Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Full "Idomeneo" Beautifully Sung & Robustly Conducted, August 4, 2002
"Idomeneo" has finally come into its own: over the past 50 years, performances & recordings (audio & video) have become more & more frequent. No wonder: this highly individual blend of Italian opera seria & French lyric tragedy is one of Mozart's most beautiful stage works, one which can prove an exciting & moving experience whether cast & played on a large or intimate scale. And Pavarotti & Domingo notwithstanding, its distinguished discography has been largely conductor-driven, featuring familiar Mozart names like Busch, Fricsay, Pritchard, Boehm, Schmidt-Isserstedt, Colin Davis, Levine, Harnoncourt and Gardiner.
Now add Sir Charles Mackerras to the list, with this vibrant new version. The orchestra is a successful blend of modern strings & woodwinds with "natural" brass (& I suspect 18th century timpani sticks); there's harpsichord continuo throughout, & some fairly discreet vocal ornamentation. The string section is of chamber size, which allows Mozart's ravishing wind writing to be heard in its full glory. Mackerras leads a robust, theatrically savvy performance, big on forward movement & not inclined to linger unduly, though not lacking in sensitivity: all vital musical & dramatic points are made. He uses an unusually full text, with abridgements -- almost entirely in the secco recitative -- limited to ones we know Mozart made or considered making; the ballet is in its proper place, right after the final chorus.
Ian Bostridge follows in a distinguished line of British lyric tenors who've sung the title role -- Richard Lewis, Peter Pears, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Philip Langridge, tho' I don't think any of them sounded quite this youthful & light-voiced. Bostridge gives an impeccably sung & movingly acted performance, very introspective, & he sings his last aria, "Torna la pace," exquisitely. (Those who want more weight & brilliance will find plenty of German or Italian[ate] tenors to suit their tastes.) Lorraine Hunt Lieberson is a stylish & refined Idamante, who through her dignified delivery suggests the inner qualities that will make one day make this young man a good king; Lisa Milne is a well-schooled, unusually assertive Ilia; to my ears, her voice lacks some intangible spark of individuality, but she sings excellently & gives a dramatically complete portrait. And Barbara Frittoli brings a welcome glint of Italian metal to an otherwise rather "Northern" cast with her exciting Elettra. Anthony Rolfe Johnson, who sang a fine Idomeneo for Gardiner, is drier of tone these days but still a real presence as Arbace. An enthusiastic chorus & fine orchestra complete the picture.
About the sound: the solo voices are placed very definitely "in front of" the orchestra, & are closely miked. This allows us to hear every note & syllable very clearly; at the same time, I sometimes wished they were a bit further back in the mix, letting the instrumentalists have more presence. There is also little attempt at sonic "staging," for instance in the scene where Idomeneo & Idamante first meet. But overall this is a really worthy addition to the roster of "Idomeneo" recordings.
