Mozart operas conducted by Ostman on Decca - recommended?
Martin
A bit late to seek opinions now, I know, because I've just made an
impulse purchase from the Britannia Music website - Figaro, Giovanni,
Cosi Fan Tutte. Magic Flute. Incs Auger, Bonney, Hagegard, Della
Jones, Sumi Jo. Drottningholm CTO/ Ostman (Decca).
It's a 10 CD box and I saw the names 'Bonney' and 'Jo' (not to mention
the ridiculous price of £17.99) and before I knew it the order was
placed.
Can anyone tell me what I can expect from this set?
I found a few reviews on the net - these performances seem to polarise
opinion somewhat.
The few Mozart opera recordings I have are all of the 'big band'
variety. I am not aware of having heard any HIP performances. Am I in
for a treat or a shock (or both)?
Somehow I doubt I'll have too much to worry about at the price, but
I'd welcome your views.
Note to self: It's not necessarily a bargain just because it's heavily
reduced.........but then again....
Thanks
Martin
Christopher
This is my favorite Die Zauberflote (I've listened to it over and over,
obsessively, hundreds of times), and one of my three favorite Figaros (along
w/Bohm, Kleiber). I've never been a big fan of Don Giovanni or Cosi. (I mean,
as done by anyone. They're just not works I've yet come to appreciate.)
Simon Roberts
>
>Hi
>
>A bit late to seek opinions now, I know, because I've just made an
>impulse purchase from the Britannia Music website - Figaro, Giovanni,
>Cosi Fan Tutte. Magic Flute. Incs Auger, Bonney, Hagegard, Della
>Jones, Sumi Jo. Drottningholm CTO/ Ostman (Decca).
>It's a 10 CD box and I saw the names 'Bonney' and 'Jo' (not to mention
>the ridiculous price of £17.99) and before I knew it the order was
>placed.
>
>Can anyone tell me what I can expect from this set?
As you know, the performances all feature HIP orchestral participation along
with the fairly lively tempi you would expect to go along with that. The
singing isn't really; there are very few if any ornaments and not enough
appoggiaturas. However, the singing is on a generally consistently high level;
unlike the videos, the voices chosen are all attractive and technically
competent and sometimes quite characterful. With one exception, they're all
fairly intimate/chamber-scale performances; no-one - vocally or instrumentally
-really lets rip, but in its way it's all very impressive. The recorded sound
is first rate. (More than a few people have an extremely high regard for the
Magic Flute). To these ears they're all a bit tame.
The exception is the Cosi, which came first and has a slightly pioneering air
about it (you may find the very start of the overture shocking). It's also more
boldly played/conducted and the singing strikes me as generally more
characterful than in the later operas (there's no better Alfonso on discs than
Feller, here in better voice than he later was for Gardiner). Until Jacobs'
recording came along this was my favorite recording of the piece.
Of course, I have no idea whether your taste is at all like mine, but unless you
insist on pre-HIP Mozart I would be surprised if you thought you had wasted your
money. I would pay twice the price you did just for the Cosi....
Simon
JRsnfld
the ridiculous price of £17.99) and before I knew it the order was
placed. >>
Does this include librettos with translations? Just wondering...
--Jeff
Richard Loeb
Matthew B. Tepper
typed in news:20040819150205...@mb-m17.aol.com:
You ought to have realized that the answer was obvious.
--
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MIFrost
> Hi
>
> A bit late to seek opinions now, I know, because I've just made an
> impulse purchase from the Britannia Music website - Figaro, Giovanni,
> Cosi Fan Tutte. Magic Flute. Incs Auger, Bonney, Hagegard, Della
> Jones, Sumi Jo. Drottningholm CTO/ Ostman (Decca).
> It's a 10 CD box and I saw the names 'Bonney' and 'Jo' (not to mention
> the ridiculous price of £17.99) and before I knew it the order was
> placed.
>
Mind giving a link to the web site?
MIFrost
Thomas Wood
"Martin" <mar...@apthorpes.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:6fb4afff.0408...@posting.google.com...
