Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer album review

Finley/Davidsen/Sherratt/de Barbeyrac/Norwegian National Opera/Gardner(Decca, two CDs)The Norwegian soprano dominates in this recording taken from concert performances in which Finley’s Dutchman feels somewhat underpoweredAccording to the sleeve notes, the two concert performances of Wagner’s most compact and regularly performed stage work that Edward Gardner conducted in Oslo last year are likely to be the only occasions on which Lise Davidsen will appear as Senta, since it’s not a role that she intends to sing on stage. That alone will make the set – taken from the two concert performances – a compulsory purchase for Davidsen’s many admirers, and certainly her performance is the main attraction here, though the feisty playing of the Norwegian National Opera orchestra, one of its first collaborations with Gardner after he became the company’s music director, is first-rate, too.But from the moment that she launches into Senta’s ballad in the second act, colouring it to spine-tingling effect, Davidsen holds the stage, and makes every set-piece compelling, putting Gerald Finley’s Dutchman entirely in the shade as she soars through their great duet. Yet her intensity is not sufficient for their pairing to strike real dramatic sparks. Alongside Davidsen’s larger-than-life quality, Finley’s portrayal seems rather small scale; his singing is as elegant and intelligently shaped as ever, his bass-baritone richly burnished, but the crucial heroic dimension is missing. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Netflix series with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score saved from presumed cancellation

Comments

Similar News

Wagner: The Valkyrie Royal Opera House, London review

‘Touching the soul is all that matters!’ The outrageous genius of Barrie Kosky and his Wagner phantasmagoria

Culture

Netflix series with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score saved from presumed cancellation

Wuthering Heights casting director says even her friends ‘rampaged’ over the actor choices

Star Wars character recast in Disney series Andor due to scheduling conflict

Olivia Colman’s unusual crumpets topping unveiled in new Warburtons ad

Ed Sheeran shares Taylor Swift’s Kanye West dig in throwback photo

Theatre critics to recognise Scotland's best panto for first time

The Names by Florence Knapp review – What's in a name? Rather a lot in this intriguing debut novel

Exclusive: Comic Strip Presents…to be screened at Edinburgh Fringe

My Master Builder at Wyndham’s Theatre review: Ewan McGregor's first stage appearance in 17 years is a dud

Epic Games offers free Fortnite Stormtrooper skin and Star Wars game – how to claim both

London Sinfonietta at Southbank Centre review: perfect symbiosis of motion and movement

80s rock icon finally reveals tragic reason behind infamous rift with bandmate

Katy Perry felt 'battered and bruised' by backlash

Steven Spielberg hails epic film as ‘greatest American movie of all time’

Theo Barklem-Biggs: 'I am interested in how men relate to each other, and compulsion'

Noughties icons accidentally announce they’re playing Glastonbury 2025

Katy Perry says she’s been made a ‘human piñata’ after backlash to space flight

Major Gianni Versace exhibition to open in London

Some of the TV shows and movies we're excited for this summer

Georgian filmmaker embedded in a birth clinic for a year to make abortion drama

24 New Books to Read in May: Stephen King, Ocean Vuong, Alison Bechdel and more

A Novelist Finds Unsettling Echoes in a Nazi-Era Filmmaker’s Compromises

Book Review: ‘Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves,’ by Sophie Gilbert

Bake Off’s Paul Hollywood swoops in on helicopter to rescue pilot after crash

Five pivotal moments in Pope Francis' relations with Native communities in the Americas

Chinese astronauts' return to earth delayed owing to weather

Amazon launches its first internet satellites to compete against SpaceX's Starlinks

Adams family values: Commission drums up support for John Adams memorial

Amazon launches its first batch of satellites in bid to compete with SpaceX's Starlinks

TikTok users gamble on the next pope as Vatican sets May 7 conclave

Decision looming for Trump administration on first PFAS drinking water limits

The Memphis church pivotal in Martin Luther King Jr.'s final days suffers a devastating fire

Betsy Arakawa, Gene Hackman's wife, died from hantavirus, autopsy confirms

Largest U.S. teachers union finds educators' salaries lagging behind inflation

Starbucks' new drive-thru in Texas is the coffee giant's first 3D printed store in the US

First accuser takes the witness stand at Harvey Weinstein's #MeToo retrial

The global breakfast table: What's trending in morning meals

Who is Cardinal Becciu? Why isn't he participating in the conclave to elect a pope?

Virginia child with measles visited two Kaiser Permanente medical facilities

Adolescence creator gets choked up on childhood moment that shaped his career

Beyoncé brings out daughter Rumi, 7, for rare public appearance on Cowboy Carter tour opening night

Sinners production designer reveals hidden Chadwick Boseman tribute in Ryan Coogler hit

Tom Hardy tells off radio presenter as Hollywood actor defends small Welsh town

The Smashing Machine: The brutal true story behind Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s A24 UFC biopic

Priscilla Pointer, Carrie and Dallas star and mother of Amy Irving, dies at 100

Ellen Pompeo had ‘emotional outburst’ over Grey’s Anatomy scene she challenged

Thunderbolts* is the best Marvel movie in years – for one simple reason

Marvel asks to be removed from Justin Baldoni lawsuit against Blake Lively over Nicepool character

Handmaid’s Tale fans devastated over major character’s betrayal

David Harbour explains why Thunderbolts trailer moments are missing from new Marvel film

Gary Oldman apologises to Demi Moore for ‘unprofessional’ behaviour on set of The Scarlet Letter

Penn Badgley reveals alternative series ending You writers nearly used

Neil Young takes aim at Elon Musk in new version of This Land Is Your Land

10 essential Vietnam War movies that left a lasting impact

10 fiction and nonfiction books to understand the Vietnam War

Louis Theroux praised for TV return in ‘masterpiece’ documentary

Timothée as Spider-Man? 15 actors who narrowly avoided career-destroying roles

Betsy Arakawa’s cause of death confirmed in autopsy report

From M*A*S*H to The Sympathizer: 12 TV shows shaped by the Vietnam War

Joanna Lumley says she doesn’t have a lot of ‘time left’ while discussing mortality

From MAS*H to The Sympathizer: 12 TV shows shaped by the Vietnam War