Album
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Bartók: Bluebeard's CastleOrchestra of Opera North Orchestra, Richard Farnes Conductor
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Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, like any other opera performed in English and not its original language, depends on three things for its success: how good the text sounds sung in translation, how well the performers project the music's atmosphere, and, as always, how impressively the sound reproduces the performance. In the case of this translation by John Lloyd Davies, the text sounds just fine sung in English, a little stilted here and there with some odd stresses and accents, perhaps, but overall, Davies catches the tone of the original and sets it with style and sensitivity. In the case of these performances by John Tomlinson as Bluebeard and Sally Burgess as his wife Judith, the singers sound more or less just fine. Tomlinson is an enthusiastic singer and his portrayal has many insights, but his voice lacks sufficient weight and his interpretation misses some of the nuances of the character. Burgess is a strong singer and her portrayal is ardent enough, but her voice is not altogether lovely and her characterization seems limited to terror and outrage. In the case of these performances by Richard Farnes and the Orchestra of Opera North, the instrumentalists sound less than more just fine. Farnes is a more than capable conductor and the OON is a more than competent ensemble, but he doesn't have quite enough passion and there isn't quite enough polish to bring off Bartók's opulently colorful and immensely difficult score. In the case of the sound, Chandos has unaccountably given the performance a too distant, almost faint acoustic, except in the climaxes that are curiously too close and loud. © James Leonard, All Music Guide
Portions of Content Provided by All Music Guide.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.
© 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. All Music Guide is a registered trademark of All Media Guide, LLC.
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Béla Bartók ComposerDuke Bluebeard's Castle, Op.11, BB62 (opera)...Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Op.11, BB62 (opera, English version) Work
1:03:01
Orchestra of Opera North Orchestra,
Charles Kilpatrick Staging,
Sally Burgess Mezzo-Soprano,
Richard Farnes Conductor,
John Tomlinson Bass,
Simon Lindley Organ
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| 1 | 1.Prologue: Bluebeard's castle, a myth, a legend | 2:19 |
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| 2 | 2.Opening: Will you enter? Look around you | 3:30 |
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| 3 | 3.Opening: Here I am in Bluebeard's castle | 3:31 |
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| 4 | 4.Opening: Tell me why you came here, Judith | 2:14 |
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| 5 | 5.Opening: Ah! I can see seven doorways | 2:11 |
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| 6 | 6.First Door: Oh, I heard your castle sighing | 2:40 |
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| 7 | 7.First Door: What's there? What's there? | 4:11 |
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| 8 | 8.Second Door: What's there? | 2:35 |
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| 9 | 9.Second Door: Trembling seizes all my castle | 1:54 |
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| 10 | 10.Third Door: Glittering gold! | 2:17 |
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| 11 | 11.Fourth Door: Oh! Lovely flowers! Oh! Beautiful scents | 4:49 |
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| 12 | 12.Fifth Door: Ah! | 4:00 |
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| 13 | 13.Fifth Door: Look! Brightness has filled my castle | 2:58 |
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| 14 | 14.Sixth Door: Silent tranquil peaceful waters... | 5:27 |
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| 15 | 15.Sixth Door: My last door will stay unopened | 1:39 |
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| 16 | 16.Sixth Door: Tell me truly, tell me Bluebeard | 2:37 |
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| 17 | 17.Sixth Door: I know what's behind it Bluebeard | 4:07 |
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| 18 | 18.Seventh Door: Look upon the other women | 2:37 |
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| 19 | 19.Seventh Door, Daybreak: When I found the first one | 2:05 |
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| 20 | 20.Seventh Door, Midnight: When I found the fourth one | 5:20 |
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