April 1, 2019

  • Two Classic Menotti Operas

     

     

    Menotti: The Medium;
    Marily Santoro, Julija Samsonova-Khayet, Chiara Isotton,
    Lorenzo Grante, Roxana Herrera Diaz, Arianna Manganello

    Menotti: The Telephone
    Elizabeth Hertzberg, Lorenzo Grante

    Italian Philharmonic Orchestra/Flavio Emilio Scogna
    Brilliant Classics 95361
    Disc One Total Time:  65:13
    Disc Two Total Time: 24:58
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

     

     

    Gian Carlo Menotti (1911-2007) gained attention in the mid 20th Century as a composer who created a number of operas, many of which are still part of the contemporary canon.  He also wrote his own libretti.  In many ways, he brought contemporary opera to a broader American audience by choosing often simple stories with music that had nodded toward Puccini but with a more popular sensibility that might be closer to musical theater.  His pieces tend to feature very lyrical melodies that often provide a contrast to the more psychological dramas unfolding on stage.  His orchestral writing tends to also be very clear which aids the superbly-shaped vocal lines.  He is perhaps best remembered for his Christmas Eve broadcast of Amahl and the Night Visitors produced and commissioned by NBC in 1951.

    Two additionally successful works are now available paired here on Brilliant Classics from recordings made last March in studio following live productions.  Both The Medium (1945) and The Telephone (1946) are often paired as they were when they ran on Broadway for some 212 performances beginning in May 1947.  The former opera follows a psychic who prays on the desperate.  The brief two-act “musical drama” builds toward an ending with murder and disaster.  Even Virgil Thomson found this a gripping theatrical work.  And it is indeed.  Presented here we get some stunning singing that slowly helps see the growing rage of Madame Flora against the more telling lyricism of Monica.  One may also discern additional undercurrents informing Menotti’s drama.  The performances here are equally beautiful though with the orchestral accompaniment an excellent highlight.  Diction is sometimes harder to discern, which is aided with libretti (but these are not included).  There are not a lot of modern performances with such stunning sound so this is certainly a plus for those familiar with the piece.  The other minor issue is that there are no access points other than a track for each act which is unfortunate.

    The Telephone is a more accessible piece and a perfect, lighter foil to its companion here.  It is a more conventional harmonic work with clear melodic ideas.  The music has a sort of blend of Neo-Classicism with perhaps a little Les Six type style.  The humor of the music helps underscore the rather innocuous story.  Its story revolves around Lucy who is literally always on the phone and her boyfriend who is struggling to find a better way to propose marriage to her.  It is really a chance for a coloratura soprano to shine and this is certainly the case here in Elizabeth Hertzberg’s performance.  This makes this second disc all the more wonderful with clear diction that helps communicate the text very well.  The music is also scored a bit lighter which helps.

    Overall, this is a rather wonderful set of these Menotti classics.  The sound is really quite good and the orchestra works quite well.  Often the lines are necessarily solos and the winds do get a chance to shine a bit more in The Telephone with The Medium being a bit fuller orchestrally.  Familiarity with the latter will make that a tad easier to listen to, but both are recommendable performances.