Paul Hindemith - Cardillac (Opera in 3 Acts , Op.89)

Paul HINDEMITH (1865-1963)

Cardillac

Opera in three acts, Op.39

Text: Ferdinand Lion

First Version 1926

Evgeny Solodovnikov (bass)

Stephanie Houtzeel (mezzo-soprano)

Daniel Jenz (tenor)

Tomasz Konieczny (bass-baritone)

Wolfgang Bankl (bass)

Vera-Lotte Boecker (soprano)

Herbert Lippert (tenor)

Vienna State Opera Orchestra

Vienna State Opera Chorus

Vienna State Opera Stage Orchestra

Cornelius Meister

recording: Wiener Staatsoper 05/11/2022 (Live Recording)

Reviews:

Paris is gripped by fear. A series of murders is leaving a bloody trail through the city. Enter the world of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s novella Das Fräulein von Scuderi, published in 1819 and often cited as one of the earliest German crime stories. And even though the story is set in the Paris of Louis XIV, the work has a deeply romantic quality, driven by a fascination with genius, coupled with dark passions and terrible crimes. In 1925, Hindemith came into contact with the publicist and poet Ferdinand Lion. To Lion’s libretto, and influenced by the New Objectivity movement’s push against expressionism, Paul Hindemith set music that, for all its modernity, consciously takes up historical forms, bringing them into play in a neo-Baroque manner. This release captures the Vienna State Opera’s highly acclaimed, star-studded performance in a gripping, live, premiere recording.

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"If this is a study in obsession then it's left to the musicians in the pit to direct us. And the Bühnenorchester der Wiener Staatsoper conducted by Cornelius Meister, do their very best negotiating Hindemith's wrenching chords, dissonant winds and nagging ostinato in a score that has no time for melody."

BBC Music Magazine

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"Cornelius Meister does a terrific job of tapping into the score's nervy energy, its uncompromising conviction and disquieting atmosphere. The Vienna State Opera Orchestra play with white-hot commitment."

Gramophone