Les Troyens by Hector Berlioz |
Colin Davis's recent recording of Les Troyens, with Michelle De Young and Ben Heppner and the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, received the 2002 Gramophone Award for best opera recording of the year. The recording "has an excitement born of the glowing sheen of perfection," writes Joshua Rosenblum in the November 2001 issue of Opera News. "David's new version, splendid by any standard, with superb sonics and an exceptional supporting cast is an outright steal at its bargain price." Available from amazon.com and from amazon.co.uk |
Writing of the new Davis recording of Les Troyens in an article on the best classical compact discs of 2001, The Economist said: "The test of any performance must be the extent to which it surprises even the most knowledgeable listener. Time and again, Sir Colin brings a lifetime's experience and devotion to this, the opera with which he is most often associated." |
Les Troyens was performed at the Metropolitan Opera during the 2002-2003 season. "Hunt Lieberson's Dido was a marvel, her lustrous tone bringing nobility and passion to her portrayal. But her artistry goes beyond mere vocal performance. She embodies the character so completely that her singing becomes a natural extension of her emotions," wrote Mike Silverman in Newsday of February 11, 2003, about a performance of Les Troyens at the Met. ------ "On Monday, James Levine presided over a superb new production of Berlioz's epic masterpiece 'The Trojans' at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. * * * . . . "Under his leadership, the beauty of Berlioz's score as well as its bursting-through-its-classical-seams intensity filled the auditorium with the perfect mix of poetry and propulsion to transport us to the ancient world of the cities of Troy and Carthage."--from a review by T. J. Medrek in the Boston Herald of February 12, 2002. |
A DVD of Les Troyens at the Metropolitan Opera with Tatiana Troyanos, Jessye Norman, and Plácido Domingo (1983), can be ordered from amazon.com. |