- Conductor: David Parry
- Composer: Richard Wagner
- Audio CD (11 Oct 2004)
- SPARS Code: DDD
- Number of Discs: 2
- Label: Chandos
- ASIN: B000632PQ8
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 55,573 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I suppose any opera sung in a translated version of the original libretto is never going to be faultless (not for any snobbishness, but for reasons of the meter and rhythm of the translated language for example) but this version of the Flying Dutchman is as near as possible faultless in my opinion. Whilst listening it feels as if the work was written specifically for this ensemble of cast, conductor and orchestra, since everything oozes naturalness and a perfect fit of music and drama. The bonus of being able to understand most of the words as the opera progresses, and therefore have a better feel for the nuances of Wagner's music as the drama unfolds, adds to the general sense of this being, for me anyway, a benchmark to which other recordings need to measure up to. Clearly it can't be THE benchmark but one of the top 2 or 3 along with one of the currently favoured recording in the original German (I would recommend the Naxos budget version conducted by Pinchas Steinberg and Sinopoli's Deutsche Grammophon recording with Cheryl Studer in the role of Senta).
On the general issue of libretto translations. The text is pretty good in this instance and unlike Italian or French to English translations (which very rarely fit the rhythm of the phrasing of the composed music) German to English usually works well.
On the general issue of libretto translations. The text is pretty good in this instance and unlike Italian or French to English translations (which very rarely fit the rhythm of the phrasing of the composed music) German to English usually works well.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
A Fine Rendition
15 May 2005
Format:Audio CD
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.
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.
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