Search - Igor Stravinsky, Colin Davis, Jessye Norman :: Stravinsky - Oedipus Rex / Michel Piccoli · Jessye Norman · Thomas Moser · Siegmund Nimsgern · Sir Colin Davis

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Dr. Fartmeister | Vancouver BC | 11/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Aside from the Symphony of Psalms, Oedipus Rex is probably the greatest work that came out of Stravinsky's super-fun Neoclassical phase. The piece itself leaves very little to be desired--all the dramatic action and intensity of a Wagnerian opera condensed into a compact 49 minute show. You get all this plus Stravinskian neoclassicism at its best! What do you have to lose, really?
I reccommend this recording above all others mainly for the outstanding performance of the baritone Sigmund Nimsgern in the dual roles of Kreon and The Messenger. The power of this man's voice alone is enough to make this disc worth it.
But there's more! Thomas Moser displays some virtuosic acting ability in his performance (particularly because Stravinsky's rather oddly shaped melodic lines make expression much more difficult than anything written by, say, Bellini), and he does an excellent job at creating the most frightening musical atmosphere possible in the second act's duet between Jocasta and Oedipus. However, this phenomenon is partially the fault of the incomparable Jessye Norman.
The other really great thing about this performance is the casting of Roland Bracht as the gnarled old blind prophet Tiresias. I cannot imagine a voice better suited to this part than the haunting bass of Mr. Bracht. Although such a timbre would not be suited to many roles from, say, the late romantic Italian literature, this voice certainly finds its niche in this role.
Once again, it all goes to show that Igor Stravinsky is better than everyone."

Attention, Oedipus fans

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/03/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Since first acquaintance in high school, I've remained devoted to this, the greatest of Stravinsky's choral works and second only to "The Rake's Progress" in his operatic vein, for forty years. I've tried to purchase every version available, and I must say this one from Munich isn't top notch. Sir Colin Davis spent a long, sluggish era in Bavaria, and although this performance is well sung, it leaves me cold dramatically. Maybe it's not fair to say that a neo-classical work can sound too classical, but there you are.



If you want the raw theater of Oedipus Rex, seek out the original 1963 Colin Davis performance with operatoic froces from Sadler's Wells on EMI. It feels like "Il Trovatore" in its emotional fire, something Stravinsky might have hated, but there is a lot of Verdi in this masterpiece. The Oedipus of Australian tenor Roland Dowd is one of a kind, as gripping in its total commitment as Ralph Richardson's narrator, although one does miss Cocteau's clipped, austere French.



For a large-scale reading with choral singing on the grand scale, listen to the Welser-Most reading with the London Phil., also on EMI (and like the earlier Davis, now issued as a budget CD in England.) Welser-Most sees this work as a lushly scored oratorio. His approach is more static than Davis, closer to big-boned Handel than Verdi, but very musical in all respects.



Julie Taymor staged Oedipus in Japan for Seiji Ozawa, and although the Philips CD that resulted is fine, the DVD alone brings out the ritual element she was aiming for, a close recreation in post-modern terms of masked Greek drama. This performance features Jessye Norman as Jocasta, if that is a drawing card in the later Davis reading. I find her too maigsterial, not urgent enough.



I could mention quite a few other good performances, but the only one that has totally convinced me by its dramatic passion is the early Davis."