Henze: L'Upupa und der Triumph
der Sohensliebe (Salzburg, 2003)

Cast: Laura Aikin (Badi'at), Matthias Goerne (Al Kasim), John Mark Ainsley (Der Dämon), Alfred Muff (Der alte Mann), Hanna Schwarz (Malik), Günter Missenhardt (Dijab), Axel Köhler (Adschib), Anton Scharinger (Gharib); Wiener Philharmoniker, Markus Stenz (conductor), Dieter Dorn (director), Brian Large (video director)

Recorded at the Kleines Festspielhaus, Salzburg in August 2003 - World premiere

Published on DVD by EuroArts in 2004 [2053929, NTSC/all regions, menus in English, subtitles in English, German, French]

Technical Details:
Picture Format: 16:9
Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Running time: 143 minutes

Sung in German
Some usual aspects of a review will not be offered here. The musical idiom is Henze - for Henze, relatively accessible, but still not for those unprepared for a contemporary idiom. The plot is left to you; there is much of the Golden Cockerel, some of the Nightingale, some of Ali Baba, of Pandora, of half a dozen other fables. The libretto (by Henze) is is brilliantly enunciated. Even the English subtitles are accurate. But the result is not explicable, indeed not even comprehensible in a single pass let alone in a review.

The performance is as nearly definitive as one could hope. In nearly two and a half hours of demanding vocalism, one smeared trill was the only audible imperfection. The orchestra is brilliant and the conducting is brisk. In terms of audio and video technology, the recording is as nearly perfect as has been achieved to date. Physical production is brilliant, both literally in its colors and devices and figuratively in maintaining interest.

If you are seeking tunes, leave this on the shelf. If a fascinating presentation of contemporary music is your preference, this recording cannot be recommended too highly.
 
Related website:
Euroarts: www.euroarts.com
Michael Richter, 22 March 2005
mrichter@cpl.net
 
See also Michael Richter's Introduction to the DVD, for a list of other reviews see the DVD Project page.