Most of César Franck’s works received scant attention at the time of their composition and Hulda was never performed in his lifetime. The narrative is set in 14th-century Norway at the time of the great tribal kings, with marauding hordes spreading fear and terror throughout the land. Hulda is kidnapped and transferred from one tribe to the other, her family is killed and she herself is humiliated. However, Hulda’s spirit cannot be crushed, and she survives with revenge as her goal in life. Franck’s music portrays raging clans, bloodthirsty murderers and shattered lives, but also moments of exquisite tenderness in this acclaimed revival of a forgotten masterpiece that places the role of Hulda among the great tragic stage heroines. © Naxos

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No doubt fairies exist. Mendelssohn spoke their language well. When he considered composing music to Shakespeare’s play, he decided to focus on the scenes with fairies.Humans like this music. It entertains them. They are allowed to listen to this cd, too. However, we made this recording for fairies. They listen differently. This recording is full of hidden messages, which they will understand.Fairies are around us all the time. They occasionally interfere but sometimes they take a long time waiting for the right moment. If you keep your voice down and open your eyes, you will notice them. They listen to this music with more attention.- Iván Fischer

You’ve got to be a little provocative to travel to Bologna, home to one of the most beautiful operas in the world, to record excerpts of famous Italian operas in French! This challenge didn’t faze Franco-Swiss tenor Benjamin Bernheim (whose incredible voice does justice to everything he sings) nor his accomplice, composer and conductor Frédéric Chaslin.From Donizetti to Puccini, more than a century of Italian lyrical music is on display on the famous Boulevard des Italiens in Paris, with the Opéra-Comique on one side and the Opéra Garnier on the other. This Italian presence serves as a reminder that the French capital was at the heart of opera throughout the 19th century.With the help of the Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française, Benjamin Bernheim has concocted a captivating programme, mixing famous works with lesser-known gems, such as excerpts from Donizetti’s Dom Sébastien, Verdi’s Jerusalem, Cherubini’s Ali Baba and Mascagni’s Amica, alongside Don Carlos, Madame Butterfly and Tosca. However, it’s Benjamin Bernheim’s stunning vocals that really shine, with his perfect diction and bright tone giving each piece a beautiful warmth. The two duets that feature baritone Florian Semprey are incredible, as is the warm and enthusiastic conducting of Frédéric Chaslin. © François Hudry/Qobuz

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Bertrand de Billy's live 2011 performance of Dialogues des Carmélites at Theater an der Wien is notable for the vigor of his conducting and his dramatic highlighting of the score's contrasts, which have rarely sounded so stark and tension-filled. He doesn't stint on conveying the music's generous lushness, in scenes such as the first, which is characterized by the composer's typically suave Gallic urbanity in its depiction of Blanche's aristocratic family. What comes as a revelation, though, are the outbursts of Stravinskian ruggedness in the orchestration and harmonies that de Billy does nothing to soften, which are especially evident in the orchestral interludes between scenes. His rhythmic control is crisp and precise, and points up the score's evocations of Baroque French opera, but he also gives the music plenty of room to breathe. The ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien delivers the drama of de Billy's vision with urgency and plays the more lyrical sections with limpid, sumptuous tone. The vocal casting is not consistently persuasive. Sally Matthews' voice is large and her vibrato is more pronounced than that of the rest of the cast, making her Blanche a far-from-typical characterization. The fact that her voice is so powerful in relation to the voices of the other singers makes for an imbalance that's at odds with the premise that Blanche is the opera's most timorous and tentative character. In a more vocally distinguished ensemble she could be highly effective because her characterization is intensely personal and deeply felt. Here, though, the other singers simply pale in comparison. The roles of the other nuns are sung without much distinctiveness, except for Hendrickje van Kerckhove's warm, luminous Sister Constance. Yann Beuron is strong and sympathetic as Blanche's brother, Le Chevalier de la Force. The sound is generally full, detailed, and clean, but the theatrical realism of the live performance doesn't compensate for the variability of balance and volume as the singers move around the stage. The excellent orchestral playing and fine choral singing by the Arnold Schoenberg Chor, and especially de Billy's assured, insightful conducting make this a recording that anyone who loves the opera will want to hear, but it would not make the best introduction for newcomers. © TiVo

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