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Editorial Reviews
American Record Guide, William J Gatens, May/June 2009
There are many recordings of Dido and Aeneas, and I am convinced that this one must rank among the finest. Mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly assembled the cast and played a major part in the artistic decisions, including the insertion of pieces of additional music. She brings to the role of Dido a regal gravity that is indispensable for a convincing portrayal. Soprano Lucy Crowe as Belinda is youthful and energetic, but not flighty as in so many interpretations of the role. I have long felt that if a listener cannot distinguish Dido from Belinda sight unseen from the tone and vocal demeanor of the singers, then something is seriously wrong. This performance easily passes that test.
Baritone Gerald Finley as Aeneas gives us a clear and substantial tone that is not ponderous. Mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon is superb as the Sorceress. Her delivery is menacing, but not the grotesque caricature some singers make of the role. The Sorceress and her witches are meant to be taken seriously. She is not, as Roger Savage put it, a "pantomime wicked fairy". In the end, this is technically first rate in playing and singing, good in its dramatic pacing, and mercifully free of gimmickry. It is the practice of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment not to have a regular conductor or even a set seating order. In this performance, Elizabeth Kenny and Steven Devine are codirectors from the continuo ensemble, Kenny playing guitar and theorbo with Devine at the harpsichord. There are two other theorbo-guitarists in the ensemble.
The earliest documented performance of Purcell's opera was in 1689 at Josias Priest's girls' boarding school in Chelsea. It is likely that the work had been performed earlier as a masque at court, then adapted for the school performance. The earliest source for the music dates from the 18th Century (Tenbury MS 1266 in the Bodleian Library, Oxford) and undoubtedly reflects further adaptation for later performances. It appears that some musical items are missing from this source, and that is the basis for the insertion of additional pieces. Two guitar dances were inserted for the school performance. For this recording, the `Gittars Chacony' in Act I is an improvisation based on a chaconne by Francesco Corbetta, court guitarist to Charles II; and the `Gittars Passacaille' in Act II is based on a piece by Robert de Visée from the court of Louis XIV. A dance piece from Purcell's music to Bonduca is inserted early in Act I after Dido's aria on a ground, `Ah! Belinda'. The aria itself ends with an instrumental ritornello, and the additional dance seems to me too great an interruption of the dramatic flow so early in the act. More effective is the insertion of the Almand from Purcell's Suite in G minor, played on the harpsichord by Steven Devine between the two scenes of Act III, marking the transition from the quayside to the palace. The most serious gap in the surviving scores comes at the end of Act II. Missing from all the early scores is the chorus `Then since our charms have sped', sung by the Sorceress and witches, and the concluding `Groves Dance'. For this performance the chorus has been recomposed by Bruce Wood and is followed by a dance piece from Purcell's Circe. The text of the chorus is in the early surviving librettos, but here, as in any conceivable performance, it abruptly breaks the spell of Aeneas's soliloquy. I have heard performances that conclude the act with a hushed reprise of the ritornello that opens the scene, and I find it a more effective conclusion, especially when the soliloquy is as movingly sung as it is here by Gerald Finley.
The success or failure of a performance of Dido can depend on the celebrated Lament. Here Sarah Connolly takes a very slow tempo, but the dramatic tension and musical direction are never in jeopardy. It is an exquisitely eloquent reading.
If you really like to buy sets (saves shopping time!), contemplate 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon (55 CDs, on sale for less than $3 per CD); or the 50 CDs of violinist Yehudi Menuhin: The Great EMI Recordings for less than $1.50 per disc; or DG's 46-CD Brahms Complete Edition; or the extremely mouthwatering Milestones: 30 Years of Chandos (30 CDs for a little over $2 each); or, for the starstruck with money to burn, Sony's deluxe Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box, which includes every commercial recording from the famed cellist, accompanied by two discs of rare and previously unreleased material, as well as a 312-page hardbound-cover booklet.
Baritone Gerald Finley as Aeneas gives us a clear and substantial tone that is not ponderous. Mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon is superb as the Sorceress. Her delivery is menacing, but not the grotesque caricature some singers make of the role. The Sorceress and her witches are meant to be taken seriously. She is not, as Roger Savage put it, a "pantomime wicked fairy". In the end, this is technically first rate in playing and singing, good in its dramatic pacing, and mercifully free of gimmickry. It is the practice of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment not to have a regular conductor or even a set seating order. In this performance, Elizabeth Kenny and Steven Devine are codirectors from the continuo ensemble, Kenny playing guitar and theorbo with Devine at the harpsichord. There are two other theorbo-guitarists in the ensemble.
