Worth a Listen
Andrea Moreno | Syracuse, NY United States | 04/05/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not sure I like this music - it's too swooshy and stringy for me, but I favor early music and am still getting used to these sounds. The singing, however, is fabulous. Each performance is distinctive and intelligent. Act 1 starts with a bang, with tenor Robert Breault's wonderfully grounded take on showman Tom Norman, and the music does a good job of expressing the clash between 19th & 20th century sensibilities. I don't love contralto Nathalie Stutzmann as Joseph Merrick. She sometimes sounds too womanly, which undermines the sexual implications in his relations with nurse Mary, and the loony coluratura of Act 4. What I like about her performance, though, is she never pushes for our sympathy - her Merrick is complex and smart. She even has a Great Moment in Opera in Act 3, with moody baritone Nicolas Rivenq, who is perfectly cast as Frederick Treves. Treves has been assuming that his patient is an imbecile and suddenly discovers his mistake. Stutzmann magically conveys Merrick's enjoyment of his doctor's confusion, as well as his genuine regard for him, and the widening crack in Treves' professional reserve is truly moving in Rivenq's hands. The death of Merrick (AFTER the rather goopy violin solo) is another instance of Stutzmann's superlative characterization, and the music is just right, conveying Merrick's desparation but ultimate strength. Altogether, there are enough places where music, libretto and acting mesh into interesting storytelling to make this opera a worthwhile listen."
Amazing Quality Modern Opera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lucien Manea | 06/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you like the orchestrations of Ravel, Richard Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mahler, Messiaen than buy this, that is if you can find it. Its so unfortunate that many great operas are not too popular. Also the sound quality is quite stunning!"