Giacomo MEYERBEER (1791-1864)
Overtures and Entr'actes from the Paris Operas
Robert le Diable (1831)
Overture [3:24]
L'Étoile du Nord (1854)
Overture [9:08]
Les Huguenots (1836) (excerpts)
1. Overture [4:48]
2. Act I: Orgie (Drinking Song) [3:36]
3. Act II: Entr'acte [2:32]
4. Act V: Entr'acte [00:39]
5. Act V: Ballet [2:02]
L'Africaine (1865) (excerpts)
1. Overture [4:33]
2. Act II: Entr'acte [1:33]
3. Act III: Entr'acte [3:44]
4. Act V: Entr'acte [1:24]
5. Act V: Grand scène du mancenillier [1:41]
Dinorah (1859) (excerpts)
1. Overture [13:16]
2. Act II: Entr'acte [2:55]
3. Act III: Entr'acte [1:45]
Le Prophète (1849) (excerpts)
1. Overture [11:06]
2. Act IV: Coronation March [3:17]
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra/Darrell Ang
rec. 6-8 June 2013, Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, New Zealand
NAXOS 8.573195 [71:23]
The 150th anniversary of Meyerbeer’s
death got off to a cracking start with the Barcelona Symphony’s
disc of ballet music from the operas (review).
It’s been in and out of my player many times in recent weeks,
and no wonder as it’s so well played and recorded. I particularly
admire conductor Michał Nesterowicz for his elegant way with
this music; it’s naturally phrased, rhythms are well sprung
and the orchestra are clearly having fun. The programme is well
chosen too, so the carousel of lovely tunes never loses its freshness
and vitality.
Naxos have followed that up with this CD of overtures and entr’actes,
courtesy of the Singapore-born maestro Darrell Ang and the New Zealand
Symphony. Reading some of the more fulsome comments and articles
about this young conductor confirms that the cult of celebrity is
all-pervasive. At the very least it sets up expectations that will
be hard to meet, but I suspect it’s more about selling youthful
talent to a younger audience. That said, it’s entirely possible
that the budding Karajan, Abbado or Bernstein might have been marketed
in a similar fashion had they come to prominence in the age of social
media.
Idle musings aside, how does Ang shape up on the podium? He starts
with a thrilling account of the overture to Robert le Diable,
the first of Meyerbeer’s Parisian grands opèras.
As I was reminded in the Nesterowicz collection the devil really
does have the best tunes; the mighty preamble to the work,
with its rumble of bass, vaunting brass and chatter-silencing tuttis,
is here recorded in floor-shaking, rafter-rattling sound. Musically
and sonically this is the very antithesis of those restrained, nicely
pointed little ballets, so Ang’s insistence on maximum thrust
and spectacle is entirely apt. Over the top? Oh yes, but what a
terrific calling card for composer and maestro alike.
The earlier CD reveals Meyerbeer as an appealing tunesmith, and
this new one highlights his dramatic prowess too. Little wonder,
then, that he was the darling of Paris audiences for so long. The
overture to the Russian-themed L'Étoile du Nord
has its moments, but for all that it isn’t particularly memorable.
The New Zealanders play with commendable enthusiasm and, where appropriate,
with melting loveliness. And goodness, that pell-mellish finale
is breathtakingly done. Ditto the brass chorales in the scene-setter
to Les Huguenots. Indeed, Ang is at his best in these scruff-grabbers
rather than the more reflective passages, as his raunchy Drinking
Song and propulsive reading of the Act 5 Ballet so
clearly demonstrate.
The compact overture to L’Africaine is well done,
although one senses that Ang is waiting impatiently for the next
display piece to come along. Given his success with the latter I
suspect most listeners will be doing the same. Don’t be tempted
to skip the three entr’actes though, for there’s much
to enjoy; there’s some gorgeous woodwind playing and, despite
their brevity, these excerpts display a compelling sense of drama.
The Grand scène du mancenillier blends passion and
nobility, and Ang gives the music a breadth and weight that’s
simply overwhelming. The formidable recording certainly helps.
The overture to Meyerbeer’s second opèra comique,
Dinorah, is imaginatively scored and played; rhythms aren’t
always as supple as I’d like, but there’s no denying
Ang’s drive and communicative skills here and elsewhere. The
organ is well caught amidst the instrumental hurly-burly, as are
the cymbals, and the moments of pomp are gloriously executed. Still
reeling from that aural onslaught – the best kind, not the
brazen, hi-fi one – I found much to savour in the two entr’actes
that follow. The fruity brass – a notable characteristic of
this recording – is a delight, and the firm, authoritative
timps deserve a mention in dispatches.
This disc ends with the overture and Coronation March from
Le Prophète; the mighty honks of brass and the sheer
declamatory power of the former made me grin foolishly, while the
latter – quite briskly played – raised my spirits even
more. Ang’s refusal to linger and mould the music really pays
off here; that plus crisp ensemble and fabulous, unfatiguing sound
ensure a truly exhilarating send-off.
Listeners of a delicate disposition may well need a whiff of the
sal volatile after all that unbridled energy; hardier souls
will simply press Play and relish these head-banging performances
once more. The marketing of Darrell Ang may be targeted at more
youthful listeners, but he’s certainly converted this older
one. It’s a fun CD, and a perfect opportunity to celebrate
both the genius of Meyerbeer and the runaway talent of this young
Singaporean conductor.
Intoxicating performances, thrillingly recorded; Darrell Ang is
one to watch.
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
Postscript – July 2014
This recording has also been released as a high-res download (24-bit/96kHz). It sells on eclassical.com for $19.27 (£11.20), which is a hefty premium on the $13 (£7.50) charged for the Redbook CD. It’s one of a few such downloads from Naxos, and given the spectacular engineering of the disc I didn’t expect much difference between the two. How wrong I was; the dynamic range is simply staggering, instrumental strands are easier to discern, and those melting tunes are even more beguiling than before. More important this all-revealing download confirms Darrell Ang’s intuitive and penetrating grasp of this music. Even if you don’t ‘do’ downloads why not try a track or two? The Drinking Song from Les Huguenots (tr. 4) and the overture to Dinorah (tr. 13) are a good place to start. DM
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