Search - Dallapiccola, Laszlo, Basiola :: Il Prigioniero

More than is mentioned

Thomas F. Dillingham | Columbia, Missouri USA | 04/25/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Dallapiccola's Il Prigioniero is one of the great operatic works of the 20th century, but not nearly as well-known as it deserves. The other available recording (conducted very well by Esa Pekka Salonen) may serve to bring greater recognition to the work, but it would be unfortunate if this version were ignored or forgotten. The two soloists, Magda Laszlo and Mario Basiola, sing passionately and idiomatically, and the chorus and orchestra are as effective as Salonen's. The sound of this live performance is somewhat uneven, but the emotional intensity of the performance makes up for such problems. What makes this recording of special note is what is unmentioned in the listing here--it is a 2-CD set, with the second providing a performance of Dallapiccola's _Job_, with his own libretto
based on the biblical tale. It is even less-known, perhaps, than
_Il Prigioniero_, but it is a powerful musical experience and should be performed and recorded more. This seems also to be a live performance (from Teatro La Fenice), and the transfer includes some static that might be surface noise or interference from the earlier issue. Only the imperfect sound on these would keep me from giving a 5 to the set. It would not replace the Salonen, but it certainly is of great intrinsic interest for any opera lover, or certainly anyone interested in Dallapiccola's music."