Album

This is an outstanding Bluebeard's Castle. The opera has been sung more beautifully, and there are a number of excellent recordings already available, but the score on the whole, and in particular the orchestration, has never been as vivid as it is on this live recording by the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and Peter Eötvös. Before the word "live" sends you off looking for a recording with better sound and more polish, know that this release is completely free of audience noise, impeccably engineered, and so musically tight that the applause after the final scene will come as a complete surprise. You couldn't ask for better sound. Péter Fried and Cornelia Kallisch star as Bluebeard and his new wife, Judith, who through their dialogue form the entire action of the allegorical opera. Fried brings a dark-hued and forceful voice to the part. High-lying sections are a bit labored, but overall he is an excellent Bluebeard. Kallisch is occasionally harsh, but her characterization of the curious and determined bride is riveting; her intentionally colorless responses to Bluebeard's boastful "Fifth Door" music are especially effective. Speaking of the "Fifth Door," it has never sounded grander or more impressive—and so all the more empty of feeling—than in this performance. Eötvös' pacing is good throughout, and he manages to clarify the often complicated orchestral textures; the ensemble is electrifying.

© Allen Schrott, All Music Guide

CD 1
Béla Bartók Composer Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Op.11, BB62 (opera) Work 59:27 SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Péter Fried Baritone, Cornelia Kallisch Mezzo-Soprano, Péter Eötvös Conductor
1	Opening	14:31			$2.49
2	Torture chamber	4:07			$0.99
3	Armory	4:24			$0.99
4	Treasury	2:28			$0.99
5	The secret garden	4:56			$0.99
6	Bluebeard's domain	6:41			$0.99
7	Lake of tears	13:30			$2.49
8	Bluebeard's former wives	8:50			$1.49