An album of sacred arias released just in time for early Christmas shopping, recorded by a top notch tenor who also got his fair share in the looks department, initially sounds like a recipe for commercially calculated schmaltz. However, a lot of albums that fit this description have a kind of standard tracklist with no big surprises, while Juan Diego Florez' Santo includes Rossini and Bellini, crowned by a self-penned composition (which is the title track).
That's not to say it makes the music less available to a listener who may not listen to opera on a regular basis - "The" Ave Marias (Schubert & Bach/Gonoud), Panis Angelicus, Adeste Fideles and O Holy Night make sure of that. But the balance is kept - keeping in mind that it is a sacred arias CD and not strictly a Christmas album - by including a variety of other works that range from the well-known (Messiah) to the relatively obscure and more folk-inspired (Missa Criolla). The latter comes across as touchingly sincere, and lends the whole recording a charming feel that doesn't tend towards the too folksy or too schmaltzy side. It also works in the CD's favour that the Rossini tracks have great similarities with the same composer's opera arias - sprayed with intricate coloratura, high-spirited and enthusiastic - and so do not seem sentimental either.
One could argue that the contemplative side isn't well enough represented since the Ave Marias would be the best examples and they have lost a lot of their original value due to overexposure, but I think Kyrie from Missa Criolla and Santo have a contemplative quality in their earnestness and quiet charm.
...I just downloaded Josh Groban's new single - the first new track from him in years - and I think it will end up "hidden away" and forgotten in my music folder.
It's a strange feeling for me to review this because I jumped off the Groban train a while back, and had I still been on it I'd have been over the moon and through the roof at the mere thought of a new (finally!) song. For once I'm able to see it all from the outside, which can be a good thing and a bad thing.
Good because I know my fangirl approach isn't clouding my judgment, bad because a lot of people will probably not like the following.
I did know that Josh proclaimed that he'd never been more proud of any of his albums than the upcoming "Illuminations" (due out in November), that it is supposedly a more toned down album, not overproduced and glossy, but with a more intimate setting. From the single "Hidden away", however, none of that is evident.
More than anything it comes across as a confusing few minutes of musical chaos. It starts promising, with just piano and vocals, but then builds up with an orchestral arrangement that by now must be his trademark, although in this song it sounds more cheesy and misplaced. The effects and instrumental layers pile up gradually (I swear I heard a banjo paired with the orchestra at the end) and as a result it becomes perhaps Groban's most evident musical identity crisis yet.
Which also has a lot to do with the vocals, that are based on his semi-classical-musical-theatre voice, but this time it sounds like he's really trying to sound like a singer-songwriter with no operatic style - like he's grown tired of his voice and wants to have a new one. To my ears it just sounds desperate, as if he's denying his god-given gift (which he at least initially had) to fit into a more conventional singer songwriter box. Nowhere is it more evident that in his little "yooohooo"s at the end in a not particularly strong falsetto. It makes you want to ask "who are you really?"
Knowing his background - he has actually worked with several vocal coaches and is said to have had a repertoire of several arias already in his teens - it makes you wonder what National Opera would have hired him today had it not been for his other career choice. If he'd suddenly appear in Cosi fan tutte I'd hop back on the Groban train any minute.
Yesterday I had a chance to watch the last ever performance of Den Norske Opera's modern production of L'incoronazione di Poppea. It's only the 2nd opera I've been fortunate enough to see live, but by far the best - although the element of shock value was perhaps taken a little too far (in my innocent and prim opinion....)
The staging was spare, with only a concave shape covering most of the stage, which reminded me a bit of the Salzburg festival production of La Traviata (with Netrebko & Villazon) - but it made a nice aesthetic effect along with the splashes of blood in the 2nd and 3rd act. This was part of the reason why the tickets and ads warned about graphic content; the other being the frequent and direct sexual references. I thought that sometimes a hint or subtle reference would be enough; at one point I thought they were past acting and that they would actually do it on the stage, which was a little unsettling. It did cause some mumbling and giggling in the audience, especially as the situation was "saved" by a comic twist.
Now for the singers, or voices I should say, which as you probably know by now interest me just as much as the staging. For once both of Poppea's suitors were played by men - Nerone was portrayed by Jacek Laszczkowski and Ottone by Tim Mead. I have to say that the latter impressed me more, but then again I may have favoured him from the beginning - I was more unsure of Jacek because I thought his voice sounded rather breathy and I couldn't make out a word of the recits. It should be said however that on the really high, powerful notes, his projection was like that of a female soprano, quite unbelievable. Tim Mead performed evenly well, and personally I think his opening monologue "E pur io torno qui" with its effortless ornamentation was sublime.
Of the rest of the cast, which was overall good, I found that Marita Sølberg as Drusilla had one of the strongest voices. Birgitte Christensen in the title role was also worth mentioning.
This was the very last performance of this production, and in that occasion it was filmed for television, hopefully to be broadcast internationally. I was relieved to not only see the possibility of reliving this great performance on TV (or DVD?), but also at the thought of opera lovers all over the world being able to see it.
I've already played and enjoyed these CDs for a few weeks, but decided this is the time to post my little (probably not too objective but enthusiastic as usual) reviews.
