Massenet: Hérodiade

Massenet: Hérodiade

Recorded live at the San Francisco Opera, this HÃ©rodiade assumes that this less-than-great opera--in which the legendary Salome has little of the fascinating, sexual neurosis in the better-known Richard Strauss dramatization--needs all the muscle the performers can give it, and the results aren't subtle. The score is cut (which may not be a bad thing), and though cast members are reasonably well-schooled in the French text, this is hardly a tidy performance, the larger point being the dramatic heat they bring to the piece. And if RenÃ©e Fleming, Placido Domingo, and Dolora Zajick firing on all cylinders wasn't enough, they're led by powerhouse conductor Valery Gergiev in one of his few, non-Russian opera recordings. Sound quality is good for live. It's two discs rather than three (such as Michel Plasson's version on EMI with Studer, Heppner, and Hampson). With a gun pointed to my head, this would be my first choice. David Patrick Stearns
Country USA
Manufacturer Sony
Binding Audio CD
ItemPartNumber 074646684726
ReleaseDate 1995-12-19
UnitCount 2
Format Box set
UPCs 074646684726
EANs 0074646684726

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