Bartók: Bluebeard's Castle

-
-
Catalogue Number LSO0685
UPC 822231168522James Mallinson producer
Jonathan Stokes and Neil Hutchinson for Classic Sound Ltd sound engineersRecorded January 2009, Barbican, London
DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording
Notes in English / en français / auf Deutsch
Text in Hungarian with English translation
Sung in Hungarian (spoken prologue in English) -
Opera Magazine’s Disc of the Month
'Gergiev’s Bluebeard passes beyond shattering into a realm even more deeply disturbing.’BBC Music Magazine’s Opera Choice of the Month
'Gergiev and his superlative forces and vocal soloists, supported by magnificent sound quality, present the enigmatic piece with great power.''All the restless qualities of the underlying and shadowy string themes are sketched in an appropriately unsettling way. Vitally for this score, the woodwind figures add their eerie colours and decorative dissonance to great effect, the clarinet making a particularly telling contribution – wonderful playing... Orchestral textures are remarkably clear and Bartók’s highly individual percussive effects make their full impact. Gergiev is most considerate to his singers, even at the most grandiose and loud moments.'
Classical Source
£8.99
Valery Gergiev, London Symphony Orchestra
Bartók’s only opera is an intense drama, involving only two characters and underpinned by a rich orchestral score. Bluebeard’s young bride persuades him to open seven doors in his castle to let the light in. Behind each door she finds increasingly disturbing sights, until the final door opens to reveal the castle’s secret and her fate.
Composer | Bartók | |
Conductor | Valery Gergiev | |
Performers | London Symphony Orchestra | |
Soloists | Elena Zhidkova, Sir Willard White |
2. First Door - Bluebeard's Torture Chamber
3. Second Door - the Armoury
4. Third Door - the Treasury
5. Fourth Door - the Garden
6. Fifth Door - Bluebeard's Vast and Beautiful Kingdom
7. Sixth Door - the Lake of Tears
8. Seventh Door - Bluebeard's Wives