Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex & Pizzetti: Three Orchestral Preludes for Oedipus Rex By Sophocles [Blu-ray]

Both Pizzetti and Stravinsky were drawn to the subject of Oedipus rex, but in very different contexts. The 24-yearold Pizzetti was commissioned to write Three Orchestral Preludes for use in a theatrical production. He wrote with an austere sense of orchestral colour, devoid of impressionism that favours the vaguely archaic, with modal inflections. Stravinsky’s opera-oratorio was written in his neo-Classical style, with a central role for narrator. In a stark, stylised and formal setting, the use of Latin, and Stravinsky’s instruction for the leading characters to wear masks, add timeless, impersonal elements to a work that culminates in catharsis.

“…Once again underlining the exceptional condition of the Orchestra del Maggio, the male choir of the Florentine institution in this Oedipus rex rises to the level of protagonist. Beautiful voices merged into one, maximum tension throughout the performance up to the astonishing finale. And therefore the maestro Lorenzo Fratini, a very distinguished guide of the team, places himself on the same level as Daniele Gatti.

“Each element of the vocal cast – and what a cast, I add – made a remarkable contribution to the splendid performance, from the vocals of Ekaterina Semenchuck, estranged and tragic Giocasta, to the solid Creonte of Alex Esposito, to the younger and in any case well placed Adolfo Corrado (Tiresia), Luca Bernard, (Il Pastore), Sebastian Geyer (Il Messaggero). Massimo Popolizio declaimed the text of the narrator making it as close as possible to the demythologizing taste of our days. At the end a triumph for all with applause …Rightly deserved.”

Recording place: Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino – Sala Zubin Mehta, Florence, Italy
Recording date: 30 June 2022

Треклист:
Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex
Pizzetti: Orchestral Preludes (3) for Oedipus Rex