Ibert Persée et Andromède; Sarabande pour Dulcinee
A fine work that makes Ibert's reluctance to develop his gift for serious music all the more regrettable
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert
Genre:
Opera
Label: Avie
Magazine Review Date: 12/2002
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 71
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: AV0008
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Don Quichotte, Movement: Sarabande pour Dulcinée |
Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert, Composer
Annick Massis, Andreomède, Soprano Armela Fortuna, La Néreide 3, Singer Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert, Composer Jan Latham Koenig, Conductor Jing Li, La Néreide 4, Singer Karen Perret, La Néreide 2, Singer Marie Basson, La Néreide 1, Singer Mélanie Moussay, La Néreide 5, Singer Philippe Rouillon, Le Monstre, Bass-baritone Sophie Ottenwelter, La Néreide 6, Singer Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra Yann Beuron, Persée, Tenor |
(La) Ballade de la Geôle de Reading |
Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert, Composer
Erich Witte, Loge, Tenor Gerd Nienstedt, Animal Tamer, Baritone Gerd Nienstedt, Animal Tamer, Baritone Gerd Nienstedt, Athlete, Baritone Gerd Nienstedt, Athlete, Baritone Gerd Nienstedt, Animal Tamer, Baritone Gerd Nienstedt, Athlete, Baritone Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert, Composer Jan Latham Koenig, Conductor Ludwig Weber, Fasolt, Baritone Richard Holm, Bastien, Tenor Rita Streich, Bastienne, Soprano Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra Teresa Stratas, Lulu, Soprano Toni Blankenheim, Colas, Baritone Yvonne Minton, Countess Geschwitz, Soprano |
Persée et Andromède |
Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert, Composer
Alessandro Granda, Enzo Grimaldi, Tenor Aristide Baracchi, Zuàne, Bass Camilla Rota, La Cieca, Contralto (Female alto) Corrado Zambelli, Alvise Badoero, Bass Ebe Stignani, Laura Adorno, Mezzo soprano Gaetano Viviani, Barnaba, Baritone Giannina Arangi-Lombardi, La Gioconda, Soprano Giuseppe Nessi, Isèpo, Tenor Jacques (François Antoine) Ibert, Composer Jan Latham Koenig, Conductor Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra |
Author: rnichols
For me two of the great disappointments in 20th-century French music were Auric’s virtual abandonment of ‘pure’ music after the critical savaging of his Piano Sonata and Ibert’s failure to develop the gift for serious music of which such promising signs appeared in La Ballade de la Geôle de Reading.
Ibert read Wilde’s poem at the beginning of his time as a laureate in Rome in 1921 and his symphonic poem made a huge impact at the Concerts Colonne in Paris the following year. It still comes over as a powerful work, even if a trifle long for its material, and Jan Latham-Koenig and the Strasbourg Philharmonic bring out Ibert’s rich scoring to the full.
The better known, ‘divertissement’ side of Ibert appears in his short opera Persée et Andromède on a libretto by his brother-in-law, based on one of Jules Laforgue’s snappy retellings of ancient myth. Again, the performances are excellent and I particularly like Yann Beuron’s singing in the role of Perseus, with a sweet elegance that provides some basis at least for the hero’s overweening conceit. But I do find him rather backwardly placed vis-à-vis the orchestra. With all three principals indeed, words are sometimes hard to hear, and a libretto is not included, which is a pity.
The scoring here is lighter, naturally, and the players sound as though they’re relishing the experience. At the same time, Latham-Koenig keeps a firm hand on rhythms and tempi and clearly appreciates what one critic called the ‘fine solidity of construction beneath the surface shimmer’.
Ibert read Wilde’s poem at the beginning of his time as a laureate in Rome in 1921 and his symphonic poem made a huge impact at the Concerts Colonne in Paris the following year. It still comes over as a powerful work, even if a trifle long for its material, and Jan Latham-Koenig and the Strasbourg Philharmonic bring out Ibert’s rich scoring to the full.
The better known, ‘divertissement’ side of Ibert appears in his short opera Persée et Andromède on a libretto by his brother-in-law, based on one of Jules Laforgue’s snappy retellings of ancient myth. Again, the performances are excellent and I particularly like Yann Beuron’s singing in the role of Perseus, with a sweet elegance that provides some basis at least for the hero’s overweening conceit. But I do find him rather backwardly placed vis-à-vis the orchestra. With all three principals indeed, words are sometimes hard to hear, and a libretto is not included, which is a pity.
The scoring here is lighter, naturally, and the players sound as though they’re relishing the experience. At the same time, Latham-Koenig keeps a firm hand on rhythms and tempi and clearly appreciates what one critic called the ‘fine solidity of construction beneath the surface shimmer’.
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