Christoph Willibald Gluck Paul McCreesh Gabrieli Players - Gluck Paride ed Elena (64 tracks) +Album Reviews

Luminous beauty

Kicek&Brys | USA/UK | 06/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gluck's fortunes have risen dramatically over the last decade, with new recordings of almost all his major operas and a few rarities too. "Paride ed Elena", his third and least known Italian "reform" opera, written for Vienna in 1770, is aptly described by Paul McCreesh in the booklet to this new recording as "buried treasure". The opera's relative lack of popularity might be due to the unusual plot. In many ways, "Paride ed Elena" is the polar opposite of Gluck's more famous musical dramas, which are tragic in feeling even if they have happy endings. The tone of the libretto is light and ironic, telling the story of the Trojan prince Paris' visit to Sparta to abduct the Greek princess Helen. Amore (Cupid) plays as big a role as he does in "Orfeo" in bringing the lovers together, but here he comes across as a cheeky, rococo matchmaker. The drama, such as it is, hinges on whether Helen will give in to Paris' seduction and, whatever her hesitations, we're never in much doubt what her final decision will be. Ironically, only in the ending is there any hint of tragedy. The goddess Pallas Athena appears descending on a cloud and angrily announces, not the usual happy resolution of the story, but the great disaster of the Trojan War which will result from Paris and Helen's elopement.

The opera might be virtually unknown but its music has gradually been seeping into public consciousness. In recent years arias from "Paride" have appeared with increasing frequency on opera recital discs, not least Magdalena Kozena's own "Le Belle Immagini" which took its title from one of the finest numbers here. Now we get a chance to hear them in context. From the plot summary, it's clear there's not much dramatic tension but there is plenty of eroticism. "There is a seething passion in 'Paride ed Elena'," says McCreesh, " and it hits all the harder for being understated." His reading reflects that understatement. Magdalena Kozena has a beautiful but delicate voice and she makes a rather restrained Paris, youthful but inward, most at home with the contemplative "Le belle immagini".Susan Gritton's singing is not always so mellifluous but her Helen is more passionate. Carolyn Sampson makes a pretty Amore. McCreesh's conducting tends towards the static; maybe because this was the result of an unstaged performance, it often verges on oratorio. Marc Minkowski might have given us a more dynamic - if wayward - reading and, for my money, no Gluck conductor today can compete with John Eliot Gardiner, who - it must be said - does have the advantage of almost thirty years' experience performing this composer. But the playing of the Gabrieli Consort is excellent and what McCreesh does very well is to bring out the luminous beauty of the score, which contains some truly wonderful moments, as anyone who has heard "Le belle immagini" or "O del mio dolce ardor" might expect. Paris' aria "Quegli occhi belli" is equally fine, a virtuoso seduction piece, accompanied by the harp like Orfeo's invocation to the Furies. The grand finale is another highlight, bringing back music heard in the overture to stunning effect This probably shouldn't be your first Gluck opera. Newcomers would be better to start with "Orfeo", "Iphigenie en Tauride" (Minkowski) and "Alceste" (Gardiner). But anyone who has become addicted to the composer's "beautiful simplicity" will have to have this fine new recording."

A Refreshingly Elegant Platform for Fine Singers

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 06/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Gluck is a composer of the late 1700s whose continuing fame rests on his operas 'Orfeo ed Eurydice', 'Alceste' and 'Iphigenie en Tauride', vehicles that require little staging and are usually included in the repertoire for showcasing exceptional singers. Now along comes 'Paride ed Elena" (Paris and Helen) and voila! - more of the lovely pure music this composer wrote so very well.

The plot of the opera is negligible - just the usual Paris/Helen/Troy story - but the writing is quite beautiful. Paul McCreesh conducts the Gabrieli Consort and Players in the style of the period and renders a transparent, beautifully embellished accompaniment for the soloists. Magdalena Kozena continues to impress with her silvery, well-focused voice in the role of Paris with Susan Gritton a light but effective Helen. The Amore (Cupid) of Carolyn Sampson finds just the right playful sound that lends this all female cast a nice balance.

Repeated listenings to this very fine recording will probably result in placing at least two arias ('Le belle immagini' and 'O del mio dolce ardor') in the same category as the 'Che faro' from Orfeo - as performed in the capable singing of Kozena. Though this is not a 'big dramatic' opera, it is a beautiful chamber piece and in the hands of this group of singers and players, 'Paride ed Elena' comes off as an important addition to the baroque repertoire. Recommended. Grady Harp, June 05"

The sounds that launched a thousand ships

Ingrid Heyn | Melbourne, Australia | 05/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For several years, I looked at my Gluck recordings with dissatisfaction. I had two recordings of the Paride ed Elena, but neither was first-rate. They suffered either from stodgy conducting or from un-stylistic singing, and both failed to take flight with superb performances to enthrall me. Yet... they were the only two recordings of this opera.

When I saw this new recording, I could feel my breath catch in my throat. The line-up looked fantastic - Kozena and Gritton in the two lead roles, and Sampson in the smaller but important role of Amore! And listening to the recording was as blissful as I'd hoped.

