Reference 5

Created in 1954, Vanessa enjoyed a brief success when it was created at the Met in New York before falling into an unjust oblivion. The rediscovered thanks to the excellent Sony economic collection is particularly pleased that version uses the chef Dimitri Mitropoulos who assured its creation. The voice cast brings together some of the most beautiful voices of the time with Stresser in the title role, in Gedda Anatol, Elias Erika Tozzi and excellent in the role of the Doctor. The sound 1990 is good especially in terms of the orchestra while voices appear somewhat compressed.

Barber's music attracted the ire of critics who, because of a booklet inspired by Karen Blixen and whose author was the companion of Barber, Menotti, reproached him for not being sufficiently American. Yet what strikes a European ear, is that this work seems to oscillate constantly between musical with orchestral or vocal passages which the American music hall side does not doubt and most post-Romantic tradition drawing its sources in Italian opera and Strauss. Everything is unclassifiable, but surprising, in fact, very pleasant to listen to. Here is a work that opera houses, starting with Paris whose programming is sorely lacking in originality past few seasons, would do well to go back ....