Socrate
This live recording was made during 1998's Salzburg Festival, and Kent Nagano (who had studied the work directly with Messiaen during the opera's premiere in 1983) marshals the score's 119 players and enormous chorus into a spectacular series of symphonic frescoes. He is sensitive both to the resonant use of silence in the score's interstices and--most memorably--to Messiaen's rare achievement in creating music to express "perfect joy." And the cast he works with is unbeatable: José van Dam conveys immense compassion and presence in the almost unbelievably strenuous demands of the title role, while Dawn Upshaw sings the angel with a penetrating purity. This masterpiece demands time to get to know it--more than the four hours it takes to unfold--but once you know it, its rewards are immense. --Thomas May
Country | USA |
AudienceRating | NR (Not Rated) |
Binding | Audio CD |
EAN | 0028944517620 |
Format | Box set |
IsAdultProduct | |
IsEligibleForTradeIn | 1 |
Label | Deutsche Grammophon |
Manufacturer | Deutsche Grammophon |
NumberOfDiscs | 4 |
NumberOfItems | 4 |
PublicationDate | 1999-08-10 |
Publisher | Deutsche Grammophon |
ReleaseDate | 1999-08-10 |
Studio | Deutsche Grammophon |