Search - Hindemith, Kotchinian, Le Roux :: Harmonie Der Welt

Harmonie Der Welt
Hindemith, Kotchinian, Le Roux
Harmonie Der Welt
Genre: Classical
 
Like his earlier opera, Mathis der Maler, Hindemith?s 1957 Die Harmonie der Welt is an opera of ideas, dealing with such subjects as the nature of creativity, the artist/original thinker in a society inimical to new ideas,...  more »

     
?

Larger Image

CD Details

All Artists: Hindemith, Kotchinian, Le Roux, Janowski
Title: Harmonie Der Welt
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Wergo Germany
Original Release Date: 1/1/2003
Re-Release Date: 3/11/2003
Album Type: Import, Single
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera & Classical Vocal
Number of Discs: 3
SwapaCD Credits: 3
UPC: 4010228665222

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Like his earlier opera, Mathis der Maler, Hindemith?s 1957 Die Harmonie der Welt is an opera of ideas, dealing with such subjects as the nature of creativity, the artist/original thinker in a society inimical to new ideas, humanity?s role in the universe and the ultimate harmony of the cosmos. Heady stuff that probably accounts for its rarity? this is the first recording of the complete opera. Like its predecessor, Die Harmonie der Welt best known through the symphony Hindemith based on it. But it?s an engrossing opera full of quality music and deserves to be ranked among the composer?s masterpieces. It doesn?t lack for dramatic situations, including grave plunderings, confrontations with the high and mighty of the Renaissance like Wallerstein and Rudolf II, and the personal and intellectual strivings of its hero, the astronomer Johannes Kepler. The action travels from Prague to key central European cities, covering a time span from 1608 to 1630. And there?s an abundance of melody, dramatic fireworks, and lyric passages to make up for the lack of popular arias. Fortunately, Die Harmonie der Welt gets a fine performance from Marek Janowski and his cast. Francois Le Roux is excellent as Kepler, singing and acting with authority, and subsidiary roles are well done and often better than that. The only flaw here is the casting of Susanna, the soprano lead and love interest with a singer who is, to be blunt, downright awful. But in the overall scheme of a 2-hour-and-40-minute opera, she inflicts minimal damage. Opera buffs, especially those attracted to accessible tonal modern operas, will want this important recording. They can be secure in the belief that it gets a worthy performance and is not likely to be rivaled for a long time to come. --Dan Davis
 

CD Reviews

At long last
MARTIN SELBREDE | GEORGETOWN, TX United States | 03/11/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Those elusive Hindemith operas! I've been waiting since 1969 for a recording of Die Harmonie der Welt (1957), collecting every recording of the 1951 symphony as a stopgap measure. An obscure monaural recording from 1960 on the Stradivarius label yields an eviscerated version of the opera (cut to half length!), but this new release on Wergo, with Marek Janowski conducting, finally does justice to the entire masterpiece. For those familiar with the symphony, there are surprises aplenty in the opera. The dissonant climax of the symphony's 2nd movement is rewritten without the jarring discords, the arco strings being switched to pizzicato to frame it, as the background to a duet between Kepler and Susanna. The final scene of the opera is the symphony's last movement "with voices added" -- which grossly understates what Hindemith has achieved here. Who'd have thought the gorgeous 3rd and 4th episodes in the passacaglia accompany an assassination! But the symphony gives only a limited glimpse into the opera, and so hearing this is a discovery finding its sole parallel in the relationship between the Mathis der Maler symphony and opera. A glorious recording reveals Janowski's preoccupation with phrasing, color, and balance. The choir is in excellent form. I question the choice of singer for the role of Kepler's wife, but I'm probably evidencing an American bias in doing so. This is an absolute must for Hindemithians of all stripes. Next stop: Hindemith's 1960 opera, "The Long Christmas Dinner.""