The kid and adult's opera
Homiski | 08/24/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"By using the fantastic creatures of Maurice Sednak's fantasty world, Oliver Knussen has built a bridge between generations who would appreciate the world of opera. Casting coloratura soprano Rosemary Hardy (and boy does she go into the stratosphere) in the role of Max Knussen has vividly captured Sednak's fantasty world. This listener can draw connections with another opera based on children Ravel's "L' Enfant et les sortileges" but Knussen always retains 'his' voice. Not as dense as some of the polyphonic line writing found in Knussen's instrumental works, the opera still shines with his characteristic kaleidoscopic orchestration. The scene with Max battling the vacuum cleaner is clever and equally vivid (albeit the lack of the visual element). The listener can conjure a picture of the crazy vacuum cleaner out of control much like a child listening to a story told by a parent. Quite an accessible opera, the recording will have impact upon future listenings."