Even though Lee Hoiby's two-act neo-Romantic opera A Month in the Country (1964) has enjoyed several revivals over the years, this double disc from Albany is the first commercial release. Without previous performances for comparison, this 40th anniversary presentation by the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater bears a double burden: convince listeners that the opera is as good as critics have claimed, and win affection for this particular production. First, Hoiby takes a long time to explicate his characters' tangled ...
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Even though Lee Hoiby's two-act neo-Romantic opera A Month in the Country (1964) has enjoyed several revivals over the years, this double disc from Albany is the first commercial release. Without previous performances for comparison, this 40th anniversary presentation by the Manhattan School of Music Opera Theater bears a double burden: convince listeners that the opera is as good as critics have claimed, and win affection for this particular production. First, Hoiby takes a long time to explicate his characters' tangled relationships, and longer to deliver more than talkative recitatives and short lyrical outbursts in the Menotti style. In Act II the chattiness gives way to longer lines, deeper passions, and more dramatic music, though it still feels choppy and broken up. The concluding octet fully deserves the praise it has received, but it is the only number that lingers in the memory. Second, the cast warms up slowly, and its uneven, uncertain singing calls for some patience. Liam Bonner's Belaev...
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Add this copy of A Month in the Country to cart. $19.20, new condition, Sold by Griffin Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Stamford, CT, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Albany Records.
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