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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Beware the chorus, April 30, 2004
By A Customer
I've seen quite a few reviews of this recording in various places, and it seems to elicit a wide variety of responses, so it's clearly one you need to hear for yourself. One thing I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned on this site, although critics generally have agreed on this however much they differ elsewhere, is the standard of the chorus: they really aren't up to the job. They sing with undoubted enthusiasm, but the results are amateurish, with the more extrovert numbers emerging rough and unnuanced (try the barking off-stage tenors in the 'storm' chorus following Elettra's first aria) while the more reflective numbers are simply flat and mushy, with no core to the tone. The chorus plays a far more significant role in this works than in any of Mozart's other mature operas, and for me the chorus here singlehandedly disqualify this recording from a top star rating.Having said that, I have other problems with it as well. Bostridge undoubtedly sings well (his performance of the longer, more difficult 'Fuor del mar' is so effortless you almost fail to notice how virtuosic it is), but his very smoothly produced, 'ping'-less English tenor sound doesn't convey the anguish at the heart of this character the way it should. As Ilia, Lisa Milne, a singer I like very much, sings beautifully, but again without making as much of the character's emotional dilemma as she might: this is a Trojan princess who now finds herself with the status of a slave, unwillingly falling in love with the son of the man she views as responsible for the murder of her whole family. Her emotional struggle is central to the character's words and her music, but Milne doesn't capitalise on her opportunities. In recent years it has been the trend to cast Ilia with a lightish voice (Milne, McNair, Hendricks, Grant Murphy), but I feel a voice with more body and a range of tone colours would be more appropriate. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, on the other hand, has character and emotional commitment in spades. Unfortunately the role lies too high for her, and consistently the higher notes, while always there, sound strained. Phrases emerge generally loud by necessity, limiting the possibilities for truly subtle phrase-shaping. All Idamante's music is recorded, including 'No, la morte', generally omitted because it is higher than the rest of the role: unfortunately I think Hunt Lieberson's rendition makes a better case for it's omission than its conclusion. Barbara Frittoli, another admirable artist, is a temperamental Elettra with a full, wide-ranging tone, but yet again I find the voice lacking in variety overall, while her intrusive vibrato on some notes is a problem, especially in 'Idol mio' which consequently lacks the right sense of repose. In minor roles, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, once an excellent Idomeneo, now sounds thin and elderly as Arbace - perhaps not inappropriate for the character, but not terribly attractive to listen to, particularly with both arias included - while the priest and the voice of Neptune are both satisfactory, but even these small roles have been sung more memorably. Mackerras has opted for an 'authentic' approach to the score with mostly modern instruments. The result is less exciting than in Gardiner's period-instrument performance, and many of Mozart's innovations in the orchestral score seem comparatively masked, partly by the more homogenised sound of the modern orchestra and partly by a slightly vague recording quality.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
a voice teacher and early music fan, February 9, 2007
WITH 'IDOMENEO' MOZART REIGNS SUPREMEO!!
Idomeneo' is usually classified as an 'opera seria', a form characterized by heroic emotion and dramatic purpose. Bursting with Mozart's abundant musical gifts, the work offers arias and ensemble pieces that explore the unhappy conflicts of each character. Written by Mozart at the age of 25; first performed in 1781, it reflects the operatic conventions of the time.
THE PLOT: Idomemeo, king of Crete, returning home victorious from war with Troy, encounters a threatening storm, and bargains with Neptune, in return for his fleet's safe passage, to sacrifice the first person he sees on shore, and of course, he sees his son (shades of the biblical Jephtha)Idamante first. Hoping to avoid Neptune's wrath, he sends his son away. Idamante is in love with a Trojan princess Ilia, and she loves him as does another female exilist Elettra. Naturally, breaking a vow to a god will have repercussions and Neptune sends a monster to ravish Crete. Our hero, Idamante slays the monster,and offers himself as the promised sacrifice, as does Ilia (what a surprise!), but an oracle intervenes (in Jephtha it was an angel), and everyone lives happily ever after (except the monster).
The performance of the singers on this disc is superb! Ian Bostridge in the role of Idomeneo is magnificent, both vocally and dramatically. He is one of the few singers that can make even a somewhat mundane recitative a thing of beauty!. Paired with Lorraine Hunt Lieberson as Idamante (his son) we have a marvelous duo, who fit very neatly together. Two of the strong points in this opera is, in fact, the use that Mozart makes of the duets, trios and quartets to enhance and beautify the various scenes. An example of this is the Terzetto 'Pri di partir, oh Dio!'at the end of Act II, sung by Idamante,Elettra and Idomeneo. Just excellent!!
The way Mozart uses his chorus is reminiscent of Handel as he used it in his Oratorios. In this opera,especially, the chorus definitely contributes to and compliments the ensuing action. The Edinburgh Festival Chorus does a great job throughout the entire opera.
I cannot think of a better group of singers than you have before you on this disc. Ian Bostridge, with his resonant (especially in the upper register), dictionally precise, and very intelligent delivery vocally and dramatcally, is one of the greatest voices out of the UK. Lorraine Hunt has always been one of my personal favorite voices; to my knowledge never has given a 'weak' performance. All the singing is superior; combine that with Mozart, and what else do you need???
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