Tag Archives: orchestra of the age of enlightenment

Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson remastered

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In 2003, in conjunction of a revival of Peter Sellars’production of Handel’s Theodora at Glyndebourne ,Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson went into the studio and recorded a Handel album with Harry Bicket and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.  That album was released to great acclaim in 2004.  It’s now been remastered and the new version will be available on October 17th.

The album contains all of Irene’s music from Theodora including superb versions of “As with rosy steps the morn” and “Lord, to Thee, each night and day”.  There’s also the cantata Lucrezia where she is accompanied by Harry Bicket on harpsichord & chamber organ, Stephen Stubbs on 10-course lute and Baroque guitar, Phoebe Carrai on cello and Margriet Tindemans on viola da gamba.  There are also two arias from Serse; “Se bramate d’amar, chi vi sdegna” and “Ombra mai fu”. Continue reading →

The Magic Flute in the Hotel Sacher

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Canadian design/direction team Barbe & Doucet were engaged to create a new production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte at Glyndebourne in 2019. As they explain in the introductory feature The Making of the Magic, they had refused for 20 years to tackle this work because of what they saw as its inherent racism and sexism. Part of the interest therefore in watching this recording is to see whether and how they deal with those two issues.

1.3ladies Continue reading →

McVicar’s Entführung

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I think I’ve got used to David McVicar productions or, at least, what he’s produced in the last ten years or so.  The director’s notes will sound erudite and convey the impression that he’s gained some vital new insight into a well known work.  The actual production on stage will be almost entirely conventional with maybe the odd visual flourish but nothing to start the synapses firing.  This is very much the case with his 2015 production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail from Glyndebourne.  The “big idea” is that Bassa Selim is caught between two worlds; the ‘west” and the “east”.  Well duh!  This is as revelatory as pointing out that Mimi has TB.  This “revelation” is the reason/excuse for presenting the work with dialogues unaltered and uncut.  This is very much a mixed blessing.  Yes, it does allow some character development that’s otherwise missing but on the other hand it emphasises the fact that without some interesting new angle Entführing is basically dramatically a bit feeble.  Is she faithful?  How dare he doubt it?  Please forgive me.  Why should I?  Lather, rinse, repeat.  Enter Osmin.  Hang them.  Impale them. Daggers and poison.  Over and over.

1.baumeister

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