir Georg Solti (1972)
Symphony No. 9: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cond. Bernard Haitink 1970
Symphony No. 10 (first movement only): Vienna Philharmonic cond. Leonard Bernstein (1991)

Because I'm a completist type, I would add the following recommendations:
Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra cond. Leonard Bernstein
Das Klagende Lied: Philharmonia Orchestra cond. Giuseppe Sinopoli
Das Lied von der Erde: Vienna Philharmonic cond. Pierre Boulez

Of course if all this is too much, you can just check out the new Mahler: Complete Edition boxed set, which compiles a "best of" from the DG and Decca catalogue and represents some of the finest available recordings. Some of them are even on my list!