• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Tippett allows himself to be overly bound insym- For one thing, the score has an amplemeasure of fine vo- bolism. The English have never recovered from Shake- cal writing, some effective long numbers (darewe call speare any more than the Germans have from Goethe, them arias?), and a fair share of well -written duosand but the long running analogue between the action inThe ensembles. Knot GardenandThe Tempestappears at times to hinder Tippett uses an orchestra well. The Third Symphony rather than assist character and plot development. For is filled with effective touches in scoring, especiallyfor me, the central weakness of the work is that the char- percussion, andThe Knot Gardenabounds in bright and acters are all multileveled symbols-thus theaction unexpected sounds, such as the electric guitar. Davis consists of symbolic interplay on one or another level. conducts the opera with a true sense of mastery and af- The red-blooded stuff of character and deed is largely fection, and he has a cast that should satisfy allexpecta- missing. Some of the symbolism, moreover, is rather tions. Yvonne Minton and Raimund Herincxare the es- heavy-handed; Dov, a homosexual, becomes Ariel the tranged couple in their mid -thirties around whom the fairy, for example. Come on. This is anopera set in mod- drama revolves. Jill Gomez bringa fresh and lovely ern Britain. It calls for a greater sense of present realities. voice to the role of Flora, their ward. Robert Tear is Dov, Another problem is that the opera really istoo short: and Thomas Carey, Mel; both cope admirably withun- two acts of about a half-hour each, and one of some rewarding roles. Josephine Barstow sings the least realof twenty minutes. Single acts of Wagner take longer than the characters, Flora's sister Denise. Thomas Hemsley this, and Tippett denies himself what Wagner is gave him- Mangus, an analyst turned magician. Everybodyturns self generously, the time needed for the exposition of up in the big ensemble number that closes Act I, and lis- ideas and the full delineation of his dramaticperson- tening to that, perhaps, is the quickest and easiestway to ages. This is needed in an opera that is more about find- find whetherThe Knot Gardenis for you. ing identity than anything else. A study score of the Third Symphony and vocalscore Thus inThe Knot Gardena great deal happens very ofThe Knot Garden areavailable from Belwin Mills. quickly. We are introduced to seven people and their problems, and as the work ends they have formed al- Twin: Symphony No. 3. Heather Harper, soprano; London liances and, presumably, see the solution of their diffi- Symphony Orchestra, Colin Davis, cond. [Erik Smith, prod.] culties. But on a first hearing, especially, it is quitepos- PHILIPS 6500 662, $6.98. sible to be vague about what happened. Ofcourse the Turps=The Knot Garden. Thea Yvonne Minton (ms) Dov Rooert Tear (I) advantage of the recording is that it makesan instant re- Mangus Thomas Hemsley (b) Mel Thomas Carey (b) play possible. Here the question is simply one's willing- Flora Jill Gomez (s) Faber Raimund Herincx (b) ness to explore further. Those who think of opera in Denise Josephine Barstow (s) terms of Puccini are not likely to bother. Those who Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Colin are Davis, cond. [Erik Smith, prod.] PHILIPS 6700 063, $13.96 (two concerned with opera in this century will be interested. discs). PUTTING TOGETHERa definitive collection of jazz records "Classic Jazz" has occupied the fantasies of jazz fans foryears. It re- mained largely fantasy, primarily because recordcom- panies have until recently jealously guarded the purity of an Adventurous, the recordings to which they own the rights, refusingto allow them to be mixed with other companies' records. About twenty years ago, before the major companiesas- Revealing Survey sumed such a rigid stance, Folkways assembledan eleven -disc set, drawn from a variety of labels, which traced developments to about 1950. Althoughrepro- duced from 78s not always in pristine condition, that col- lection served its purpose then; but as a jazz overview, it The Smithsonian's six -disc is long out of date. set offers an ideal sampling Now the Smithsonian Institution has managed to win the cooperation of the companies that own the rightsto for new collectors-and practically everything necessary for a definitivesurvey. The result is this remarkable six -disc "Smithsonian Col- some surprises for veterans. lection of Classic Jazz"-remarkable not only for the of- ficial participation of a wide range of major and minor labels but also for the skill with which Martin Williams, director of the Smithsonian's jazz program, has chosen the contents. Without allowing the set to become heavy by John S. Wilson with overly familiar material, he has covered the full sweep from Scott Joplin to John Coltrane with record- ings that are "classics." It is quite often an adventurous, revealing survey, even for one who considers himself familiar with the territory. 78 HIGH FIDELITY MAGAZINE.

Load more

  1

Copy Link