Naxos Blog

On October 30, Naxos releases Bartók’s one-act masterpiece Bluebeard’s Castle, featuring Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Marin Alsop leading the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and soloists Gustáv Belácek (bass) and Andrea Meláth (mezzo-soprano).

Bluebeard’s Castle, which premiered in 1918 at the Royal Opera House in Budapest was, according to the composer, “… simultaneously my first stage and first vocal work.” Despite its early date, Bluebeard’s Castle also features some of Bartók’s most expansive orchestral writing, using the entire orchestra to support the singers and illustrate the drama. Composed in the form of a large arc, the music mirrors the progress of the drama and features one of most memorable uses of a C Major chord in 20th opera as Judith opens the fifth door to see the vista looking out over all Bluebeard’s domain. In an instant, a violently dissonant wave of sound transforms to a massive C major chord throughout the orchestra.

Bluebeard’s Castle is Naxos’ fifth major Alsop release this year, following the September release of the final installment of a complete cycle of Brahms’s Symphonies, for which she led the London Philharmonic. Peter Breiner arranged Symphony No. 4 and Hungarian Dances Nos. 2 and 4-9 especially for this recording. Tim Smith of the Baltimore Sun praised Alsop’s recording of Brahms’s Symphony No. 3, released as “glowing music-making, rich in character and atmosphere.”

Critics also praised the first two releases: Adam Baer of the Los Angeles Times described Alsop’s Symphony No. 1 as “Brahms that flows and sings,” while Steve Smith of Time Out New York praised her Symphony No. 2 as “a gorgeous efflorescence . . . The results do conductor and ensemble proud.”

Related posts

• Naxos Congratulates Recording Artists Marin Alsop and The Pacifica Quartet, Two of Musical America’s 2009 Honorees (0)
• Artists from Naxos of America Family of Distributed Labels Honored with 15 GRAMMY Award Nominations (0)
• Naxos Distributes Idil Biret Archive Recordings (0)
• Opus Arte releases the world-premiere recording of Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur (0)
• Opus Arte presents the San Francisco Ballet in Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker - Broadcast premiere to be hosted by Kristi Yamaguchi on PBS’ “Great Performances” on December 17 (0)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 5th, 2007 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Naxos News, New Releases. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.