What's Everyone's Issue With This Gem
Christian Matjias | Ann Arbor, MI | 02/28/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"As I own nine recordings of this opera, and clearly have my biases as to interpretation and appropriateness of style, I have always been perplexed by the bad rap this recording elicits from listeners. I will admit to loving the Karajan/EMI, Ansermet/OLSR (Stereo), and Boulez DVD recordings; and will pay due tribute and awe to the wartime mono recording with Desormiere. I've also found the Abbado recording somewhat lacking vocally, and the orchestral playing on Jordan and Baudo recordings to be either uneven or poorly captured in the studio. THe Haitink recording, I found quite similar to the later Boulez reading in terms of subtlety and restrained tension. But this Dutoit recording I feel is a lost gem. Yes, it reads more as an orchestral work than an opera, but the singing is fresh and unaffected, and for a generation who may come to opera not through the stage, but through recording, this reading is one of the finest examples of the work. Each character reads so clearly, and when Dutoit and Montreal were on, they were sublime. Not since the Munch / BSO years has this repertoire read so beautifully, and in this recording, Dutiot and cast carry listeners across the rich landscape of Debussy / Maeterlinck's masterpiece as if in a dream. Though 'stronger' vocalists have taken various of these roles over the decades, I feel this cast comes across as a true ensemble (something lacking in the Abbado and Jordan recordings), which makes the experience all the richer. This recording resides in or out of print, depending on the year, so if you find it, I can only recommend that you not let this experience pass you by."