In praise of musical syncretism...
Eric D. Anderson | South Bend, IN United States | 01/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this set on the strength of a review, having never previously heard a note of d'Albert's music. It blew me away!! It perfectly represents that period in European music in which all the musical threads of Europe started to weave together into a heady mix of "ultra-romanticism". One can easily hear in "Toten Augen" the Wagner of Parsifal, the harmonies of Strauss, Debussian Impressionism, and the emotional punch of Puccini's verismo. Yet, despite it's diverse origins, it's idiom is direct and appealing, and my guess is that it would be far easier to perform than anything by Wagner or Strauss. The story is a real fin-de-siecle barnburner, and it's a mystery to me why opera companies world wide aren't rushing out to put this little jewel on their stages. Here's to musical syncretism!"