10), the dynamic Meistersinger score constantly shifts with melodies in plentiful supply, the charming plot at once comic, romantic and philosophical. Wagner’s description of his only comic opera as ‘something lighter’ belies the brilliance of the composer’s insights into the complications of life, love and tradition within the context of a singing competition in a medieval German town.Īt just over four hours, Wagner’s score was his longest yet, but unlike Tristan und Isolde’s musical and dramatic stases (see No. Wagner’s consummately beautiful comic opera explores the heart of the human soul Read our reviews of the latest Monteverdi recordings hereġ6) Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868) Recommended recording of Monteverdi's L'Orfeo: Cyril Auvity, Hannah Morrison, Paul Agnew, Miriam Allan, Lea Desandre, Carlo Vistoli, Sean Clayton, Zachary Wilder Les Arts Florissants/Paul Agnew dir. For at its heart, this is an opera about music’s power to uplift our souls and heal our sorrows. And if music is the servant of the text, it’s also its subject. In his vocal writing, Monteverdi gave his singers a new freedom. Monteverdi draws on his rich compositional palette to superb effect: instruments group around bright strings to depict pastoral Thrace, while sombre brass, particularly trombones, colour the Underworld. Here, in this vivid retelling of the classical myth of Orpheus, is the first example of a drama throughout which music consistently heightens the text and fully expresses its emotions. Orfeo was not the first opera to have been written, but it was the first great opera. The best recordings of Allegri's MiserereĪn extraordinary creation that sets its glittering music at the service of the text.Ruggero Cappuccio (Teatro Verdi, Busseto, 2001) Recommended recording of Verdi’s Falstaff: Ambrogio Maestri, Barbara Frittoli, Roberto Frontali, Juan Diego Flórez La Scala Chorus & Orchestra/Riccardo Muti dir. The demands on singers and players are considerable, but the result is a glorious work of unbridled joy. Verdi at his most inventive, proving himself a genius of comedic characterisationĮverything about Verdi’s late comic opera about a plump, arrogant, cowardly knight leaps from the stage: its ingenious libretto by the composer’s long-term collaborator, Arrigo Boito, combining elements of three Shakespeare plays, The Merry Wives of Windsor and both parts of Henry IV the detail of the orchestrations over which Verdi laboured, changing and revising right up to the day of the premiere and its sheer wit, often displayed through Verdi’s sudden and rapid changes of musical pace and direction.īut it’s the craftsmanship of the music that most impresses – Verdi rarely uses instruments simply to double his singers, instead employing them for an extraordinarily wide colour palette. Read our reviews of the latest Handel recordings here Recommended recording of Handel’s Giulio Cesare: Milena Storti (mezzo-sopranos), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (contralto), Filippo Mineccia (countertenor), Johannes Weisser (baritone), Gianluca Buratto (bass) Il Complesso Barocco/Alan Curtis In terms of orchestration, Handel is at the very height of his considerable powers.
The intricate plot, placing the relationship between Caesar and Cleopatra at its centre, never loses its focus, thanks partly to Nicola Francesco Haym’s brilliant libretto, but also to Handel’s dazzlingly original recitative work whose striking modulations constantly surprise and delight. Da capo arias are exquisitely paced, with Handel’s understanding of the expressive power of the human voice unrivalled in Baroque music. Why do opera singers use so much vibrato?Ī vast, rich score that displays the composer’s sharply honed instinct for dramatic paceĪt almost three-and-a-half hours, Giulio Cesare in Egitto is one of Handel’s longest and most elaborate creations (longer than Wagner’s Parsifal), and yet this seemingly unwieldy opera is actually delicately balanced, beautifully proportioned and always engaging.Read our reviews of the latest Wagner recordings here Recommended recording of Wagner’s Die Walküre: Nina Stemme, John Lundgren, et al Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden/Antonio Pappano (Opus Arte / DVD)
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