I watched parts of last night’s Prom concert, which was broadcast on BBC Four. I can’t say that I cared much for what I heard of Thomas Adès’ music, even though he is apparently "enjoying spectacular success this year".
The real reason for watching came in the form of the closing work: a performance of Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle. I’ve always loved this work, ever since I discovered it back in 1964 through the medium of Ken Russell’s black and white film on Bartók, which was made for BBC TV. I’d never heard music like it before, which, when reinforced with Russell’s spectacular imagery, made an indelible impression on me. The moment of the opening of the fifth door in Bluebeard’s castle, with its huge orchestral chords, combined with the shock of the soprano’s high C, is something that always prickles my flesh. It has to be one of the greatest moments in all Opera.
Last night’s performance (sung in the original Hungarian) by Charlotte Hellekant as Judith was magnificent. Falk Struckmann as Bluebeard grew in power, it seemed to me, as the performance progressed, and the Philharmonia, conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi were terrific. All in all, a most satisfying performance.
I no longer have my old LPs of the performance conducted by Pierre Boulez (the first version with Tatiana Troyanos as Judith), so I’m now motivated to replace the gap in my music library with a CD version. I’m not sure which one to go for, it may be the Haitink version, or perhaps the new one conducted by Iván Fischer.
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