The earliest documented performance of Purcell's opera was in 1689 at Josias Priest's girls' boarding school in Chelsea. It is likely that the work had been performed earlier as a masque at court, then adapted for the school performance. The earliest source for the music dates from the 18th Century (Tenbury MS 1266 in the Bodleian Library, Oxford) and undoubtedly reflects further adaptation for later performances. It appears that some musical items are missing from this source, and that is the basis for the insertion of additional pieces. Two guitar dances were inserted for the school performance. For this recording, the `Gittars Chacony' in Act I is an improvisation based on a chaconne by Francesco Corbetta, court guitarist to Charles II; and the `Gittars Passacaille' in Act II is based on a piece by Robert de Visée from the court of Louis XIV. A dance piece from Purcell's music to Bonduca is inserted early in Act I after Dido's aria on a ground, `Ah! Belinda'. The aria itself ends with an instrumental ritornello, and the additional dance seems to me too great an interruption of the dramatic flow so early in the act. More effective is the insertion of the Almand from Purcell's Suite in G minor, played on the harpsichord by Steven Devine between the two scenes of Act III, marking the transition from the quayside to the palace. The most serious gap in the surviving scores comes at the end of Act II. Missing from all the early scores is the chorus `Then since our charms have sped', sung by the Sorceress and witches, and the concluding `Groves Dance'. For this performance the chorus has been recomposed by Bruce Wood and is followed by a dance piece from Purcell's Circe. The text of the chorus is in the early surviving librettos, but here, as in any conceivable performance, it abruptly breaks the spell of Aeneas's soliloquy. I have heard performances that conclude the act with a hushed reprise of the ritornello that opens the scene, and I find it a more effective conclusion, especially when the soliloquy is as movingly sung as it is here by Gerald Finley.
The success or failure of a performance of Dido can depend on the celebrated Lament. Here Sarah Connolly takes a very slow tempo, but the dramatic tension and musical direction are never in jeopardy. It is an exquisitely eloquent reading.
If you really like to buy sets (saves shopping time!), contemplate 111 Years of Deutsche Grammophon (55 CDs, on sale for less than $3 per CD); or the 50 CDs of violinist Yehudi Menuhin: The Great EMI Recordings for less than $1.50 per disc; or DG's 46-CD Brahms Complete Edition; or the extremely mouthwatering Milestones: 30 Years of Chandos (30 CDs for a little over $2 each); or, for the starstruck with money to burn, Sony's deluxe Yo-Yo Ma: 30 Years Outside the Box, which includes every commercial recording from the famed cellist, accompanied by two discs of rare and previously unreleased material, as well as a 312-page hardbound-cover booklet.
Product Description
2009 thirty CD box set. Containing 30 celebrated, award-winning CDs from Britain's finest classical label, this limited collector's edition is bound to be the biggest-selling box set of 2009! Jam-packed with acclaimed Australian artists including Yvonne Kenny, Charles Mackerras and Craig Ogden plus British greats Emma Kirkby, Nigel Kennedy, Bryn Terfel, Richard Hickox and many others. It showcases Chandos' Early Music, Film Music, Opera In English and Contemporaries Of Mozart ranges. Also contains bonus 2009 Chandos catalog. Almost 35 hours of music!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
marketing lifted to a higher level,
By Michael Capizzi "music's man" (Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Milestones: 30 Years Of Chandos (30 Landmark Recordings) (Audio CD)
It's difficult to find fault with this set. it's an extraordinary collection of excellent recordings, few of which would otherwise be in the collection of the average classical music listener. Covering a wide range of music which one night not be inclined to purchase by itself at full price, the set serves to broaden one's interests. And at litle more than $1.50 per disc. So far I've listened to about a third of the discs and have yet to hear anything less than firsrrate. Chandos has some of the best sound recording engineers in the business and it shows here. Crystal clear, with no distortions.
My only complaint is that Chandos felt inclined to include a beautifully prepared catelog of its recordings, but no liner notes for any of the cds in the set. Their inclusion would have been far more relevant than the catelog. But, again, such a minor complaint when so much beautiful music is presented.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Allsorts.,
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This review is from: Milestones: 30 Years Of Chandos (30 Landmark Recordings) (Audio CD)
This is one of the wackier box sets to have been released of late, but all the more interesting. It suffers the same fate as all these big sets, which is cheap packaging and a lack of information about the recordings-inexcusible when this set is a celebration of the company's history.
Much to enjoy and some stuff to marvel at. Both Hummel discs are crackers and all Hickox's recordings in the set are a painful reminder of what a loss to the recording industry his early death was. The Janacek, Shostakovich and Prokofiev discs are all very fine but probably things you may already possess. As mentioned by other reviewers, the treats you may enjoy the most are the rarities. The Bax Symphony, the Vaughan Williams film music and the Respighi orchestral works (all spectacularly recorded). A few weird choices. The recording of The Planet's is no longer up with the best, The Albinoni has dated somewhat and the King's Singer's disc is embarrassing. But good on them for not hiding the skeletons in the closet. Some Curio's like the brass band music disc and the Mandolin disc are less scary than I thought. Very important to celegrate a company that keeps making fabulous recordings when the major labels are disappearing or trotting out crossover swill. Certainly a bargain and I am glad for the new discoveries.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding value for excellent recordings,
By Reader (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Milestones: 30 Years Of Chandos (30 Landmark Recordings) (Audio CD)
This set collects a great cross-section of music, from a few quite familiar works (Tchaikovsky, Symphony #5; Holst, The Planets) to some that are by composers hardly known (Harty, Vanhal). There are symphonies, concertos (Hummel's piano concertos played by the outstanding pianist Stephen Hough are included), chamber music, opera, and choral music. Many of this reviewer's favorite discs are included, notably Bax's Fourth Symphony, and in particular a disc by the Black Dyke Mills Band. Recordings were made in the U.K., Denmark, Norway, Canada, and the U.S. All are at least excellent.
This set would be ideal for anyone who has become familiar with the best-known works of Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, ... and wants to try out a wider-ranging repertoire for a truly minimal cost.
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