> Hi
>
> A bit late to seek opinions now, I know, because I've just made an
> impulse purchase from the Britannia Music website - Figaro, Giovanni,
> Cosi Fan Tutte. Magic Flute. Incs Auger, Bonney, Hagegard, Della
> Jones, Sumi Jo. Drottningholm CTO/ Ostman (Decca).
> It's a 10 CD box and I saw the names 'Bonney' and 'Jo' (not to mention
> the ridiculous price of £17.99) and before I knew it the order was
> placed.
>
> Can anyone tell me what I can expect from this set?
>
> I found a few reviews on the net - these performances seem to polarise
> opinion somewhat.
> The few Mozart opera recordings I have are all of the 'big band'
> variety. I am not aware of having heard any HIP performances. Am I in
> for a treat or a shock (or both)?
I have the Ostman's Figaro and Magic Flute. I rarely listen to the Figaro.
The singing is fine, but I find the sound of the orchestra very scratchy and
thin. However, the orchestra in the Magic Flute sounds much richer and
fuller for some reason (perhaps different recording techniques?) so I would
recommend that one, at least, very highly.
Tom Wood
Michael Schaffer
Don Giovanni is my favorite opera, and this is my favorite recording
of it. think you are in for a shock of the positive kind. This is no
we-know-it-better dogmatic period performance, but very inspired and
musically. Except for the obvious elements - historical instruments
and certain stylistic elements gained from HIP - the real merit is
simply into the insight that this is not a grand Italian opera, but a
musical comedy with people who act and sing. The singing style is very
natural and intimate, such as you might expect for the smaller kind of
room they performed in in Mozart's time. A strong emphasis is placed
on text intelligibility. But I can't write more now - since I only
have DG out of all of Oestman's recordings, I have to go that website
and order the set right now!
Jon A Conrad
the 4 operas seems to be *somebody*'s favorite version, even though
there's little agreement about which one.
Count me among those who hugely enjoy the MAGIC FLUTE. It has a warm
consistent ambience supported by the selection of voices: Bonney, Jo,
Streit, Cachemaille are all excellent (and Solti's Pamina, Ziesak, sings
First Lady here).
I don't rate the GIOVANNI as highly, but I've returned to it on occasion
for the three women: Auger (reconceiving the role of Anna for a different
kind of voice under these period circumstances, and doing it successfully
enough to make one rethink it), Della Jones, Bonney each have something
special to offer. FIGARO is a mixed bag for me, but much of it is very
successful (though maybe the most spectacular performance in the cast is
Jones as Marcellina -- her aria has never been sung more brilliantly).
COSI causes me big problems with the fast tempos -- I get none of the ache
or regretfulness that for me is part of it, but then it's Simon's favorite
of the lot and has been his favorite COSI. So listen for yourself and
decide.
Jon Alan Conrad
Department of Music
University of Delaware
con...@udel.edu
Gareth Williams
> The exception is the Cosi, which came first and has a slightly
> pioneering air about it (you may find the very start of the overture
> shocking). It's also more boldly played/conducted and the singing
> strikes me as generally more characterful than in the later operas
> (there's no better Alfonso on discs than Feller, here in better voice
> than he later was for Gardiner).
All three male principals are excellent, in fact, and the ladies are just
as good. Ostman's "Cosi" is a real gem and has a real "repertory" feel to
it. I've said elsewhere that all four operas in the set are excellently
done. Despite the absence of libretti this bundle is irresistible, and
would still be a bargain at twice the price you paid.
--
Regards, Gareth Williams
Michael Lehrman
news:cg38lm$ggn$1...@scrotar.nss.udel.edu...
[snip]
> COSI causes me big problems with the fast tempos --
For this opera, the faster the better.
