Berlioz's grand opera, based on Virgil's Aeneid, wasn't performed complete until more than two decades after the composer's death (debuting in Germany, no less), but is now recognized as a masterpiece, thanks to the dedicated advocacy of such conductors as Rafael Kubelik and Sir Colin Davis. This performance from the 2000 Salzburg Festival, presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 or stereo, isn't quite complete, excising most of the dance sequences, but it still runs nearly four hours! Competent but not outstanding, this mounting of Les Troyens boasts some excellent singing, especially from mezzo Deborah Polaski, impressive as Cassandra in Acts I-II and even better as Queen Dido in the last three acts. Tenor Jon Villars makes a solid if not spectacular Aeneas, and some of the secondary roles are well sung--Robert Lloyd's Narbal is fine, Toby Spence contributes an especially beautiful rendition of Hylas' lovely aria at the start of Act V, and the many choral contributions are powerful. Unhappily, Sylvain Cambreling's conducting lacks the color and bite of Davis's two audio versions (his Royal Hunt and Storm is a fairly tame affair), and the late Herbert Wernicke's staging is peculiar, to say the least. Almost everyone is dressed in black uniforms or business suits, with gloves that are either blood-red (for the Trojans) or sea-blue (for the Carthaginians); everything is set against what looks like a curved white stucco wall with a large central opening for entrances and exits; and the action is kept to a minimum, making much of the performance resemble an oratorio. This can be recommended only as a complement to the old Metropolitan performance from 1984, not in preference to it. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Les Troyens
(2000) 2 discs. 237 min. In French w/English subtitles. DVD: $39.99. Arthaus Musik (dist. by Naxos of America). Color cover. Volume 18, Issue 4
Les Troyens
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