The star of this recording, for me, is Magdalena Kozena. She is ardent, youthful, passionate and irresistible. Her voice has a quality that is difficult to describe - that sound which is often found in Slavic voices of the lighter type. It is not sourness, nor yet is it pain. It is not sorrow, nor tension. It is some astringency that shimmers with beauty and adds a literally terrific quality to the timbre, ensuring that Kozena's voice will not be mistaken for another's. It is a lovely voice, unique and obviously utilised with a great deal of intelligence and well-utilised drama.

Susan Gritton, a favourite singer of mine, is ravishing as the Elena. Her voice is a full-bodied Handelian lyric sound - that is, pure, rich, not overbearing, with a creaminess and purity not often found. It's a voice of considerable range, outstanding beauty, and superb flexibility. With a voice of this quality, it is hard to understand why Ms Gritton is not a household name. She is the finest Handel singer I've heard, and singing Gluck is no less ideal for her.

Carolyn Sampson as the Amore suffers a tad in contrast to these two outstanding singers. She seems to have lightened her voice considerably to sing this role, which is odd - her voice is already a lovely light lyric soprano. I wouldn't have thought it necessary for her to lighten her sound. At any rate, she is charming and often beautiful in the role, but I have heard her sing much more beautifully - in the complete Vivaldi sacred works produced by Hyperion, for instance.

The playing and conducting are magnificent. There is a gracious and elegant spaciousness in this performance which strike the listener as close to ideal as one could wish.

The recording has swiftly taken its place among my favourites. I unhesitatingly recommend it as an exquisite and suprisingly emotional recording of a very beautiful opera indeed."

Paride ed Elena

Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 10/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"George Bernard Shaw said of Gluck (1714 -- 1787) that "the man is a great master". Shaw's dictum receives more and more corroboration, if any is thought necessary, with every release of a new recording of Gluck. This 2005 recording of Gluck's rarely-performed 1770 opera "Paride ed Elena" is a revelation indeed. Paul McCreesh conducts the Gabrieli Consort, on period instruments, and Gabrieli Players. A cast of four sopranos in the lead roles provides an inspiring listening experience.

Gluck was one of music's great reformers. In a series of three operas written for performance in Vienna with librettist Ranieri de'Calzabigi, the composer tried to strip down the florid style of opera of his day and to create works in which music and text combined for dramatic effect. In his musical programme, Gluck was a predecessor of Hector Berlioz, his great admirer, and of Wagner and Hugo Wolf. The two earlier Gluck-Calzabigi collaborations, Orfeo, and Alceste, are better-known than the third "Paride ed Elena". But this work is their equal.

The five-act Paride ed Elena tells the story of Paris's wooing and winning of Helen, then of Sparta, following his judgment in favor of Venus in the famous beauty contest of the goddesses. Paris's abduction of Helen, of course, became the cause of the Trojan War, but Gluck downplays this consequence for most of his opera. He focuses instead on the power of love and passion in both of his primary characters. Soprano Magdalena Kozena sings Paris in an appropriately impulsive, romantic style, while Susan Gritton, as the initially reluctant Helen, displays both coyness and the power of love and eros when it is awakened. Carolyn Sampson sings the part of Cupid, who appears in the opera in disguise as Erasto, a page of Helen's and functions as a go-between to promote Paris's suit. Gilian Webster makes a stormy appearance as the spurned Pallas Athena, foreboding the conflict between Greece and Troy at the end of the opera.

This opera is full of lovely music for orchestra, chorus, soloists and ensembles. Ir includes several extended ballets in the first and second act which would be a joy to see with dancers. Gluck wrote the recitiv sections for full orchestra, and McCreesh thus does not add a continuo accompaniment. The recitives blend seamlessly into the arias, giving a dramatically effective flow and minimizing the "statuesque" interpretations of Gluck found in some recordings. Many of the choral passages, and recitivs as well, are interspersed with melodic material and solos.

In a key scene of the opera, Paris accompanies himself on the lyre in a lovely, flowing melody in one of his first attempts to win Helen's heart. This scene reminded me of the related moment in Orfeo, when Orfeo sings with his lute to tame the furies of Hades. Paris has a number of exquisite love songs in addition, including "Le belle immagini" in Act II. Helen has several sharp arias in which she tries to rebuff Paris, including "Forse piu d'una belta (track 18, Act II) and her duet with Paris "fingere piu non so" (track 31, Act II). Helen weakens in her resolve to resist Paris in "Lo Portro" (track 10, Act IV), sings a stormy aria of men's betrayal "Donzelle simplici" (track 12, act IV), and ultimately surrenders to her feelings just before the appearance of Pallas Athena. The opera ends in a moment of peace and triumph as the new couple sail to Troy.

This recording of Paris ed Helena won deserved critical acclaim when it was released in 2005. I am pleased that it has attracted excellent reviews on this site from knowledgeable and devoted music lovers. Paul McCreesh and DG have done a great service in making Gluck's beautiful and lyric opera available to a wide public.

Robin Friedman"

Tender, subtle, sweet music

A. Popp | New York, NY | 11/23/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am new to opera but after hearing this album on BBC's 'Composer of the Week' I am very interested in Gluck. If you like gentle, passionate, sweet, tender music - and long for opera to call on you to live more fully - buy this right away. Magdalena Kozena's voice is one of the purist I've heard. Great album."

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