ML
JRsnfld
You ought to have realized that the answer was obvious. >>
I was relatively sure, but I haven't seen the collected set in a store, whereas
I've seen the individual issues very cheap, used, lately, and have been
weighing my desire to have the booklets v. my shelf space dilemma. That Magic
Flute is a very fat box for just two discs. Yet, I realized recently, to my
surprise, that I don't own a "Flute" with a libretto, yet, having started with
Furtwangler and Szell and a homemade tape of Boehm's DG set...
--Jeff
Matthew B. Tepper
I have (in storage, but I'll see it again soon, after I move!) a paperback
book containing the librettos of _Die Zauberflöte_ and the three Da Ponte
operas, with the original languages and excellent English translations
(*not* singing versions of any sort, let alone Ruth and Thomas Martin).
I've had it for decades, and have carefully pencilled in side changes of
various recordings I've owned. This might do if you have naught else.
Generally, I'm of the opinion that a non-pirate opera recording should have
a libretto because, well, consarn it, 'cuz it's S'POSED to. After all, you
never know which recording might be somebody's first, or even only, record
of the work. But I guess I can make allowances when it's an extremely
famous work with lots of other recordings available, and readily-available
resources, both online and in bookstores.
It's totally unacceptable, on the other hand, for Philips to withhold a
libretto for _Benvenuto Cellini_ from their Berlioz operas box, inasmuch as
that is still the only commercial recording of the work ever made (unless
something has changed without my noticing it).
Martin
Certainly - Here:
http://www.bclub.co.uk/loadCMpage.do?dept_id=2&p=1002
Look in the 'Classical Bargains' section.
You do need to be a member in order to make purchases and I believe
they will only deliver to UK addresses.
Regards
Martin
Michael Schaffer
hell. Sure the historical instruments are not as loud as modern ones, but no
"modern" performance I have heard let the orchestra loose like Arnold does
here.
Simon Roberts
>
>Sometimes they do, for instance when DG goes to hell, he really goes to
>hell. Sure the historical instruments are not as loud as modern ones, but no
>"modern" performance I have heard let the orchestra loose like Arnold does
>here.
Perhaps, but I think Gardiner does it more effectively. (By "letting rip" I
wasn't referring to volume as much as to playing to the limit.)
Simon
Larry Rinkel
news:Xns954A80ACA33...@207.217.125.201...
> jrs...@aol.com (JRsnfld) appears to have caused the following letters to
be
> typed in news:20040819150205...@mb-m17.aol.com:
>
> ><< It's a 10 CD box and I saw the names 'Bonney' and 'Jo' (not to mention
> > the ridiculous price of £17.99) and before I knew it the order was
> > placed. >>
> >
> > Does this include librettos with translations? Just wondering...
>
> You ought to have realized that the answer was obvious.
>
I have only the Cosi on the original LPs and the Flute on CD, and that's
enough for me unless I find the whole set for a steal in the USA. I don't
listen to the Cosi much because to start, to borrow from Simon, I do find
the very start of the overture shocking - it's Andante, for chrissake, not
Allegro - and the rest of it sounded like a race to the finish line last
time I bothered. The LP booklet naturally not only included the libretto but
also a lot of pictures and other information about the Drottingholm Theater
near Stockholm where the recording was made. The theater, which was
frequently attended by the same Gustave III who is the subject of Verdi's
Ballo, is very small and seats only about 400, meaning an 18th-century
orchestra wouldn't have sounded scratchy at all; and it is ingeniously
appointed with stage sets projecting from the wings to give the illusion of
perspective, as well painted clouds and old-fashioned wave, wind, and
thunder machines. The thunder machine is a large cylindrical wooden
contraption filled with stones that is rotated to make them rattle. I don't
know how it sounds from the front, as when I went on the (very interesting)
guided tour I volunteered to make the thunder while the guide made the wind.
I can safely say this is the only time I have ever performed on an authentic
HIP instrument.
The Ostman Flute is a little on the light side for my taste, but there's no
better antidote to the Klemperer.
Terry Simmons
mar...@apthorpes.fsnet.co.uk (Martin) wrote:
Why not wait and play the CDs?
--
Cheers!
Terry