This is audio only (and not the greatest sound—although pretty
amazing, considering it probably was recorded from inside someone’s vest pocket),
but it’s so wonderful to have. I don't know how I missed this. I really need work
on my soprano-stalking skills.
Starring Michael Schade—perhaps the quintessential Tito—and Alice
Coote (standing in for Elina Garanca), whom I don’t love in pants roles on stage, but who sings the heck out of
Sesto. And of course Malin Hartelius as Vitellia, who
…played Vitellia as more overtly sexy and rather less the scheming bitch; Hartelius brought a sexual charge to a lot of Vitellia’s music, here was a woman who lived in a man’s world by trading on her female wiles and charms.*
[Alice Coote] had a worthy antagonist in the Swedish soprano Malin Hartelius, a scheming Vitellia with crisp, clean attack and a fittingly corrosive splash of acid in her timbre, while Michael Schade showed apparently effortless command of Mozartian style as that stuffed shirt Tito. First-class contributions from Rosa Feola (Servilia), Christina Daletska (Annio) and Brindley Sherratt (Publio) made this a vintage cast that Covent Garden couldn’t have bettered.**
This was recorded at Barbican Hall on February 22, 2012. Louis Langrée
conducts the Deustcher Kammerchor and the Deutsche Kammer Philharmonie Bremen.
Michael Schade – Tito
Alice Coote – Sesto
Rosa Feola – Servilia
Malin Hartelius – Vitellia
Christina Daletska – Annio
Brindley Sheratt – Publio
Rosa Feola – Servilia
Malin Hartelius – Vitellia
Christina Daletska – Annio
Brindley Sheratt – Publio
*Robert Hugill at Opera Today
I'm glad you like it, even though you're right: It's was recorded out of my vest pocket. I went to both London and Dortmund concerts, but only the Barbican rendered this decently sounding recording. KateK
ReplyDeleteOf all the stuff the BBC broadcasts, I'm surprised they passed this one by. Thanks again for recording and posting it, Kate. Many Malin Hartelius fans (and other opera fans) are grateful! Thanks too, for dropping by and confirming my "analysis" of the recording! :)
DeleteWell, I fully intend to listen to it, vest pocket or not. (Hartelius as Vitellia = more than worth a bit of interference in the sound.)
ReplyDeleteIt's really really good. If the applause weren't so deafening I wouldn't have guessed about the vest pocket. And Vitellia's first aria is indeed rather sexy!
Deletewow, all 2+ hr of it! thanks for digging it up and Kate for uploading! currently on my playing machine.
ReplyDeleteps- greetings from Boston, i read often but almost never quite sent a comment except for that 1 time on travel dropping a link of bootleg trovatore.. :-)
Thanks for continuing to drop by and thanks for the greeting. I am as pleased as you that I came across this. It pays to do random U-toob searches now and then. and Thanks again to Kate for the "legwork"! :)
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