Word: cantata
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...weeks. Among the highlights: the American premiere of the composer's second piano sonata by pianist Boris Berman, the American debut of his Symphony No. 6 in Washington under Rostropovich's baton, and conductor Leon Botstein's North American premiere with the American Symphony Orchestra of Schnittke's Faust Cantata, an oratorio version of an opera in progress. Against all odds, Schnittke is among the most commissioned of living composers...
...lyrical cantata is an elegant corrective to the image of Haydn as the creator solely of grand tableaux, whether symphonic or choral. It is a masterpiece in minature (it only lasts, on this recording, 20 minutes and 14 seconds). The characterization found in the arias of Adam and Eve in the "Creation" is present, but is transformed into the unilateral statement of a powerful soliloquy. The music, which is set to a libretto of unknown authorship, accompanies Ariadne's discovery of her abandonment at the hands of Theseus...
...cantata is composed of two sets of recitative and aria, following the progression of Ariadne's discovery of her plight and her subsequent expression of anguish and betrayal. Haydn paints Ariadne's psychological itinerary with bold figurations in the pianoforte accompaniment and extensive lyrical passages. The long recitatives are unusually developed musical and dramatic expressions. Wilson's playing demonstrates a sense for the maximization of the evocative possibilities in these passages without transgressing the bounds of bathos. Combining with Watkinson's unfailing vocal agility and expressive gusto, this wrings every ounce of dramatic potential out of Haydn's already amply...
...tender domesticity of the English Canzonettas contrasts with the broad sweep of the cantata, but Watkinson and Wilson still demonstrate their ability to exploit evocative possibilities in these short gems. The Canzonettas are fairly straightforward arrangements of strophic songs by an English poetess, accompanied by a setting of an excerpt from act II, scene 4 of Twelfth Night. Yet even if their tone is more modest than that of the cantata, their dramatic development is comparable. Haydn's delicate melody-lines are lovingly phrased by Watkinson, and Wilson audibly revels in the remarkably independent keyboard writing. The fortepiano passages contain...
...destined. But this detracts only slightly from the overall listening experience. Watkinson's voice is splendid, negotiating passage that, originally written for castrati, are at times unsettlingly low. Wilson's accompaniment on the pianoforte rather than the modern piano is unexpected. However, right from the opening measures of the cantata, it seems to fit perfectly, illustrating ably the merits of performance on "period" instruments. Overall, this is a superb recording that sheds light on a relatively unknown facet of one of the giants of classical music...