Peter Straka News
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2020-12-03 05:43:00
Two Contemporary Choral Recordings (CD reviews)
[…] audiophile quality but never off-putting. There are times when I found myself wishing for less reverberation, but on the other hand, it does add to the sense of hearing singers in a public space rather than a studio setting. The liner notes are useful, with lyrics included, This Naxos release is well worth an audition by fans of choral music.Bonus Recommendation: Bruckner: Mass No. 3 in F minor. Margaret Price, soprano; Doris Soffel, alto; Peter Straka, tenor; Matthias Holle, bass; Philharmonischer Chor Munchen; Sergiu Celibidache, Munchner Philharmoniker (EMI 7243 5 56702 2 9) In the category of choral music, here is something special. Music lovers whose familiarity with the music of Anton Bruckner is based solely upon hearing his symphonies may already have sensed a spirit of religiosity in his music. His symphonies have been described as “cathedrals in sound,” and movements such as the Adagio from his Symphony No. […]
2019-02-11 00:00:00
Janacek - Kát'a Kabanová
Leos Janácek (1854-1928)Gabriela Benacková, Peter Straka, Eva Randová, Dagmar PeckováChorus of the Prague National TheatreCzech Philharmonic Orchestradir: Sir Charles MackerrasSuprahon SU 3291-2 632 2 CD stereo DDD (1997)Rec. at the Dvorák Hall of Rudolfinum, Prague, 21-27 March 1997[flac&cue; logs;cover, inlays, disc&booklet scans]This set received the 1999 Cannes Classical Award for "Best Opera Recording - 19th/20th Century."REVIEWS:Fanfare (5-6/98, p.146) - "Here is a meeting of the two great sources of Janácek opera recordings over the past quarter century: conductor Charles Mackerras on the one hand, Gabriela Benacková and the Prague National Theater on the other....I adore this new recording, more so each time I hear it."BBC Music (3/98, pp.68-69) - Performance: 4 (out of 5), Sound: 4 (out of 5) - "This new, opulently recorded performance of the most Romantic of Janácek's late operas is full of remarkable things....this is a thoughtful and at times powerfully gripping reading."
2018-04-19 05:06:00
Bruckner: Mass in F minor (CD review)
Margaret Price, soprano; Doris Soffel, alto; Peter Straka, tenor; Matthias Holle, bass; Sergiu Celibidache, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus. EMI Classics CDC 7243-5-56702-2. The late Romanian conductor and composer Sergiu Celibidache (1912-1996) must be the least-known famous conductor of the twentieth century. He brought it upon himself: He refused absolutely to record any of his music, believing that sound could only be "lived and experienced in real space." I respect his principles, but as a result he deprived about ninety-nine per cent of the classical music loving world of potentially great performances. So be it. After he passed on, however, his son helped to select a handful of his father's live taped sessions for release. Among the first issues were Celibidache's Bruckner interpretations, for which he was well known. Any Bruckner work is characterized by its nobility, its grandeur, and its intense spirituality. No Bruckner offering could be more endowed […]
2016-01-21 18:12:32
The lady or the Tiber
[…] the CD’s effortful, Teutonic Peter Schreier, this version profits from a commanding Langridge in the title role. Murray, his wife, always struck me more as a “lazy” soprano than as a mezzo, so Cecilio’s high-lying music suits her. Mozart: Lucio Silla Theater an der Wien, Vienna 18 May 1981 Giunia: Edita Gruberova Celia: Rachel Yakar Cecilio: Ann Murray Lucio: Cinna Jill Gomez Lucio Silla: Philip Langridge Aufidio: Peter Straka Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt Soon “Trove Thursday” will present another version of this opera, one by J.C. Bach “The London Bach,” written in 1776, four years after Mozart’s. Lucio Silla, Haydn’s oratorio Die Jahreszeiten conducted by James Levine and all previous “Trove Thursday” offerings are available for download from iTunes or via any RSS reader.
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