Search - Catan, Vazquez, Mora :: Rappaccini's Daughter / Obsidian Butterfly (Highlights)

One of the most exciting and rewarding of modern composers.

Augustus Caesar, Ph.D. | Eugene, Oregon United States | 05/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Daniel Catan (b. 1949) was born in Mexico, studied philosophy in England, and earned a Ph.D. in composition at Princeton. Despite his studies under serialists like Milton Babbitt, Catan has forged a reputation based on his unerring melodic instinct, his lush, highly chromatic harmonic style, and his rich scoring. His opera "Florencia en el Amazonas" is one of the sensations of the contemporary opera scene, thrilling audiences at major opera houses around the world with wave after wave of melody and passion. Indeed, "melody and passion" pretty much sum up the essence of Catan's music.Those words are certainly applicable to "Rappaccini's Daughter," which was premiered in 1988. Like "Florencia," this earlier opera has a Spanish libretto, but while "Florencia" is based upon the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Rappaccini's Daughter" is based upon Octavio Paz, the Mexican poet who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1990. The plot is a moving story of doomed love--the usual opera fare. But it is served well by an excellent libretto and, more importantly, Catan's extraordinary music. In his liner notes, the composer cites as influences everyone from Monteverdi to Berg, and the music here sometimes resembles a mixture of Debussy and Bellini, as Catan merges some neo-impressionist harmonies with the sort of long, arched melodies that make Bellini's music so moving. Catan is, however, wholly original in how he uses his influences, and "Rappaccini's Daughter" is a magnificent, entirely worthy addition to the international opera repertory. Those who think contemporary classical music means dissonance and abstraction will find in this opera all the qualities that make the works of Puccini and Mozart beloved, but in a modern, non-derivative idiom. Any music this melodic deserves a listen."

A feast of sounds

JohnWYC | Hong Kong | 05/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is wonderful music: Neo-impressionistic, lavishly scored, sumptuous harmonies, vivid orchestral effects, healthy doses of bells and other tinkling sounds, which makes this like a giant watercolour painting, with splashes of colour here and there. Most importantly, there are the beautiful arias. The melodies can really touch the heart. The plot is surreal, with a timeless quality about it, which totally matches with Catan's music. I condemn Naxos for not giving us the complete opera!"

Amazing

J. Cloud | 10/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of all of the modern operas I've heard, this is by far

the lovliest. The music is rich, and the story magical.

Opera is alive and well."