Search - London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Tomlinson, Nina Stemme :: Wagner: The Flying Dutchman

London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Tomlinson, Nina Stemme
Wagner: The Flying Dutchman
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (5) - Disc #1
1. Overture
2. 'Hoyohey! Halloyo! Ho! Hey!
3. 'The Time Has Come'
4. 'Hey! Holla! Steerman!'
5. 'Whirr And Whirl As Morning Passes'
Track Listings (10) - Disc #2
1. 'Whirr And Whirl As Morning Passes'
2. 'Yohohoey! I See A Ship, As Black As Night'
3. 'Stay, Senta! Stay Awhile And Talk With Me'
4. 'My Child, Your Father's On The Threshold'
5. 'Senta, My Child, Extend A Welcome To This Stranger'
6. 'As From The Distant Dawn Of My Creation'
7. 'Steersman, Leave Your Watch!'
8. 'What Is This Madness'
9. 'Could You Forget Those Carefree Happy Hours'
10. 'It's Hopeless! Ah! It's Hopeless!'

CD Details

All Artists: London Philharmonic Orchestra, John Tomlinson, Nina Stemme, Eric Halfvarson, Patricia Bardon, Kim Begley
Title: Wagner: The Flying Dutchman
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Chandos
Release Date: 11/9/2004
Album Type: Box set
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 095115311929

Synopsis

Amazon.com

This Dutchman, sung in English, is particularly distinguished by the fantastic playing of the London Philharmonic (and the rich, full, big recording the engineers have given us) and the portrayal of the tragic eponymous anti-hero by bass John Tomlinson. He sounds properly weary but also rises to the love music with Senta and true rage in the final scene. He makes every word count--and he's understandable. Nina Stemme's Senta is beautifully sung (and her English is also comprehensible), but she never quite sounds like the young girl the character is supposed to be. Bass Erik Halfvarson draws Daland vividly and the rest of the cast is good. The chorus, like the orchestra--and with so much to do--is spectacular. David Parry chooses oddly slow tempi for, say, the Steersman's song but otherwise gets every bit of the drama out of the score. If you want a Dutchman in English, this, of course, is your only choice; the two truly great performances of this opera on CD are both led by Otto Klemperer. --Robert Levine

CD Reviews

A Fine Rendition

Tom Lawrence | Cambridge, MA USA | 05/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There is much to praise in this Chandos Opera in English recording of The Flying Dutchman, beginning right away with the overture. The London Philharmonic is crisp and bright with lots of punch under the baton of David Parry. The louds and softs are at the extremes of the dynamic range, so be careful in the car. You might turn up the volume to just barely hear some taps on the timpani then blow your doors off with the next orchestral swell.

John Tomlinson sings the title role with noble clarity. Eric Halfvarson's Daland is a well-drawn treasure-seeking panderer. Peter Wedd sings the Steersman with lyrical ease. There isn't much to the character of Eric the baleful, jilted hunter and Kim Begley does what he can with it, neither stellar nor shameful.

While the Dutchman's theme (Yo-hohey) is based on a low rising fourth, Senta's ballad starts with a falling fourth from a top G. Nina Stemme pulls it off artfully without shrieking that initial high note. I find Patricia Bardon's singing haughtily formalized, but this corseted style suits the scolding task-mistress Mary.

The women's chorus in the spinning scene is lovely. The men's chorus is a touch reedy throughout, not quite the lusty ship's crew I would hope for. While the Dutchman's crew is supposed to sing from belowdecks, they sound like they were lifted from another recording -- their soundscape doesn't jive with the organic whole. Another reservation would be that Chandos is sparse with the indexing on the discs. The first CD has just 5 tracks averaging 13 minutes each. If you want to listen to, say, the Steersman's Song or Erik's Dream, they are buried minutes-deep within their respective tracks.

All in all there is much to recommend this performance, but I have a few issues with the production values."