Out, Out, Brief Candle!
CD: Bertrand de Billy/Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon: Puccini: La Boheme
I've got mortality on my mind, and art. It's been that kind of a week, or maybe even month, or perhaps even year. Ars longa, vita brevis, and all that. It's the beauty of the last half of June -- perfectly mild nights, that double rainbow across the sky last week -- and also the constant reminders that the creative, the passionate, and the just plain entertaining are only among us for a brief while.
Passion, creativity, and the brevity of life. Leave it to Puccini to hit each one of those in a single work. As it happens, Deutsche Grammophon recently issued a live (!) recording of La Boheme, the story of a group of friends who live for art and for each other -- and, it must be said, the occasional night out. How long has it been since you've stiffed the landlord, inspired a jealous rage, or hocked your belongings for a noble cause?
Someone out there is sure to observe that multiple recordings of La Boheme already exist, and one of my answers to that is you don't stop looking at sunsets or rainbows or pictures at the National Gallery because you've been there, done that. Are you going to block Joshua Bell or Hilary Hahn on the way into the recording studio or concert hall because you've already collected your Heifetz and Neveu discs?
On with the Puccini:
Emotions run high in a recording showcasing a vibrant group of young singers, notably the American soprano Nicole Cabell, as Musetta, and the Israeli baritone Boaz Daniel, as Marcello. But it goes without saying the big news is the presence of the leads, Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon, who have teamed up to such wonderful effect in both the recording studio and the concert hall.
Villazon's voice is a bit darker here. He does not aim for the stratosphere, for example, on "Che gelida manina." But there's no doubting the passion in his performance; he's captivating as the passionate, jealous, and ultimately heartbroken Rodolfo. As his doomed sweetheart, Anna Netrebko has a lush sound but still imbues Mimi with the requisite sweetness.
Nicole Cabell has some great moments as Musetta. "Quando me'n vo" is alluringly balanced between confidence and yearning.
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus bring welcome energy and atmosphere to an opera that veers from rapture to humor to heartbreak in relatively short order. And for all that we know how the opera ends, the recording is so full of life and promise.
And that's the way to go.
I've got mortality on my mind, and art. It's been that kind of a week, or maybe even month, or perhaps even year. Ars longa, vita brevis, and all that. It's the beauty of the last half of June -- perfectly mild nights, that double rainbow across the sky last week -- and also the constant reminders that the creative, the passionate, and the just plain entertaining are only among us for a brief while.
Passion, creativity, and the brevity of life. Leave it to Puccini to hit each one of those in a single work. As it happens, Deutsche Grammophon recently issued a live (!) recording of La Boheme, the story of a group of friends who live for art and for each other -- and, it must be said, the occasional night out. How long has it been since you've stiffed the landlord, inspired a jealous rage, or hocked your belongings for a noble cause?Someone out there is sure to observe that multiple recordings of La Boheme already exist, and one of my answers to that is you don't stop looking at sunsets or rainbows or pictures at the National Gallery because you've been there, done that. Are you going to block Joshua Bell or Hilary Hahn on the way into the recording studio or concert hall because you've already collected your Heifetz and Neveu discs?
On with the Puccini:
Emotions run high in a recording showcasing a vibrant group of young singers, notably the American soprano Nicole Cabell, as Musetta, and the Israeli baritone Boaz Daniel, as Marcello. But it goes without saying the big news is the presence of the leads, Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon, who have teamed up to such wonderful effect in both the recording studio and the concert hall.
Villazon's voice is a bit darker here. He does not aim for the stratosphere, for example, on "Che gelida manina." But there's no doubting the passion in his performance; he's captivating as the passionate, jealous, and ultimately heartbroken Rodolfo. As his doomed sweetheart, Anna Netrebko has a lush sound but still imbues Mimi with the requisite sweetness.
Nicole Cabell has some great moments as Musetta. "Quando me'n vo" is alluringly balanced between confidence and yearning.
The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus bring welcome energy and atmosphere to an opera that veers from rapture to humor to heartbreak in relatively short order. And for all that we know how the opera ends, the recording is so full of life and promise.
And that's the way to go.
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