Search - Siegmund Nimsgern :: Alceste

An impressive achievement, then and now

madamemusico | Cincinnati, Ohio USA | 07/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was the first digital recording of Alceste and the first I heard which convinced me of the genius of Gluck. Recorded in 1982, it features an amazingly all-star cast for so little-performed an opera: Jessye Norman, Nicolai Gedda, Tom Krause, Siegmund Nimsgern and Bernd Weikl, experienced dramatic singers all, and I will avow that they all give their very best in this recording. Indeed, Norman has rarely sounded so emotionally involved on record as she does here; and, though Gedda's voice was past its prime by 1982, he is ideal in presenting the character of the weak, old, and very ill King Admete, his patrician phrasing and impeccable French diction a real plus.



I hesitated giving this recording five stars, however, because Serge Baudo's conducting is rather slow at times, which is his wont--very strange indeed, considering that he was the nephew of Charles Munch, one of the most incendiary conductors in history! However, it must be said that of all the Baudo performances I have heard, both live and on discs, this is the most passionate, and that says a lot for the obvious love that every member of this cast brings to the opera. I consider this an indispensable Alceste and the cornerstone of a good Gluck opera collection!"

Gluck's Alceste

Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 12/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The operas of Gluck (1714 -- 1784) have been enjoying a well-deserved revival on CDs in recent years. I have long been a lover of his works which for me combine grandeur, power and simplicity with naturalism and rationalism. The story of Alceste revolves around the willingness of the heroine to sacrifice her life to save that of her husband, following the pronouncement of a Greek oracle. In many ways Alceste is a predecessor of Leonore in Beethoven's "Fidelio." Gluck has written music for his heroine which is both stark and passionate. It resonates with her love of life, her love for her husband and children, and her willingness to give up her own life for love of her husband. Alceste in Gluck's music is both a strong, individual, and passionate woman.



This recording of Gluck's "Alceste" on Orfeo is over 20 years old but still offers an outstanding way to get to know this music. The performes include the Barvarian Radio Symphony conducted by Serge Baudo, and tenor Nicolai Gedda as King Admetus, king of Thessaly. It features a passionate performance by American soprano Jessye Norman in one of her best roles as the heroine, supported well by tenor Nicolai Gedda as her husband, King Admetus of Thessaly. The chorus plays an integral role in "Alceste", stirringly performed on this CD by the Chorus of the Bavarian Radio.



Gluck composed two versions of "Alceste". The first version was composed in Vienna and dates from 1767, with a liberetto in Italian by Calzabigi. It is written in an austure style to match the preface which Gluck wrote for this work outlining his tenets of "reform" opera. He wrote: "I have striven to restrict music to its true office of serving poetry by means of expression and by following the situations of the story, without interrupting the action or stifling it with a useless superfluity of ornaments." The 1767 version of "Alceste" can be found in a recording on Naxos conducted by Arnold Ostman and featuring soprano Theresa Ringholz as Alceste.



Gluck's second version of the opera dates from 1776 with a liberetto in French by Roulette. It is the version recorded on this CD by Baudo and Norman. The 1776 version differs substantially from its predecessor. Gluck modified the "reform" principles of his 1767 score to meet the tastes of his French listeners. The long recitive sections of the earlier version are cut back, the arias become more florid and ornamental, and there is a greater use of ballet and orchestral interluces (although the earlier version has them as well). The liberetto was substantially changed as well with the presentation of the events of the story greatly reorganized. In particular, the third act of the opera caused Gluck and his librettist a great deal of difficulty. The character Ismene, a friend of the heroine's plays a significant role in the 1767 opera but doesn't appear in the Paris version. Notoriously, the character of Hercules appears in the finale of the Paris opera but is absent from the original score. In their music and liberettos, the 1767 and 1775 scores are sufficiently different to be two separate operas, rather than one opera in two slightly different version.



I was deeply moved by this performance, especially by Jessie Norman's "Alceste." Her performance is passionate and virtuosic in a difficult multi-faceted role. Listen to her singing of the most famous aria in the opera, the heroic "Divinities de Styx" at the end of Act 1 and compare it two her immediately proceeding aria "Non ce n'est point un sacrifice" with its brooding tone of tragedy and loss. Her duets with Gedda are moving as well. The chorus in the work, representing the people of Thessaly as they struggle with the dilemmas of Alcestis and Admetus, provide firm support.



As part of my listening, I listened separately to each act of this CD and followed it up immediately by listening to the performance of the same act in the 1767 version with Ostman and Ringholtz. I found this revealing in understanding the differences between the scores and the versions. The Paris version is the more accessible and dramatic but the austurites of the original score have their beauties as well.



For those coming to "Alceste", this version is an outstanding introduction. For those who love Gluck and who love "Alceste", I recommend having both the latter and the earlier version of this masterpiece. In this music, passion and emotion combine with a feel of rigor and reason.



Robin Friedman"

Exceptional

BDSinC | Calgary, Alberta, Canada | 10/20/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As noted by one other reviewer, this is the FRENCH version of this opera, not the Italian version as listed in the information about the recording provided by Amazon. Gluck never did figure out how to finish this opera and make it a superbly dramatic experience. He tried a number of variations, one which we are familiar with through the Callas recording (which contains super heavy cuts). However, what he did create in the French version is very lovely and exciting. There are times that the opera itself does tend to "drift" and the dance numbers tend to make it a very long experience actually putting the action on hold (as they often do in Orfeo), but the music is so lovely that one endures it painlessly.



There are a number of fine, actually, memorable performances in this recording. Gedda is superb, even though he is past his prime, he is still many times better than most half his age. Norman is incredible singing with such power and with such tenderness. She is truly a master of this operatic style. The other characters are well sung, too, and give much to the performance (not the least of which is well sung French). Then there is one character often overlooked in opera, but so essential in a Gluck opera, and that is the chorus. Here we are not disappointed one bit, in fact, we are treated to the most masterly sung choruses recorded.



I much prefer this version of the opera, even though it is considerably longer than the Italian version, and way longer than the recording with Callas. As to comparing the two singers, which is actually quite silly, both add something incredible to their dramatic readings of the score. Callas did things her way, and her use of Italian moved us to tears as she put special meaning into the words. Norman is no less moving in her ability to paint emotional pictures with French. Yet, it is quite interesting to see which aspects of the tragedy each decides to stress. Of course, the opera ends happily, and each adds her own flavor of joy. Sadly, this opera ends more with dancing than with any emotional outbursts from the lead character.



Overall, this is a superb recording, and even if it is the only French recording available, that is not the reason to buy it; the reason to buy it is the wonderful music, the excellent singing, and the moving interpretation, even from the chorus which is a character itself and very moving portrayed as such."