Michael Maniaci - Mozart Arias for male soprano No, it's not a typo and the man on the cover is not the conductor. Because the term "male soprano" tends to cause a lot of discussion, disbelief, controversy etc every review or article usually devotes several paragraphs to explain the meaning of the term and how extraordinary it is to be a soprano when you are in fact male. However the story has been written over and over again and has been posted numerous places online, so I prefer to make it simple and let him explain it himself (also included in this clip is extracts from Exultate Jubilate, which is featured on the album):
The music selection on the album consists of the Exultate Jubilate motet, and arias from Idomeneo, Lucio Silla and La clemenza di Tito. When I first started listening to classical music Mozart was the first composer I developed an interest in so it's hard for me to be objective in that respect. Now for the voice: If you read Michael's biography before hearing him sing it's easy to get ideas into your head about what it would sound like. Shrill? Unnatural? Strange? Maybe it's just me because I heard him sing a long time before I knew who he was, but the first thing that struck me was how resonant and powerful his voice is. It doesn't sound the least shrill and even at the top of his register it doesn't sound forced or unnatural. The second thing is, even when keeping his biography in mind, his voice doesn't sound very feminine. (A lot of people not used to countertenors and sopranists would probably say the opposite, however in my opinion a high voice isn't feminine just because it's high) Other versions of Exultate Jubilate I'd listened to recently, by Caroline Sampson and Danielle De Niese respectively, sound distinctively different. I think this is a gem of a debut album, but it's difficult for me to "erase" all my impressions of other high male voices and listen to it with the ears of someone who's only been listening to tenors and baritones. I suppose if I were in the latter group I would find it hard to get past the phenomenon or shock value of it, which is probably the only downside to the album.
L'Arpeggiata, Philippe Jaroussky, Nuria Rial & Barbara Furtuna - Via Crucis
I've long been a fan of L'Arpeggiata's work with Philippe Jaroussky (despite my rash comments about the Teatro d'amore album elsewhere in this blog... I admit I needed some time to get used to their style and arrangements) so I knew this album would be a favourite. Which it is but oddly not in the way I expected - which is partly due to having seen video of Philippe's concert with L'Arpeggiata from Ambronnay a few years ago. It sounds like a strange reason, but I'll explain: I have been listening to the energetic, vibrant performances from that concert for so long that a studio recording of the same songs, taken out of the playful live concert setting, seems somewhat dull in comparison. The best example of that is Ciaccona di Paradiso e dell'Inferno, which in concert was performed as a duel between Philippe (Paradiso) and two ensemble members (Inferno) and the song took the form of a complete little drama with a lot of humour (as shown about 11 minutes into the video further down). In the recording the parts of Inferno is performed by one voice only, namely Fulvio Bettini, the tempo is slower and virtually all humour has disappeared. But I would probably still be in love with the track had I not heard the live version beforehand, which is a pity. The same goes, in part, for the other tracks on the album that I've heard live versions of; Ninna nanna and Queste pungente spine. Some of the songs that were performed live by Philippe at the mentioned concert are recorded with Nuria Rial on the cd, which makes a nice change. I was also surprised to discover that I really loved Barbara Furtuna's contributions of Corsican folk music to the collection, and also that I became a growing fan of L'Arpeggiata's style in general.
The version I have is the CD only version, however there is also a limited edition version which includes a DVD and a book, in occasion of L'Arpeggiata's 10th anniversary. The DVD features clips from the recording session of the CD as well as other performances from various concerts and recording sessions. A selection of both can be found in this video:
Recently my blog has been more or less taken over by posts about classical singers and releases... but I still listen to a LOT of other music as well. Here are some albums I've been listening to recently:
Susanne Sundfør - The Brothel
I admit that I only knew her by name until the first single off the album was released and I couldn't really tell her apart from other female Norwegian singer songwriters. I'm always curious about new music and tend to read the reviews every week to see if I find something interesting, and when the single was released the journalists seemed to run out of superlatives in describing it. I bought the single from iTunes and at the time I thought it was interesting but made me a little impatient because of the length and slow tempo, and I didn't listen to it for a week or so. I really wasn't impressed until I'd bought the rest of the album and took some time to listen through it, and by then I felt almost sentimental at being able to listen to such a rare masterpiece. It's an example of singer-songwriting at its finest, and at this point I simply can't believe why I didn't fall for this haunting melody the first time I heard it. Aleksander With - Still Awake
This is almost embarrassing to include in my recommendation list if you just go by the name - except for Kurt Nilsen I don't think I've recommended any Norwegian Idol alumni without changing my mind after a week or two. Like any other Idol alumni he's received mixed reviews, a lot of them stating the cd is just OK, filled with cliches - maybe a little nondescript. My liking this album is possibly subjective because I just simply like these serious, dark pop songs, but does it matter? OK, so his voice is perhaps a little too polished at times, but bearing in mind his first album (which to me was lacking in substance) this is a departure for him and even though it can be embarrassing to admit it, I do like this CD.
Salem Al Fakir - Ignore this
The most famous song from this album, without a doubt, is the song Keep on Walking which made it to the national final of Eurovision song contest in Sweden (but sadly didn't make it to the international final) - but by no means representative for the album as a whole. While Keep on walking is a positive, radio friendly, charming song, the album is filled with mostly electronica-flavoured singer-songwriter tracks with refreshing variation - there's no telling what he'll do next. There's a huge difference between the quiet ballad Brooklyn Sun and the darker (almost perverted in its description of torture) This Is For. In addition there are several short instrumental tracks scattered in between. The variety itself is so refreshing and fascinating it's worth a listen.
I've had some time to "cool down" now and realize that my latest post may have been a bit too harsh. I haven't stopped listening to David's beautiful singing and have concluded that that's all that matters.
