Berlioz/Wagner - Te Deum/Overture to Die Meistersinger DVD

Claudio Abbado conducts the award-winning Vienna Philharmonic in a gala concert recorded live from the Alte Oper, Frankfurt, featuring Berlioz's Te Deum, one of the great, underplayed masterpieces of the romantic era. This majestic, outsized juxtaposition of human and divine, a mammoth piece for orchestra, organ, solo tenor, and three choruses, has defeated many who have attempted it. But Abbado rises to the challenge, leading the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra through a marvelous reading of the score. From the opening call-and-response of organ and orchestra tossing chords at one another to the thrilling massed conclusion, Abbado and his superb singers and musicians expertly capture Berlioz's every nuance. The stunning fortes are never allowed to overwhelm the quieter moments, creating a cohesive and integrated whole. Soloist José Carreras disappoints, with weak vocalizing, though even his performance is powerfully emotive. Rodney Greenberg's direction of the concert film is as lucid and unobtrusively varied as Abbado's conducting, picking out the different forces without losing sight of the bigger picture. The disc is filled out with an appropriately lyrical reading of Wagner's Die Meistersinger overture. The two pieces are separately indexed, which proves somewhat frustrating, as it requires a return to the DVD's main menu to switch between them. However, the fine music making makes it a small hassle worth enduring. (Bruce Reid)

product information: